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Reblog – Are you assigning or delegating?
This is one of the helpful distinctions that the Manager-Tools guys make… And it suits volunteer organisations like churches pretty well. When you talk to someone about taking on a task or a project, work out whether you are assigning… Continue reading
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If you recruit on the basis of need you will usually get “average”
It is common for Christians to make a call for people to get involved or sign up to serve or even to give because there is a great need. And there is a great need! However, if the need is… Continue reading
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Keep the tension between sons and slaves
There’s a tension to keep in ministry and encouraging people in their walk, a tension that we often fall too far on one side, or we try to find a happy balance (that defeats the purpose of the tension). As… Continue reading
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Reblog – Evangelism is not making friends with non-Christians
Making friends with non-Christians is making friends. It’s not evangelism until you evangelise them. And just so we’re all clear… Being friends with non-Christians is not evangelism either. I’m all for building friendships! And its a great way to open… Continue reading
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You’ll never nail it, you just operate between tolerances
A thermostat never keeps the temperature exactly right, it just has a “too hot” and “too cold” number, and tries to keep the temperature between those. And that’s like much of how we do ministry. Preaching that tends to focus… Continue reading
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Keep your team from “silo-ing”… except when they need to silo
A silo is a big container that keeps things separate. And you don’t want your team to do that. The welcoming guy should really care about what the mission guy is doing, the mag guy should be anxious about what’s… Continue reading
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Why your MC should have more authority than the pastor…
At least for that time they lead and love the Sunday gathering, your MC should have the authority to make the calls they think need to be made… cut a song, do an extra prayer, cut and ad, change the… Continue reading
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Should your team have “goals” or “problems to fix”?
It doesn’t matter really. They are both concepts of the future. They’re both things to work towards. But some people need to hear it one way, and other people need to hear it the other way. Goal: Encourage 100 people… Continue reading
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Reblog – Only rebuke when…
Only rebuke when there’s not a conflict of interest; don’t do it because they’ve hurt your friend’s feelings, or to make someone else happy, don’t do it because it will give you an advantage. Only rebuke when you’ve distanced yourself… Continue reading
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Avoid the trap… Secular work “just as valuable” as gospel work?
The complaint usually goes like this; “When you keep challenging us to give up our careers and secular work, you’re subtly implying that our work is not as valuable as gospel work and that makes us feel like second class citizens… Continue reading
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What is a church MC? What is their purpose?
I’ve heard the idea that the church MC is jut meant to hold the meeting together… really? That’s it? If you start by thinking about what church is; the penultimate gathering of the saints saved by the blood of God… Continue reading
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The difference between counselling and pastoring is…
The difference between counselling and pastoring is charging. A good counsellor will only ever help people to identify and make up their own mind about morality. They might try and influence it, but they will never ever impose their own… Continue reading
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Reblog – Quality in ministry for good and bad reasons
Striving for doing things well (quality) is neither good or bad, but it can be done for good or bad reasons. It’s not good to make things quality for quality’s sake. Neither to make you look impressive, or to make… Continue reading
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Reblog – Why it’s good for churches to have a membership course
It encourages people to actually join the fellowship in their minds and in their hearts. It avoids the old “join us for 6months before you serve”… as if going to 15+ sunday meetings is going to really help them understand… Continue reading
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Reblog – But what about the riotous “crowd” (ἐκκλησία) in Ephesus?
There’s one usage of the word “ἐκκλησία” that people have used to argue it simply means “a gathering”. Its in Acts 19, where the people of Ephesus riot because Paul’s preaching has affected the idol-maker’s income. When they heard this… Continue reading
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Reblog – “ἐκκλησία” does not mean “gathering”
I was told for years that the Greek word for “church” (ἐκκλησία) simply meant a “gathering”… that all a church is, is a bunch of (pretty) random Christians getting together; Whether you know them or not, as long as they’re… Continue reading
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Modern day gifts – The Accommodator (aka “the bean-bag”)
This is the person who is just what everyone needs them to be. They’re not pretending to be someone who they’re not, they just genuinely are able to be the life of the party – if the party is lacking… Continue reading
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Reblog – Housework ministry
A church is a lot like a household (at least that’s one of the illustrations used the bible). And a house needs a lot of work to work. Its not all fun and games, its not all dinners with friends… Continue reading
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Being out-the-front puts on 10% more “boring”
They say the TV camera puts on 10pounds… As thin as you might look in person, it never gets fully captured on TV. Being out-the-front at church does something similar… But not to your weight (no one would care anyway…… Continue reading
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Long & wordy offers unwittingly communicate immense workload
If you’re going to ask someone to take on a responsibility, make it short. Not the responsibility… but the “ask”. If you make the “ask” long and wordy, it will communicate that this task you’re offering them is so huge,… Continue reading
MINISTRY PRINCIPLES & PRAGMATICS 