I recently read where someone said they learned more from failures than from successes. This made me realize I’d been strategically placed, sadly, to … shall we say … “learn a lot” from my old home church about church ministries and recruiting volunteers. A gathering with such potential for life eventually reached a morbid state.
“Daddy, are we almost there?” I could read into this question from the backseat the excitement my kids felt as we neared our family’s favorite vacation spot, South Padre Island in Texas. This trip had us fishing in the bay, a first for us! We thought our fishing excursion would take place on the calm, relaxing, wave-free side of the bay. Instead, the captain – wanting us to catch lots of fish, took us outside the bay to the deeper, much rougher waters of the Gulf of Mexico. As the boat bobbed up and down we found ourselves holding on for dear life! We caught fish alright, but all five of us ended up experiencing sea sickness in one fashion or another! We still share that life experience with others and laugh about it when we tell it. Life reminds me of that family trip: At times unexpected things cause us temporary discomfort. Other times, unexpected things cause us much happiness.
continue reading…Nothing Fishy About Sharing Your Life Experiences
I am a PLACE cheerleader. Now I can promise you that you would not want to see me in a cheerleading dress, but when called upon, I will eagerly pick up the pom-poms if you will, when it comes to PLACE. It may be because this is the tool God used to call me into full ministry after 12 years in the business. Or it may be just be because of the vast amount of knowledge that I have gained through the PLACE process in the last 6 years. Either way, my desire is to help others understand the value of this process and the impact it can have on them personally, others in their church, and ultimately the Kingdom as people give their lives away for the glory of God. You might say that I have owned this.
continue reading…There’s a difference between knowing….. and owning
How do you get your people off the pew and engaged in meaningful volunteer ministry? What a huge, complex, yet completely relative question. If only we had a simple solution. I have realized that there are no simple solutions to the complexities we face in life and ministry. Simple solutions tend to make great selling book titles and that is about it. Yet there is a solution to engaging and mobilizing your people into meaningful ministry.
While presenting Assimilation—PLACE and Discipleship—processes at the Stone Mountain Association Executive Conference for Dr. Larry Cheek recently, a most encouraging event took place in my ministry. I encountered a church willing to allow Christ to be the head of the body, a church incorporating as well as looking beyond the practicality of assimilation and discipleship to the spiritual bottom line, simply discovery and release of what God has placed within their congregation in regards to Spiritual giftedness and godly passions (key elements in church health). It began with Charles Rawls associate pastor of Rehoboth Baptist Church of Conyers, Georgia, an empowered leader by his pastor Frank Penley, on a quest for more than a new program or approach that would add an additional wrinkle for the year.
I’m excited to announce that today we’re relaunching our blog! What began last February as a one-man show, with myself being the sole blogger, has since blossomed into a team of 12 seasoned professionals. While the team and topics discussed will be diverse, each individual is passionate about helping God’s people connect to meaningful ministry. Each individual also uses and understands the difference PLACE tools and resources make in church ministries across the country.
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