We don’t need another inferior imitation

Some churches do things exceptionally well.

Music. Youth ministry. Preaching. Online presence. Ministry with families. Outreach to the poor. Social justice. 

Against a sole marker of quality, in general, large churches do most things very well.

They have crisp production. They have a plethora of skilled volunteers. They are led by the premium ministry agents. They have an abundant budget.

But, smaller churches also contain admirable strengths.

What Christendom doesn’t need are small church poorly imitating their larger cousins.

Far too often, neighbourhood churches will struggle to reproduce what is effective down the road, on Twitter or in the “glory days.” Of course, the results can resemble a struggle to launch and a battle - both of human and physical resources - to keep the ministry viable and functional.

There must be a better way.

Of course, God can and does work in smaller churches.

He can bless and grow ministries of churches of all sizes.

This includes any ministry which may imitate something done elsewhere.

But, again, there can be a better way.

Do. Something. Different.

Use your own strengths.

Leverage what your church is known for.

Still, reach the same people.

Still, seek to impact your community.

Still, strive to grow the Kingdom of God.

But, avoid doing it the way someone else does.

Trust me, they’ve got that “market” covered.

You don’t need to be their direct “opposition.”

Instead, use your size as an excuse to experiment.

Use your size as an excuse to be different.

Who knows, if you do something that doesn’t look and feel like what everyone is doing, you may be able to tap into a group who doesn’t connect with the traditional forms of ministry.’

How to set expectations without alienating your leaders

I’ve previously written that you need to set the bar for those volunteering in ministry positions. 

Frankly, it’s only fair that those who are stepping into a ministry role understand what is expected from them.

But, the process in determining what these expectations are, can be tricky.

You could just impose a blanket set of rules. No negotiation. Only agreed by those on the church payroll.

Or, you could utilise a more collaborative approach.

This is what I did.

The process was fairly simple…

With all your leaders present, you begin with a list of any and all potential expectations for those in leadership. In order to generate this, I just Googled various youth ministry leaders expectations/contracts and consolidated them onto one single PowerPoint slide.

This list included such things as the use of drugs, church attendance, spiritual disciplines, relational guidelines, legal guidelines and many, many, more.

From here, each leader sorted each point on the list into one of four categories - Essential, Important, Debatable, Rejected.

From here, everyone goes around the room and shares their list. No interjections.

Hopefully, the majority of the Essential and Rejected items will be fairly quickly agreed upon. But, any item which doesn’t have complete consensus will regress to one of the adjacent categories (eg any item that everyone doesn’t agree is essential, shifts to important or rejected, becomes debatable).

From here, the debates begin.

You then discuss everything else.

Why the item may be included.

How the item may be applied.

Why the item may ultimately become rejected.

With this process, the list of expectations becomes both contextually appropriate and owned by the group, not a list of demands from the ecclesiastical ivory tower.

What you need to launch a new ministry

No church should do everything.

Many churches shouldn’t do most things.

They simply cannot.

So, how do you decide what you do, and importantly, if you should launch into something new?

To start, there has to be a need. The ministry must have someone to serve or a need to meet. Without these then you’re just opening your doors and keeping busy for no one.

Second, the ministry must have a desire. This is both internal and external. There must be a yearning to have this ministry exist. This will give it energy. Both those within the church and outside of the ecclesiastical walls need to see that this ministry will be beneficial. Without desire, the ministry will quickly become a burden.

Finally, the ministry must have an ability. You need to logistically be able to pull off the event or activity. You need a space. You need people. You need training. You need time. Without these, then the ministry is a dream for the future, but not today.

Of course, this post doesn’t have to be a ministry vision killer.

In fact, it can be a catalyst for something grander than just a solo church launching something on their lonesome.

In partnership with other churches, a need, desire and ability can be channeled and utilised. They can share the ministry, pooling resources and enthusiasm.

But, without the trilogy of a solid need, desire and ability, then any perspective ministry will quickly find itself in troubled waters.

The short-term holiday workload for the long-term payoff

Year 10 History.

Year 9 History Elective.

Year 9 mainstream History.

Year 8 History.

Year 8 Geography.

Year 7 History.

Year 7 Geography.

Day 1: 

Complete an overview of the subject based upon the syllabus and the way the subject has been previously taught.

Review the assessment tasks.

Stalk the Google Classrooms from the previous year for my classes and those of my colleagues.

Day 2:

Make notes on a topic from the course from a textbook.

Day3:

Find resources and teaching material from the various acquired magazines, books and resource Facebook groups that link in with the subject overviews.

This has been the nightly activities during the school holidays.

In theory, I could forego the depth of this prep for the upcoming school year.

Without doubt, in a few years time this preparation will be significantly condensed.

But not yet.

Not for a few more years.

Currently, I’m still earning my teaching stripes.

I’m still paying my dues.

Frankly, I’m too new and green to be complacent.

And, the more prep I do now, the more it will pay off in the future.

In the confidence I’ll have in week one of term.

In the preparation I’ll have in a few months from now.

In the groundwork I’ll have laid for a few years from now.

So, while I’ve got a bunch of work ahead of me for the rest of the month, the payoff makes it all worthwhile.

The trinity who shape the theology of your church

Of course, your theology should be shaped by the bible, guided by the Holy Spirit.

Now we’ve gotten that necessary caveat out of the way…

Practically, three people shape the theology of a congregation.

The senior minister.

The children’s worker.

The worship leader.

Really, the people should be called…

The one who gives the sermon.

The one who gives the kid’s address in church.

The one who selects the music.

They don’t need to be in vocational ministry or hold any specific title, but in these hands is where theology is caught by most people sitting in the pews.

The preacher gives it depth.

The talk to the children gives it simplicity.

The songs make it memorable.

The imprint of any Sunday will be shaped by all three and leave a lasting impression over time.

With this responsibility, each leg of the theology stool must be aligned or the understanding of the flock, particularly those newer to the faith, will be confused.