Ten Ways to Engage Your Church This Week
- Posted by: Todd
- Posted on: Mon, September 28, 2009
- Viewed 75
- (5) comments so far
I’m working my way through the new book by Mel Lawrenz called “Whole Church: Leading from Fragmentation to Engagement”. In the very first chapter, Mel talks about the need for the leader to engage the people of his/her church. Mel gives some practical ways that any leader can begin to engage with the people they serve. Mel serves up 25 ideas… I’ll just share ten of my favorites. These are all things that you can try today. See how many you can do this week, and see if it begins to help you in your leadership relationships:
1. Have a cup of coffee with another leader in the church who tends to pull in a different direction from you. Insofar as possible, make a personal connection.
2. Apologize to someone you hurt in some way that created a fracture.
3. Talk with your family members about whether you bring frustration from ministry work into your family, and decide together on what standards you will hold.
4. Find five things your church should stop doing because they are ineffective, drain energy and resources, and probably take away from the church more than they give.
5. Develop confidential friendships with leaders from other churches who can be a sounding board for you.
6. Take a prayer and meditation day to give yourself some time to assess your personal ministry right now.
7. Give up any desire to please everybody. Recommit to the role of the shepherd (who feeds, protects, and leads).
8. Think of some way in which you can “see to it that no one misses the grace of God,” by telling a story of grace sometime in the next week.
9. Discuss with two or three longtime, very mature members of the church what the long-standing history of the church is. Where are there deep-running fractures? Where is there unity?
10. Confess with God the ways in which you have been the cause of fragmentation in someone else’s life.
OK… those are the ten. Pick two or three, and see how you do this week. I’d love to hear how this changes your heart, your ministry, and your leadership. Let me know by leaving your comments below
Have a great week!
Todd
Comments
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David on Mon, September 28, 2009
I already do #5 and it makes a world of difference in my life.
I am thinking #3 and #1 would be profitable for me.
I have been thinking about trying to do coffee with each of my board members (4) about once a month, just to build relationships and talk about their individual responsibilities in the church.
My wife and I talk some about how the stress of our respective jobs impacts our home life. This is something that we need to spend more time on and grow in this area.
Chris risen on Mon, September 28, 2009
Todd,
Great post on leadership. I’m going to take this from a slightly different angle. I’m going to apply your top ten to my family, which is my primary church or ministry that I should be leading.
Thanks!
Ronnie on Mon, September 28, 2009
I’m praying to do #8 this Sunday! Grace is my favourite theme!
DivineCoupons on Wed, September 30, 2009
I think those Ten are great thingsbut I would like to add a different direction to your list.
11. BE PROACTIVE as a church family.
I’ve sit and watch fractures in the church turn into huge divides, and it’s usually concerning finances. Pastors, believe me your members want to do more, they want to give more, find ways to help them do more. ENCOURAGE STEWARDSHIP.
We started a site http://www.divinecoupons.com, with one thing in mind ,STEWARDSHIP. We offer $400 a month in free grocery coupons, no registration, just select all and print them from your home.
Here’s the catch, if your members use these coupons we ask that they give 10,20,30, or 100 percent of what they SAVE to their CHURCH. STEWARDSHIP!
Get them actively involved in providing for their church. This program has led to increased offerings in churches as well as increased volunteerisms in their church.
STEWARDSHIP
Monica Ruckett
James on Mon, October 05, 2009
Hello Todd;
I love your weekly posting and have enjoyed the blog for years. I have use your blog to express ministry frustrations and weigh-in on many of your comments. What I offer today is simply an addition to all the phenomenal people who desire to follow Jesus with their whole heart.
Two years ago I became Sr. Pastor of a small church. I’ve been in FT ministry for well over 20 years. What I offer now is a new me and God’s people I have the privilege of ministering with.
I’ve done “church” in just about every way possible: Historical, Contemporary, Blended, small group etc.
But now we are becoming a learning center. Learning from one another’s experiences both good and not so good. There is no heirarchy of control, manipulation or “power”. We treat each other equally with giftings orchestrated by His Holy Spirit. It was strange to begin with, isn’t the Sr. Pastor supposed to be the “leader”, resident “scholar”, CEO of the church and ultimate “guru” when it comes to God things?
That paradigm is shifting and has shifted. The gifts of God are for the “people” of God not one man, or group of elite individuals. We do everything else, and from the outside nothing looks like it’s changed. But the people are coming alive, being empowered, and exercising their “freedom” in Christ.
We will never be on the big screen as earth shattering or ground breaking (that was already done in the early church), but we are rediscovering how to be “the Church” as God intended.
Thanks for the list of things we can change in our own lives. It’s a good yard stick to see how God is reshaping us into His original intent. God bless all of you out there. Keep seeking, striving, pursuing the Kingdom of God with your whole heart.
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