Ministry "inDeed"
As I have been working on my Deeds Ministry project for the church, I have had an opportunity to speak with some wonderful people from other churches around the country. It's amazing how you can have a conversation with someone that you’ve never met or even spoken to before and have such a kindred spirit. Almost everyone that I spoke with felt like an old friend even though I didn’t know them at all. Our shared faith in Christ binds us together.
Through these conversations, I have received some incredible feedback - great perspectives on the right mindset and heart for serving others in our local community. In today’s blog, I wanted to share a few of those thoughts with you.
“The Church has left the Building.”
This is the creed for the City Missions ministry of Park Cities Presbyterian in Dallas. I love the heart behind this. We come to Church to worship, grow in our faith and build community. We then leave the building, not just as individuals, but as the church of Christ. We are part of the Church wherever we go and are called to be the Church in all spheres of life. That is a great mindset for being in ministry wherever our feet are.
“To be a Church of influence, we must have a strong head, heart and hand.”
Having a strong “head” means that we have the right theology. We know the truth and understand why we believe what we believe. Having a strong “heart” means that we have a passion for worship along with a passion for doing the mission of the church. Having a strong “hand” means that we are willing to serve others by helping to address needs in our own community requiring mercy and justice. Head - Heart - Hand.
“We want to make Kingdom builders. Challenge them with - Whose kingdom are you building? What is your platform?”
Effective ministry for each person is all about finding our “calling.” God has gifted each of us in unique ways with unique combinations of spiritual gifts. Our job is discover what those gifts are, develop them and then put them into practice for Kingdom work. I am enjoying watching both Will and Emily do just that as they are serving at Outback this weekend. I’ve seen each of you serve in your giftedness many of other times as well.
When we find our calling, we cease working out of our own strength and harness the power of the Holy Spirit working though us. We find that calling typically when we are able to identify the people that God regularly puts on our hearts and serve them in ways in which God has equipped us. That is our “spiritual DNA.”
Stay Hungry,
Big E