Day 1 Morning Session, Good News Community Church Leadership Summit II
Repeated 7 Practices of Effective Ministry // Ptr. John M.
To quote Andy Stanley, they are as follows: (1) Clarify the Win, (2) Think Steps, Not Programs, (3) Narrow the Focus, (4) Teach Less For More, (5) Listen To Outsiders, (6) Replace Yourself, (7) Work On It
Consulted PrivateGPT: 7 practices of effective ministry can be summarized as:
- Focusing on a few key areas to achieve excellence and make an impact
- Regularly evaluating and making improvements to stay relevant and effective.
Back to (1) Clarify The Win – Asked, what goals do you have? Question for me, what Key Performance Indicators (KPI) do we have? Is it something as simple as saying, ‘souls’? Perhaps, but if we want a more systematic, or a ‘meatier’ answer for that matter, there are actual KPIs, such as the Net Offering Collection.
Personally, I think we can pull face-to-face service attendance and online reach to be KPIs. I would rather focus on what I could control. Attendance and viewership numbers tell me just how many people are able to hear the Gospel through our efforts.
Average visitors/viewers give us an idea of who we reach, but return visitors/viewers can tell us how many people are actually listening. And this is also where we can factor in Net Offering Collection – because it tells us how many people are watching, listening and responding.
Obviously, Collection isn’t the only KPI. There’s also Testimonies and Referrals.
What is given? What is told? Who are called?
(2) Think Steps, Not Programs – Makes sense; Programs are sets of steps, steps are easily recalled and followed.
Analysis is required. Before we even talk about what programs to break down, and what steps to take, we need to ask what’s already going on. Before we answer how to increase (collection, testimonies, referrals), what steps are already being done? What programs have we created and adopted, and which ones among them are maintained up to now? And when it comes to the maintained steps and programs, which ones are merely being followed because that’s what was done ever since, and which ones are actually yielding results?
Steps are naturally easy, obvious and strategic. Step of Steps is easily, obviously and strategically Christ. Easily, obviously, and strategically a cop-out to end this portion, but it’s true. It comes from Him, because it points to Him.
**Message cut, took a 10 minute break**
Worship And Intercession // Sis. Helen C.
But understand this, that in the last days there will come times of difficulty. For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, proud, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, heartless, unappeasable, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not loving good, treacherous, reckless, swollen with conceit, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having the appearance of godliness, but denying its power. Avoid such people.
2 Timothy 3:1-5
Things are getting more difficult. What’s happening in Ukraine, the Red Sea, and Israel and other key points in the world – well, we know they’re key points now because we’re impacted even if we’re so far away.
Only God’s divine intervention can change situations. We need to call on Him and connect with Him, with the aim for Him to have His way on this world. But God respects our words. The point I’m assuming we’re getting to here is that if we say the right words, then God moves (I’m sorry, I couldn’t help but throw in my opinion as early as here).
God is sovereign and above all… but he doesn’t move without man. He works in time and seasons. When He made a promise to Abraham, He mentioned precisely how long his people would stay in Egypt, and when they would leave.
But it’s not as if we’re alone – Throughout the Old Testament, the Spirit of the Lord worked in and through key people, and eventually this same Holy Spirit was poured out upon us, through Christ first, and then to all of us after His death, resurrection and ascension. We are empowered by this Spirit.
But we must be vigilant, for though we do have a Spirit, we’re reminded that we have an enemy. We need to be careful, because though we are filled and used, this enemy keeps trying tirelessly to throw us off guard, and to sway us to death.
This has always been going on since the beginning of time… constants, no matter how we see things ‘increasing’ nowadays. We’re told we need the Holy Spirit – and we’ve ALWAYS needed the Holy Spirit. To receive the Holy Spirit is to acknowledge the triune God (Father, Son, and Holy Spirit) working as one, all fully and intentionally involved in our salvation and redemption.
In fact, when you think about it, Christ’s finished work was also the intervention of all interventions. And apparently we’re seeing this, as much as more facets of the salvation we have in and through Christ, ESPECIALLY as the darkness seemingly grows greater, and things get darker.
The more we see the curriculum changed, the more we see the land polluted with innocent blood, the more we hear about confusion with regards to simplest of things, as a result of people doing so much to get what they want – The more we see (1) the need to testify… but more importantly, the more we see (2) the cause of the testimony, and just how much it actually impacts our entire being.
All this mentioned, we need to be equipped, and we need to establish our ‘Goshens’ – communities of refuge, safe from the things that are happening.
Who are we to pray for?
First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people, for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way. This is good, and it is pleasing in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for all, which is the testimony given at the proper time. For this I was appointed a preacher and an apostle (I am telling the truth, I am not lying), a teacher of the Gentiles in faith and truth.
1 Timothy 2:1-7
(1) We pray and give thanks for ‘all people’ – Be specific with names. Pray for their salvation. Pray for people groups. Pray for the unreached.
(2) We pray and give thanks ‘for kings’ and leaders, ‘all who are in high positions’. Not just in politics, but those who have been given authority.
Why do we pray? The Word continues: “…that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way. This is good, and it is pleasing in the sight of God our Savior, who desires (for) all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.“
From my viewpoint, prayer is a celebration, a response, a natural action borne from Christ giving us a peaceful and quiet life, guaranteeing that we are pleasing in the sight of God; It’s a natural action we make for all people.
You can consider that the most primal practice of effective ministry is prayer.
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