Participating with Jesus in shepherding his flock is one of my greatest blessings. By Marty Davey, Pastor, GCI Jacksonville I was recently reflecting on Jesus being our good shepherd and was reminded of our role as “under-shepherds” participating with Christ as ministry leaders and pastors. Paul refers to the call to pastor as grace that … Continue reading "The Shepherding Side of Pastoring" Read the article
Can first time visitors figure out our customs and liturgy? By Tim Sitterley, Regional Director US West I will never forget my first visit to a Catholic mass. Having grown up in WCG/GCI, I had no idea what to expect. What was up with people dipping their fingers in a water basin upon entering? The … Continue reading "Helping Visitors Feel Welcome" Read the article
A healthy church is known and valued in their community. An essential step in making this happen, is finding a facility suited for your local needs. Check out the June Church Hack for some helpful steps in finding a facility for your congregation. #gcichurchhacks Read the article
The benefits of team-based learning through community of practice (COP) and team coaching. By Glen A Weber, Central Region Support Rep and Coach The first Hope Avenue training was held in early 2020. Some of us were asked to coach those who went through the training. For many, that was a six-month commitment, but in … Continue reading "Faith, Hope, and Love (FHL) in Action" Read the article
When people are empowered to participate in an area of ministry that is a good fit for them, they often end up bringing something new or doing things better. By Cara Garrity, Development Coordinator Have you ever had the frustrating experience of finding the perfect outfit, but the event gets cancelled? Or maybe you trained … Continue reading "Process of Development: Empower" Read the article
Ordinary Time is a season of participation with Jesus in the building of his church. By Jillian Morrison, Associate Pastor, Glendora, CA GCI President, Greg Williams recently reminded us that Ordinary Time is the season to be attentive to the call of discipleship and disciple making. He encouraged us to use the season to focus … Continue reading "Spiritual Practices for Ordinary Time" Read the article
Ordinary Time enables us to engage the “angels of the hour.” By Tim Sitterley, US Regional Director, West. I was having a conversation with a bright 9-year-old at church the other day. I asked her if she was excited that school would soon be over, and it would be summer vacation. Her smile turned down … Continue reading "The Possibilities of Ordinary" Read the article
Team Based – Pastor Led leadership avoids the pitfalls of vanity and believing the pastor is or has to be always right. By Danny Zachariah, Pastor and Regional Director India Sub Continent As our denomination continues to discuss healthy leadership, a phenomenon leaders should be wary of is, what I would call, the “Infallibility” syndrome. … Continue reading "Breaking the Myth of ‘Infallible’ Leaders" Read the article
A summary of the three Avenues And now these three remain: faith, hope, and love. But the greatest of these is love (1 Corinthian 13:13). Love: the calling on the ministry to engage their community with tangible acts that reflect the love of God. It must connect back to the life of the church. … Continue reading "Love, Hope, and Faith in Action" Read the article
It is vital to have a clear focus for equipping. By Cara Garrity, Development Coordinator The 4 Es – engage, equip, empower, encourage – provide an intentional process to guide the development of the priesthood of all believers for participation in Jesus’ ministry. Let’s take a closer look at equip. When we equip, we develop … Continue reading "Process of Development: Equip" Read the article
