The post Professional vs. Personal Christianity appeared first on Ministry Architects.
]]>Confession: my role as a professional Christian replaces my personal Christian practice more times than I would like.
As a ministry leader, I lead worship, marry, bury, baptize, lead bible studies, teach Sunday school, facilitate retreats, and lead mission trips . . . professionally. Sometimes it’s easy to confuse my ministry role with my personal spiritual life. The truth is, my calling as a ministry leader is a part of my spiritual life, but it is not my spiritual life.
When I was discerning the Holy Spirit’s call to seminary, I reached out to friends and family, met with mentors, and spent a great deal of time in prayer. When I finally said yes to the process of ordination, the amount of time I invested in my personal spiritual practice dwindled to a slow drip. A similar choreography took place when I was discerning my first call to parish ministry. I called friends and family, I met with mentors and professors, and I spent a great deal of time in prayer and scripture. When I said yes, my personal spiritual practice once again dwindled to drip status.
In both scenarios, discernment invited me into deeper openness and awareness to what God was up to in the moment. But once the decision was made, I leaned on the inertia of my calling more than the Holy Spirit’s active presence. When the role of ministry leader got really busy, the amount of time I spent offering curiosity and attention to God’s activity in my life almost disappeared.
Why is it that when we are discerning a “calling”, we spend so much time in prayer and discernment but when we say yes to that call from God, our prayer and discernment time drops drastically? If anything, the reverse should be true, right?
Maybe that’s why 51% of mainline pastors are considering leaving the ministry today. A key ingredient in the ministry burnout recipe is a disconnect from the mysterious reality of God’s presence with and for us. The inertia of calling can carry us only so far. When it comes to our capacity as Christian leaders, personal pursuit of intimacy with God has always been the most important. Unfortunately though, God is one thing that we can drop and no one will notice . . . at least for a while. This is a dangerous game to play and the temptation to play it only increases as ministry stress grows.
My daughter really wants to make the starting varsity line up for her school’s basketball team. She went to basketball camp this summer and practices in the driveway every day. I can honestly say she is better at basketball than any of her blood relatives. (We’re not known for hand eye coordination, we’re more suited to settle Catan. Look it up if you don’t get the reference, and I guarantee you a giggle or a groan.)
Depending on the inertia of God’s call more than the Holy Spirit’s active presence, is like making the starting lineup and then never showing up to practice. That’s an easy way to get injured and out of shape as well as have no idea what the coach wants you to do when they yell WOLF from the bench.
A professional Christian’s personal faith life no longer resides in quadrant two. It has officially moved to Q1: important and urgent. (Click here to learn about Stephen Covey’s 4 quadrants.)
Your personal faith life is more important than getting people back in the pews, returning to pre-covid numbers, or even creating new, nimble programming that engages our communities in Christ’s continued ministry of reconciliation. The pivotal choice that will ensure today’s professional Christians have the capacity to be tomorrow’s ministry leaders rests on prioritizing personal faith life over professional ministry success. These may be mutually exclusive in the short term but are rarely ever in the long run.
As professionals, we know there are more ways to invest in personal faith life than we can shake a stick at. If you find the one that works for you, go for it. If you have yet to try spiritual direction, see if it’s right for you. *Side effects may include: slowing down, greater risk of asking for help, increased time in silent prayer and meditation on scripture, decreased pressure to get it right, and frequent fits of grace with yourself, family, friends, coworkers, and volunteers.
Spiritual direction holds space for ministry leaders to spend intentional quality time with the one who led them to ministry in the first place. In spiritual direction, we return to the posture of prayer and discernment we were likely in before giving God our official yes. A spiritual director invites us to practice curiosity around what God is up to in our lives today so we can join in. Through spiritual direction, we become reacquainted with sustaining grace that fuels our capacity as Christian leaders. If you don’t have time to invest in finding a spiritual director near you, try a session with a Ministry Architects spiritual director. You don’t need a spiritual director to become reacquainted with God’s grace, but spiritual directors provide a unique space to be in the restorative presence of the Holy Spirit. You were never called to do the work of ministry on your own. You were always called to minister with God who called you. Consider trying one session with a spiritual director and see what God does with the time and attention you offer.
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]]>The post <strong>Building Ministries vs. Making Disciples</strong> appeared first on Ministry Architects.
]]>Full disclosure: I think leaders and pastors fall into the trap of focusing more of their time on building ministries than making disciples.
It is not that leaders and pastors don’t think discipleship is essential, but the reality is that discipleship does not pay the bills. The commitment to discipleship is time and energy-intensive, ultimately taking time and energy away from the ministries we are paid to oversee. As a result, discipleship takes a back seat to most everything else.
Recently, I’ve been working through Devotional Classics as a part of my daily rhythm. After reading “The Cost of Nondiscipleship” by Dallas Willard, I found this reflection on the essay from Richard Foster:
As someone passionate about discipleship, words like these make me wonder how my neighborhood would look if I took discipleship more seriously. Likewise, how much different would cities look – worldwide – if their churches took discipleship seriously?
The last command Jesus gave his followers in Matthew 28:18-20 was to go and make disciples. And in Matthew 16:18, we learn of Jesus’ conversation with Peter about building the Church. This distinction between disciple-making and church-building is often overlooked and I think it is helpful for us to remember they are not always the same thing.
In his book, Building a Discipling Culture, Mike Breen says it like this:
I believe this is THE tension at the heart of today’s church leaders and those who find resolve are witnessing life on earth as it is in Heaven.
Let me explain.
In 1 Corinthians 4:15-17 Paul is telling the church that they have countless “guides in Christ.” In the original Greek, the word ‘guide’ is paidagōgos which literally translates to ‘tutor.’ He goes on to state that what they are lacking is ‘fathers’. When Paul says ‘fathers’, he is talking to the people about lacking someone they are so close with they can model their lives after. Paul says that, through the gospel, he has become that father, and, then, Paul invites them to imitate his life as he imitates Christ (1 Corinthians 11:1.)
If we are honest, not much has changed. In a world of podcasts, recorded sermons, and written devotions by incredible bible teachers, there is no shortage of ‘guides in Christ.’ However, there is a shortage of leaders who are brave and vulnerable enough to invite a small group of people to imitate their lives as they imitate Christ.
What does it mean to invite someone to imitate you as you imitate Christ?
Integrated into all this witnessing is the invitation for your strategic group to go and do likewise in their own lives, just as they’ve experienced you to do. This particular invitation will eventually mean your strategic group will extend the same invitation of discipling others to their own strategic group. And, thus, the impactful work of discipleship grows.
In Mark 6:7-13, Jesus sends the disciples out to do the exact things they had been watching him do: proclaim the good news, heal the sick, and cast out demons.
In the same way, once we have journeyed with the people we are discipling for a season, we have to send them out to do the things they have been watching us do.
Simple math says that if a senior leader invites eight people (staff, elders, key volunteers, etc.) to imitate them as they imitate Christ, and then sends each of them out to replicate the process with six others, who, then, send each of their six out to replicate the process with four others, the result is 248 people being discipled.
Will they get it right the first time, every time? Absolutely not. We know from Matthew 17:14-20 that there was a time when the disciples were not able to do what they had seen Jesus do and cast the demon out of a child. Just like Jesus’ disciples, the people you are discipling will still need access to your life because there will be times when things do not go according to plan.
So, leaders and pastors, are you ready to be brave and vulnerable? Are you ready to live out the good, the bad, and the ugly of your life, in front of a strategic group of people?
Ready or not, your church/ministry needs you to take discipleship seriously. And if you’d like to talk more about what this could look like in your context, I would love to help in any way I can. Send me an email at james.warren@ministryarchitects.com and we’ll set up a time to talk.
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]]>The post <strong>Discipling The Sandwich Generation </strong> appeared first on Ministry Architects.
]]>Before the start of a new school year, our family decided to take a vacation. This was our first major family vacation since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic and served as a celebration of the milestones for three of our children. Our youngest daughter was beginning her senior year of college, our middle son was beginning his freshman year in college, and our youngest son (our last child at home) was beginning his sophomore year in high school.
In preparation for our trip, we made sure the following were checked off our list:
You see, I am a part of an intergenerational, blended family that strives diligently to love God and each other well. And while we do not require childcare arrangements any longer, we are in that season of life where we need parent care. We need to make sure we have a system in place for daily check-ins and on-the-ground support for my mother. In short, I’m part of the sandwich generation.
SeniorLiving.com defines The Sandwich Generation as “individuals “sandwiched” between aging parents and adult children. They are often put in the position to care for both their children and parents simultaneously, many times providing both emotional and financial support.”
But how often do we, the church, speak specifically to this unique life stage? So many churches create strategies to disciple children and youth, connect with parents of those under 18, engage twenty-somethings (as best we can), and care for the elderly. But what about those who are in between the far ends of the age spectrum? How are we intentionally connecting with people who are feeling “the caregiving crunch”? (As reported in January 2020 by AARP.)
We would be wise to not forget those that are juggling the challenges and joys of living in the middle, within The Sandwich Generation. And we see this modeled by Jesus in the gospel of John 19:26-28. Here we find the story of Jesus on the cross as he speaks to his mother, Mary, and his disciple, John. In this passage, Jesus places the care of his mother in the hands of his beloved disciple.
First, the scripture acknowledges that Jesus ‘saw’ his mother and his beloved disciple, John. The inclusion of the word ‘saw’ leads me to believe Jesus was intentional in noticing those around him. He recognized his mother and knew her needs. Jesus also recognized the disciple whom he loved, whose character he knew and whose resources he understood could support his mother. Jesus knew his mother would be taken care of when he was unable to physically provide the care she needed.
Secondly, the scripture acknowledges that Jesus communicated directly with his mother and with John. He acknowledged them individually and assigned them their new roles of mother and son. This change in role was critical given the pending transition that was happening in Jesus’ life. He needed to ensure there was a plan in place.
Lastly, the scripture acknowledges that after Jesus assigns the new roles to John and Mary, John proceeds to operate in his new role. John takes Mary into his home to care for her. He receives the new assignment and honors Jesus by executing his new role.
There is a lot the “Sandwich Generation” can learn from Jesus’ actions. If you’re someone who pastors individuals who are a part of this segment of society, there are specific actions you can take.
As we move forward in caring for those that God has placed in our care, let us not forget to consider those who are caring for others and who need care themselves. There are many that live within the “Sandwich Generation” that feel overlooked or forgotten. We can change that. We can disciple, encourage, support, and care for this unique group, just as we do all the others.
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]]>The post Creating a Discipleship Pathway That Means Something appeared first on Ministry Architects.
]]>While we may never know the answer (it’s high school) – we DO know that BOTH are pivotal milestones in the life of a child. BOTH cause someone’s most important people show up. And BOTH mark time in a way that’s intentional (and a little tear-stained).
And, here’s the thing… I’d bet all those billion dollars on the fact that everyone reading this knows EXACTLY what happens in between those two graduations, besides those tears. 1st – 11th grades.
Because there’s a sequence to school. There’s a plan. And between each grade level, there’s a known next with strategic steps around transition.
Can you say the same thing about your ministry?
If not – then you’re reading the right words to get started.
Do they need to know…
Once you’ve determined the best ways in which your church will come alongside families to help raise up children into young adulthood, make sure it all connects.
Last but not least, you can do all the planning and preparing and pathway sketching you want – but if you can’t answer this question, it will all be for naught: Does it all make sense?
Can the pathway you’ve created help a child get from where they start to where the church hopes they’ll end up, once they’re out of the children and youth ministries?
If you think so, then let it be known! Invite others to be a part! Bring it before Jesus and pour into the next generations with all the gusto you can muster!
If you don’t know? Email the first Ministry Architect consultant you can think of and let us help! AND – Get a team around the table and dive into these questions. Be sure to allow space for even more questions. Take a breath, talk to Jesus, and start tackling this elephant one bite at a time.
renee.wilson@ministryarchitects.com
Renée will tell you the best advice she ever received as a volunteer in youth ministry was “prepare well and love ’em to Jesus.” And that’s exactly why she’s a part of our team. Through her 15+ years of mentoring and ministering with children, youth, and young adults, Renée knows the value of building healthy teams and loves creating approaches around the vision of seeing more and more people come to know Christ.
Before devoting her days to full-time ministry, Renée earned her B.S. in Psychology from The Ohio State University and her Masters of Education and Educational Specialist Degree in School Psychology from the University of Cincinnati. She has served churches in rural, urban, and suburban settings, currently calling the east side of Columbus, Ohio home.
Renée loves college football, being an aunt, and can sing at least one song from pretty much any Broadway musical. Just ask her!
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]]>The post BIBLE STUDY TOOLS: Use Visualization to Help Your Kids See Jesus appeared first on Ministry Architects.
]]>Like many churched children, I was one of those who received my first “real” Bible when I was very young. It was my birthday, and it was also Easter, the perfect time to receive such a gift. I remember thumbing through the pages and being just a little distressed that there weren’t more pictures, but it wasn’t that kind of Bible. What I DO remember was the pictures that were there, among them a picture of Jesus walking along the road to Emmaus with two unwitting disciples – Cleopas and old what’s his name. It’s a familiar picture and a powerful image if you know the story (Luke 24: 13-35).
I was talking with a close friend the other day (you know, one of THOSE friends, a real kindred spirit). She has this awesome walk with God going. She’s very intentional in how she cultivates that relationship with God, listening intently to hear God’s voice, watching ever so closely for the blessings that God bestows, and giving thanks each and everyday. As she and I were talking, this very powerful image entered my head. Like the image of disciples walking the road with Jesus, it was an image of her walking a dusty road with Him, the two of them walking as friends, sharing in conversation, smiling and even laughing together. I decided I could learn a lot if I just walked along a few steps behind and watched her walk with Jesus.
I shared that powerful image with my friend, and she suggested, “What if we could picture our loved ones the same way with Jesus? What would that look like?”
So I began to imagine that. My son is a surgical resident in his first year of residency. And sure enough, as I pictured him in surgery there stood Jesus, all scrubbed in, guiding and steadying his hand. It was a little odd, maybe, but powerful still, especially if you think you might be his patient someday.
And so it was with other members of my family as I imagined how Jesus might “meet them on the road.” Visualizing Jesus with these that I love became a very powerful way of seeing what He might do in and through their lives.
Why not use this very same approach to make Jesus real in the lives of your young people.
Here’s the homework for you – picture each of your youth individually with Jesus and ask those same questions. What is Jesus trying to do with each one? What are the words that Jesus would say to each one? What are those things calling you to do in your ministry so that you can be the hands and feet of Jesus at work in each one’s life? To do this, you really need to know your young people, and that can be a challenge. But it’s a worthwhile challenge and will deepen your understanding of your youth and increase your effectiveness as their spiritual guide.
Sometimes an image is all that it takes, and sometimes words just get in the way. Let God speak through visual imagery, and you may be amazed at the result.
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]]>The post Spiritual Formation and Youth Ministry appeared first on Ministry Architects.
]]>The goal of Spiritual Formation is to develop our spiritual maturity and guide us through a process of being transformed by God as we seek to connect our hearts with God’s heart.
A part of spiritual development is being able to create “sacred space” for our selves and our students so that we can be immersed in God’s presence. Sacred space is that space where we allow God to work. It’s a space we don’t often have with our students because we are busy with so many other things. But, think about what a gift it is to students when we stop talking and teach them to listen for what God has to say. I know that some of our students have the attention span of Cheetos, but we can do them a great disservice when we don’t teach them to listen in the silence, to the Word, and to each other. A very practical way to do this is through Lectio Divina (reading the scripture and repeating it). Or through listening small groups where students share in more intimate settings. When there is space for God to work, in these intimate and quite spaces, we are being developed and nurtured.
Spiritual Formation is our Divine GPS system getting us from “here to there” on our faith journey. I love that our spiritual development is not something that is random. The role of spiritual formation is to guide us in the process. As we are developing the spiritual lives of our students it is important to remember that we are not the end destination. We are a stop on a much longer journey. And, we must trust that God is working in the whole process and will give us what we need to help students get from where they are to another place, or to another stop on the journey as they move along.
God is in the transforming business. There is a movement of the spirit that is working in, through, and around us. As we, and our students, are developing and moving along this journey God is doing something awesome inside and around and through us. Sometimes we are not even aware of it. Spiritual formation development allows God the open space to work on God’s masterpiece… us. We are a work in progress.
God never stops working on us. When one part seems to be moving along, God turns God’s attention to another part of our souls. In our ministries our prayer is that we are not the only ones invested in our students development. We trust that the process through the journey is met with, at each stop, each point with loving nurturing people to drop something into our students lives. It is up to generations of people who love God to continue to invest in the lives of our students and the pray is that as they are developed they will do the same for generations after them.
The reason for all of this is to connect our hearts, and our student’s hearts, to God’s heart! Just like we are all works in progress, we are also all on this continuous journey to know Christ more and to connect our hearts and thoughts and actions to what God is calling us to. Spiritual Formation is all about making that connection. Being “formed” to be like Christ. Being transFORMED in the renewing of our minds. We are always seeking God and seeking more intimacy with God.
Prayer: Dear God, I pray for leaders who are walking alongside students, everyday, on this spiritual journey to draw closer to You. I pray for your boldness and wisdom in their teaching, living, and nurturing. Amen.
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]]>The post Starting a Prayer Group appeared first on Ministry Architects.
]]>As I sat there, fearing endless amounts of pepperoni pizza haunting me in my dreams and yet another concert, bonfire, movie night, or 5th quarter party that didn’t bring about the long-term outreach results we were looking for, I decided it was time to go to the Lord in prayer. Ironically, what came about, was more prayer and not just with me praying, but me praying with countless students every week for the next eight years.
As I went to the Lord I realized the best way for me to do outreach is not for me to expect them to come to me, but for me to go to them. Thankfully, I have a great relationship with the schools in my area. I’ve been a coach, mentor and volunteered at many activities that have helped me build trust with the school district in my area and so because of that, it made things much easier when I decided to get some prayer groups going in the schools.
Now, if you’re like me, and you love students, but often wonder what the best and most effective tool for outreach is, I’m a firm believer that starting prayer groups in your schools might be one of the best outreaches you could ever do. Here’s why-
Here’s how simple this extremely effective outreach is for my youth ministry. I show up with donuts and information about our youth program, upcoming events and bus ministry. That’s it. No joke, that’s really all I do. Now, if I show up without the donuts, the kids might tackle me and pull out all my hair, so I’ve never made that mistake. The great thing is, there are no countless hours of pre-planning or thousands of dollars spent on some band the kids barely know. I spend a few dollars a week on donuts, which I actually used to get for free from a local grocery store who gave me their day old donuts, but the groups grew to be so big that I recognized I needed to start purchasing my own.
Here are a few simple steps on how to get a prayer group started in your schools.
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]]>The post How to Create Curriculum From Your Favorite Books appeared first on Ministry Architects.
]]>I remember feeling like most of the resources that were being doled out as youth ministry curriculum were too simplistic and too safe to challenge the students the way I knew they needed to be challenged.
So, I decided if a big publisher was not going to do it, then I would.
How?
Now go through each chapter of the book and repeat this same process. I think you will be very happy with the results and will have some wonderful semi-homemade curriculum for your next great small group!
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