Coaching kids rugby as part of ministry!

We easily get caught up in all the “important” things we do. Running around with the kids on the field, laughing while learning and then enjoying it enormously are as missional as you can get. Spirituality happens when we don’t take ourselves too seriously!

The Pastors Job Description

If you could write your Pastor's Job Description, how would it look? What things would you expect your pastor to do? What are the most important things that he/she MUST do?

I recently spoke with a very talented and committed pastor who has left the ministry, because he was pressured to do a lot of nice things. In the end, he concluded that he was so busy with church work (administration, meetings, reports, playing manager), that he did not have time for God, his family, or his passion – proclaiming the word of God. He works in the banking industry now, and here is his report:

How do we motivate staff members at our local Churches – Bribe them with money!

As Church we can learn a lot from the business world, but we can never function by the same principles as the business world. We should never consider our church workers as mere employees. We are called to be contra-culture, but especially as regards to the way culture and economics “reward” achievements. In the church today, however, there seems to be a growing tendency of working for bonuses, honour, and outcomes.

When the Church buys into this way of thinking, we give up the idea of worship/service as the highest calling. We, as Church, function on the premise that all are equal before God, and that God the Spirit is working through us. Everything we do, we do because we love God, and we love those around us. We are not in the business of church, we are in the ministry of church. We are not in the business of judging or evaluating each other on accomplishments, or results. We are in the business of worshipping God through our lives.

If we work with scorecards, by what measure, method, or vehicle, are we to judge success? If we are truly worried about what is happening in the church, then we would not “bribe” people to do better. We would spend more time with them in worshipping and make sure that they are experiencing Christ in their ministry. If you are in a leadership position in the church, and you are not praying with people, worshiping with them, and encouraging them through serving them, there is something wrong.

Christian Culture? – By Cobus Van Wyngaard

Cobus is a guest publisher this week on the blog. A Pastor with a vision of Church that is biblical. You can read more of his stuff on his blogs
http://mycontemplations.wordpress.com
http://anderkant.wordpress.com
If you park and enter on level 6 of Menlyn mall, on your way to the movies, you used to walk past the tattoo-parlour and then CUM books. According to some the tattoo-parlour was quite dodgy, with the girl with the leather straps which only cover the most needed parts decorating the front window.

Right next to it was CUM. Surely one of the biggest symbols of Christian culture here in South Africa. I’ve always found this two shops next to each other a beautiful picture of the tension in which we live. Until yesterday…

Part 3: My Whacked out Idea of ministry

This post is part  of the series My whacked out idea of church.
Go to Part 2
Our Sowetan friend, Devon, and Alak, from Thailand, have booming churches. But their ministry models are so simple, so non-existing. It is here where my American friend with the mega church, with a weekly attendance of 14 000, took me by surprise. The big question in ministry is, "How do we demonstrate our faith in the community?"

God loves tough guys.

These days I find myself crying more often than I am comfortable with. But if there is one thing that opens me up like a sprinkler system on a Kalahari farm, it is when somebody commits their life to Christ. This is the most amazing miracle anyone can ever experience and if you are close to me when this happens, make sure you have a raincoat.
The tough guy I am talking about is not me, I would have said “seriously tough” if I was talking about myself. No the tough guy I am talking about is a youngster, seventeen years old. He is a young leader I have met during one of the greatest experiences of my life – The “Kalahari Vasbyt”.
Every year at the end of December till early January Themba Tours organises a tour for young leaders, Grade 10-12. This is for tough guys, leaders and athletes. They would face the toughest and almost certainly greatest 18 days of their life.  They would tour through Botswana to Zimbabwe where they would be river rafting on grade 5 rapids the  biggest in the world(It is here where they learn to pray for small things – like air).

Part 2: My whacked out idea of congregation!

This is part 2 of the series My whacked out idea of church. This week while talking about church and what is happening in the world, the following 4 points came to my attention.
What is your understanding of active members?
I grew up with the whacked out idea that in congregation, an active member implies a person doing the following:

• Goes to church every Sunday.
  
• Partakes in a small group (If a person is willing to be a small group leader or play a specific role in the leading of the small group he/she naturally moves to the next level of membership. They are worth more.
  
• If they are active in one of the ministries of the Church like Family, Outreach, worship ministry then they move to the next level.
  
• If they are giving 10% or more they move to the next level of commitment.
  
• If they are leading someone in Discipleship they are ready to become a Deacon, Elder or Pastor. This would be the highest level.
  
  
  

God please help me with relationships.

When we talk about relationships we use economical metaphors like:

• we value people
• we invest in people
• relationships could be bankrupt (how many times have you heard the sermon that you should do good things for your partner, it is like banking. When the hard times come and you make mistakes you will still have credit)
• people are priceless, etc.

My whacked out ideas about Church?

Where did I get my wacked out ideas about Church? About how ministry is supposed to work, about what is important? This week I have been amazed by the idea about Church that I grew up with. No, more than that, that which I had been taught in my years in the Church and in seminary.

What happened? I had the privilege to spend this week with 9 individuals from different parts of the world. Two of us from South Africa(Devon is from Soweto), one from Egypt, one from Ethiopia, one from Nigeria, one from Tanzania. Two from the USA, one from Thailand and one form Germany. What a challenging group! Each one of us from a different denomination and cultural background. But most of all what an amazing spiritual experience!

I’d rather be hated than loved with conditions – by Donald Miller

Wow, I like the way Ron thinks about life! I had the privilege to give a sermon on Romans 5 yesterday and what Ron is saying here, resonates with this scripture – Paul Barnard
I’d rather be hated than loved with conditions. I think most people would agree. At least when people hate you, they are being intellectually honest. I mean you know where they stand. But we’ve all shared a political view or a struggle and had people take a half step back, or worse, reveal they no longer want the best for us. When this happens I get a hollow feeling and I associate that hollow feeling with the person and their ideas. So that begs the question, do we actually love our friends without conditions? Are we the kind of friend we hope to have? Ultimately, loving people conditionally is an attempt to control them. We are wrongly thinking that if we can make people “pay” for their faults, or their opinions that don’t match ours, they will have a negative association with their faults or their supposedly wrong opinions. But that’s not the way it works.

Church without an Edge!

Last night I couldn’t sleep. I sat up past the early morning hours I usually hit the sack. In my time with God I was extremely aware of the fact that we have become a ‘safe’ church. Safe not in a good sense, but in the sense that we are working on our structures every possible moment. We want to make sure we have everything under control! 
Al we talk about is structures, busy defining ourselves en redefining. The question is not what would Jesus do, rather the question is: What is Jesus doing? How much time would Jesus spend building Church structures, making sure everything is documented, clinical correct.

Lus vir ’n loopdop, dominee?

As julle kans kry kyk bietjie na hierdie artikel van Neels Jackson wat vanoggend in die Beeld verskyn het.

2010-06-07 22:38

Ds. Izak du Plessis sing tydens sy afskeidsboodskap: “There’s a lot of wrong directions on that lonely way back home.” Foto: Neels Jackson
Die kerk moet meer soos ’n kroeg word, meen ds. Izak du Plessis, wat pas as predikant bedank het.Neels Jackson het met hom gesels en na sy afskeidsboodskap in die NG gemeente Valleisig in Pretoria gaan luister.

Church leadership in trouble!

I have been praying for Church leadership, Pastors, Elders, Deacons and other leaders the past two weeks. I am just so aware of people hurting and wanting to get out of ministry and it is so difficult for me to understand because this is my life. This is what I live for. But I am convinced that godly men are broken by Church structures that focus on being business rather that tools for ministry. I have just finished “So Beautiful” by Leonard Sweet and was very much impressed by what he was saying. But then again it is the same as what Ron Martoia and Goerge Barna are saying.

Church: Are We relevant?

It is amazing to talk to teenagers about faith and what they believe. This generation is much more clued up on what they believe than what we give them credit for.
The problem is that many committed young people(15-35) break away from main stream churches. In recent studies by a Princeton workgroup in Religion working on this subject they were asked why they are not comfortable in these churches. The research was done online and platforms like facebook and other social networks were used. Teens and Young people from all over the world gave their opinion. Six areas of concern were identified and the next stage would be to start conversations about these concerns.

Cell phones the future

Guillaume Smit is one of the trendsetters when it comes to technology and church. If we don’t start using technology as a ministry and life tool we are going to miss out on a lot of blessings. The original article was published on he’s blog http://emergingbracken.blogspot.com/2010/04/your-cell-phone-is-your-future.html

YOUR CELL PHONE IS YOUR FUTURE

Posted by Guillaume Smit
During the last web2church seminar I conducted I made the remark that the future of the internet and social media ismobile. It turns out I was right. Read the original article HERE. It is written by Jolie O'Dell.

New Study Shows the Mobile Web Will Rule by 2015 [STATS]

In a dense, 87-page report,Morgan Stanleyanalysts have charted the most important online trends and predicted the future of the Internet. In addition to forecasting more online shopping and showing the geographical distribution of Internet users,

What is your expectation of your pastor?

We live in a world where people’s worth are directly equal to their accomplishments. Where the one who achieves the most(even if they are cheating or false) are seen as the icon of success, the people we have to strive to be like. The people who become leaders, because they know what they want and will do anything to achieve it.
In the church we have the same problem, there is more focus on achievements that spiritual growth. We all strive to be the best, the great leader. When you are playing this game, you end up

Ron Maroia wrote this on our need for Church

People aren’t craving church, or sermons or bible study…the are dying to be in small community where real dialogue and doing life together happens.

I agree with Ron that people tend to give church a miss, much more readily that in the past. Their need for REAL RELATIONSHIPS tend to drive them to other places to find them. Even the Cell group  is not enough. The argument is that there is a program that force

Leadership that allows creativity

I Found this article by Ron Martoia very helpful. The highlighted areas are my emphases.
The best ways of doing ministry have yet to be found and we are in an “idea” crisis
We have to own this one deeply, passionately and relentlessly. This is not because we have to be innovative or don’t like the way we have always done it. We have to own this because God is always doing a new thing and inviting us into new territory and terrain.
I am convinced the best ways are yet to be found and furthermore am totally convinced by my experience that some of those “best ways” are actually in the ideas that will come from people who we don’t know yet and who don’t follow Jesus yet.
How do you create this on a staff team? You give unbridled permission to think fresh and free and you give lavish space for unedited idea generation. These two are critical if you want to have a creative staff ethos that midwifes new ideas.

My opinion is that you also need to give enough room to try out ideas and to fail miserably. To  trust the Holy Spirit and integrity of the leaders working with you. To de-structure so that new ministry can create only the absolutely necessary structure. To let go of control, embrace chaos and stay on your knees. – Paul Barnard

Tying the Clouds Together Rob Bell's metaphors and references make his listeners stretch, but his wisdom for preachers is down to earth. A Leadership interview with Rob Bell | posted 2/01/2010

He once planted a church by teaching through Leviticus. He can use a rabbit carved from a bar of soap to illustrate the nature of suffering. Google his name and the term "Sex God" will appear among the top entries.
Rob Bell is the most interesting preacher in the world.
Bell is the founding pastor of Mars Hill Bible Church in Grand Rapids, Michigan, but his reputation as an innovative communicator came largely through his video teaching series, NOOMA. Since launching Mars Hill in 1999, Bell's ministry has expanded into books, DVDs, and live tours, but he is still committed to shepherding his community at Mars Hill through preaching.
Leadership managing editor Skye Jethani sat down with Bell to discuss his approach to communicating, the state of preaching in the church, and the risks the pulpit presents to a pastor's soul.
Your sermons are known for pulling from unexpected sources—everything from art history to quantum physics. Why?
When Jacob woke up after his vision of angels ascending and descending on the ladder, he declared, "Surely God was in this place and I did not know it." And Jesus says, "My Father is always at work even to this very day." Jesus lives with an awareness, an assumption that God is here and he's at work. Dallas Willard calls this "the God-bathed world." This has deeply shaped me.

Geestelike Leierskap

’n Paar gedagtes: Die kerkraad as die gemeente se geestelike begeleier

Die kerkraad se nuwe rol breek dramaties met die rolle wat die afgelope jare aan kerkrade toegeken is uit sekulêre modelle: 

·         In die 1950’s en -60’s was die paradigma vir kerkrade se funksionering dié van die dorpsraad: die versameling van gemeenskapsleiers, wat moet sê hoe die gemeenskap moet funksioneer.

·         In die 1970’s en -80’s was die paradigma vir kerkrade se funksionering dié van die munisipaliteit: die mense wat moet toesien dat dinge in goeie werkende toestand bly.

·         Sedert die 1990’s het die paradigma van die bestuurswêreld kerrade se funksionering bepaal: die kerkraad was die punt waarvandaan oorkoepelende beleid, fisie en koördinasie bestuur is.

Elkeen van hierdie paradigmas het hulle goeie en slegte punte gehad.

Die nuwe rol van die kerkraad vereis dat daar met ’n nuwe paradigma gewerk moet word.  As ons vir mekaar sê dat die kerkraad se nuwe rol grootliks dié van geestelike leierskap is, is die voor die hand liggende paradigma dié van geestelike begeleiding (spiritual direction).  Geestelike begeleiding is ’n ou tradisie in die christelike kerk wat tans na ’n lang tyd van onbruik weer opleef.  Dit is die gebruik van individue om ’n mentor/begeleier te kry om hulle te help om na te speur wat God besig is om in hulle lewens te doen.  Die geestelike begeleier se rol is veral om te luister na wat in die persoon se lewe aangaan en om die persoon te help tot groter insig.  Hoewel dit ’n rol is wat tradisioneel aan ’n individu toegeken is om vir ’n ander individu te speel, sou ’n mens met reg kon dink aan die kerkraad wat kollektief hierdie posisie teenoor die gemeente inneem. 

As geestelike begeleiding die paradigma is vir die nuwe rol van die kerkraad, kan ’n kyk na die basiese uitgangspunte van geestelike begeleiding ons help tot groter helderheid oor ons nuwe rol en manier van funksionering.  Ons het die afgelope jare reeds belangrike treë in hierdie rigting gegee, sodat dit nie vreemde terrein is wat ons gaan betree nie.

Uitgangspunte van geestelike begeleiding:

·         God is aktief werksaam in die wêreld.  Hy is altyd besig om iets te doen.  Wat Hy aan die doen is, is die deurslaggewende ding wat aan die gebeur is.

·         Die eerste grondhouding van geestelike begeleiers is heilige respek.  Ons is op heilige grond en moet dit nie vir ’n oomblik vergeet nie; die gemeente waaroor ons praat is die terrein van God se werksaamheid.  Daarom moet ons ook oop wees vir die onverwagte en onbeplande.

·         Die tweede grondhouding van ’n geestelike begeleier is gehoorsaamheid.  Ons moet altyd bereid wees om ons eie planne op te skort indien God elders lei.  Dit geld nog meer vir ons as kerkraad, omdat ons tegelykertyd geestelike begeleier en deel van die gemeente is.

·         Geestelike begeleiers probeer mense lei om groter belangstelling te ontwikkel in God as in hulself.

·         Ons is nie uitgelewer aan raaiwerk om raak te sien wat God aan die doen is nie.  Daar is wysheid wat oor die eeue heen versamel is wat ons hiermee help.  Die Bybel is vir ons hierin van onskatbare waarde.

·         Die allerdaagse, die ‘onbelangrike’ en die klein dingetjies verdien net soveel aandag as die uitsonderlike, die ‘belangrike’ en die opspraakwekkende.

·         Elke mens/gemeente is uniek.  ’n Mens kan nie klaargemaakte antwoorde van elders klakkeloos op ander mense/gemeentes afdwing nie.  Wat vir een persoon/gemeente ’n goeie ding is, mag dalk net vir ’n ander persoon/gemeente die slegste denkbare ding wees.

·         ’n Geloofsbegeleier is ’n byspeler in die drama, hoewel sy/hy ’n belangrike rol speel.  Die persoon/gemeente self en God is die hoofspelers.  Die persoon/gemeente is nie die geestelike begeleier se ‘projek’ en prestasie nie, maar God se eiendom, waarmee Hy ’n intens persoonlike pad loop. 

·         Een van die groot take van geestelike begeleiers is om dinge name te gee.  Geloofsbegeleiers kyk dieper as die oppervlakte van dinge wat gebeur het en sit hulle vinger op die diepste motief waarmee iets gedoen word, die werklike bron van die emosies wat opgewel het, die diepste aard van die daad wat gedoen is.  Deur dinge hulle regte name te gee, stroop geestelike begeleiers mense/gemeentes van die rookskerms, rasionalisasies, selfmisleiding, verskonings en ander meganismes waarmee hulle dit moontlik maak om in ’n ander rigting te volhard as die waarop God hulle wil neem.

·         Geestelike begeleiers help mense/gemeentes om hulle stories op verrassende maniere anders te vertel.  Hulle help mense om God se bepalende plek in hulle stories raak te sien en hulle stories as evangelie-stories te verstaan.

·         Geloofsbegeleiding is nie ingestel op probleemoplossing nie.  Dit is ingestel op groei en vervulling van jou doel.  Daarom probeer geloofsbegeleiers nie mense so vinnig moontlik deur hulle krisistye kry nie.  Krisisse word eerder gesien as groeigeleenthede.  Die fokus is altyd swaarder op die tekens van God se werksaamheid in die krisistyd as op maniere om die krisis op te los.  Verstaan van die betekenis van hierdie tekens gee sleutels om mee te werk vir die pad vorentoe.  Dit lei natuurlik meestal tot heling, maar nie op die gouste manier moontlik nie.  Die heling is hier ’n byproduk van die proses en nie die fokuspunt nie.

Die praktyk

·         Geestelike begeleiers luister na mense se stories en help hulle om sin te maak daarvan in die lig van God.  Die kerkraad as die gemeente se geestelike begeleier moet van vergadering tot vergadering die storie van die afgelope maand fynkam vir God se werksaamheid en daarvan sin probeer maak op so ’n wyse dat dit rigting gee vir die toekoms.  Dit sou gedoen kon word in die vorm van ’n uitbreiding van die ‘hoogtepunte en laagtepunte’-rubriek van vorige kerkraadsvergaderings.

·         Tyd saam in die Woord is ’n belangrike element van ’n kerkraadsvergadering.  Ons ‘wandel in die Woord’-oefening is nog meer as voorheen ’n sentrale aktiwiteit van ’n kerkraadsvergadering.

·         Die luistersiklus van die Seisoen van Luister lyk na ’n nuttige oefening – veral waar stemme van buite ingebring word in die proses.

·         Gebed vir die gemeente raak nou ook ’n sentrale saak.  Daardeur bevestig en versterk ons ons geloof in die aktiewe betrokkenheid van God by die gemeente.

Die kerkraad en bestuurskommissie

Die kerkraad en bestuurskommissie moet nie gesien word as “geestelik” teenoor “wêrelds” nie.  Die twee liggame se funksionering dek dieselfde terrein.  Albei het ewe veel te make met die praktyk van gemeentewees en met die dinge van God.  Die onderskeid lê in die vlak van detail.  Die kerkraad vra na die breë riglyne en beleid na aanleiding van ’n proses van geestelike onderskeiding.  Die bestuurskommissie neem die bal verder en neem verantwoordelikheid daarvoor dat daar tot op detailvlak aandag gegee word aan hierdie sake en dat dit in die praktyk uitgevoer word.  Daar is egter ook ’n stuk geestelike onderskeiding wat van die bestuurskommissie gevra word.  Die metodes waarmee ons doelwitte probeer bereik moet in harmonie wees met ons identiteit en doel.  Hier het die bestuurskommissie ’n belangrike onderskeidingstaak.  Dit is nie net belangrik dat besluite uitgevoer word nie.  Hoe besluite uitgevoer word is ook van wesenlike belang.

Geskryf deur my vriend en Mentor Breda Ludik