A shoe box donated to Operation Christmas Child (OCC) has the space that averages 330 cubic inches. Over the last 20 years, Samaritan’s Purse (OCC’s parent organization) has collected over 100 million of these boxes filled with love, toys, bars of soap, socks, and the Gospel of Jesus Christ. (This number is comparable to theContinue reading “Something Greater than 33 Billion Cubic Inches”
Category Archives: Volunteers
Recipe for Effective Outreach (Spirit-led Outreach Series)
Cookie cutters are great tools for chocolate chip dough. This mentality, however, is a real detriment to volunteer ministry. Trying to fit every member of your church into the same ministry mold will only cause frustration- for the leaders and the volunteers. This is not God’s design for any category of ministry, especially outreach. OfContinue reading “Recipe for Effective Outreach (Spirit-led Outreach Series)”
Blindfolded Ministry (Four Hurdles Series)
Imagine a Superbowl without a Lombardi trophy or a marathon win without a medal. We are designed by God to be motivated by rewards. These can be external (trophies, medals, degrees, bonuses, etc) or internal, but we look for the results of our effort. Therefore, it is imperative that church leaders help members see theContinue reading “Blindfolded Ministry (Four Hurdles Series)”
Are Pastors Killing the Ministry?
What if the mentality of some (or possibly many) pastors is suffocating ministry? Is it possible that the “superman” role that some pastors embrace is more like krypton to the church than salvation? God does call pastors to lead and equip believers for the work of ministry, but the choice to lord over it andContinue reading “Are Pastors Killing the Ministry?”
Who is “Called?” (Four Hurdles Series)
Decisions, actions, and the words we speak are birthed from our belief system. All possess beliefs about who God is, who we are, and our purpose in this life. Christian discipleship is, at the core, an alignment of our belief system with the thoughts and commands of our Lord and Savior. So, when something goesContinue reading “Who is “Called?” (Four Hurdles Series)”
Spiritual Gift Nuggets
Ten Nuggets to Discover from 1 Corinthians 12 About Spiritual Gifts 1. God does not want us to be ignorant about the work of the Holy Spirit or the use of spiritual gifts. (verse 1) 2. There is diversity in the Body of Christ, because we have differing gifts. (verses 4-6) 3. There is unityContinue reading “Spiritual Gift Nuggets”
5 Things “A Church Member” Wants His Leadership to Know
“Help me find the ministry that God has for me in this church. I want to serve so that I can help others, but I need to know what to do, how to do it, and how I am doing. Sincerely, A Church Member.” This is the cry of a church member who is followingContinue reading “5 Things “A Church Member” Wants His Leadership to Know”
Motivational Shift: Why people volunteer (Ministry Trends Series)
I grew up in an era when we were taught in school: “You can do anything. You can change the world.” Right or wrong, that was ingrained into our impressionable heads. Now, tens of millions of young adults are wandering around, trying to figure out how they can begin a revolution. Today, people are notContinue reading “Motivational Shift: Why people volunteer (Ministry Trends Series)”
Do I Owe My Soul to the Company Store? (Ministry Trends Series)
Are believers in Christ working so much at their jobs that they don’t have time to minister to people? One trend that has influenced volunteer ministry in the church is the career decisions of believers. Marlene Wilson acknowledges that the times have changed. “The fact is that people are volunteering- just not in the waysContinue reading “Do I Owe My Soul to the Company Store? (Ministry Trends Series)”
Families: A Help or Hindrance to Ministry Service? (Ministry Trends Series)
Family dynamics have changed the look of volunteer ministry. Churches that refuse to recognize this change will inevitably see a decline not only in ministry participation but also in the spiritual growth of the congregation. Families look different today than when I was a kid (BTW, I am only 37 years old). We did notContinue reading “Families: A Help or Hindrance to Ministry Service? (Ministry Trends Series)”
Shepherding Well 