Resources
- Bryan Gallantof Enoch's Passion still has some openings in his calendar for seminars on witnessing to Muslims. (Editor's note: I've attended Bryan's seminar, and it is excellent! He'd also be a great camp meeting speaker.) For those in the Ohio area, Bryan will be doing his seminar at Worthington Adventist, October 27-28.
- Byron Dulan let us know about "Building a Comprehensive Philanthropy Program", a class offered September 16 at the Washington Conference office. Writes Byron: "For a host of good reasons our church has been hesitant to engage the support of good people outside our faith in the
work of making people whole--physically, mentally and spiritually."
Got a tool, resource or seminar that you like a lot? Share it with us at BestPractices@ameritech.net.
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To the Point:
"We get to think of life as an inexhaustible well. Yet everything happens only a certain number of times, and a very small number, really. How many more times will you remember a certain afternoon of your childhood, some afternoon that's so deeply a part of your being that you can't even conceive of your life without it? Perhaps four or five times more. perhaps not even that. How many more times will you watch the full moon rise? Perhaps twenty. And yet it all seems limitless." -Paul Bowles
The easiest kind of relationship for me is with ten thousand people. The hardest is with one.
-Joan Baez The only reason some people get lost in thought is because it's unfamiliar territory.
-Paul Fix
"I would rather live my life as if there is a God and die to find out there isn't, than live my life as if there isn't and die to find out there is."
-Albert Camus
"If you are not allowed to laugh in heaven, I don't want to go there"
-Martin Luther
"Pray, and let God worry"
-Martin Luther
Got a favorite quote? Send it to BestPractices@ameritech.net. |
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 Practitioners:
Matthew Gamble, Seattle
To me, there would be no bigger challenge than starting a church from scratch. Matthew Gamble and Steve Leddy are doing that right now. I asked Matt to tell us what's working for them. LGSIn 2003, pastor Steve Leddy and I were appointed by the Washington Conference to plant a church in and around the Seattle area. Both Leddy and I came into the Adventist Church as young adults and so we have a passion to create an environment that is accepting, exciting and real--specifically as it pertains to young adults (age 18-35) who are often not seen in our churches. What has worked for us? - EMPOWERMENT - From the get-go we have cultivated a culture of empowerment. When someone has a vision of something that they want to do to glorify Jesus, the answer is "YES!" I was talking with a twenty-something one afternoon asking him if he would be willing to use his creative genius at 24-Seven for God's glory. His response: "You have my life."
- WEBSITE - Our website (www.24-Seven.org) has been one of the greatest tools to let Seattleites know we exist. The website was designed by a 25 year old who makes his living as a full time blogger. We remain committed to making sure that our website remains on the cutting edge of technology.
- ENVIRONMENT - Not only is 24-Seven empowering, but also we have cultivated an environment that is accepting-not of sin, but of sinners. Our mission is to reach unchurched people with the Gospel. We have found that accepting people where they are is crucial to that end. 24-Seven is a place where you come as you are. We also believe that it is the Holy Spirits role to convict the world of sin, and not ours.
- QUARTERLY MINISTRY ADVISORY - Every quarter we give personal invitations to members at 24-Seven who have shown strong commitment as well as leadership potential, to be involved on our Ministry Advisory Team. The goal for this advisory is to brainstorm what are the biggest holes at 24-Seven and how are we going to fill them. After an open brainstorming session, we work to identify the top 1 or 2 focus items that we will work on over the next quarter. Part of our weekly staff meeting focuses on the focus item(s) for that quarter making sure that we are staying on track to better the problem area that we identified.
- LIFE COACHING - Many people are stuck in a rut and no one seems to care. Pastor Steve and I have found that implementing life-coaching skills with people has been a strong source of spiritual renewal in their lives.
Find out more about Matthew's ministry at the 24-Seven's website. Matthew has a blog at www.matthewgamble.com, or you can write him at matthew@24-Seven.org.
Are you or a colleague doing something especially interesting and innovative in ministry? Tell us about it at BestPractices@ameritech.net. |
Cutting Edge Book
Point: People follow people, not programs.
Key word: Hope. If God can resurrect the dead, He can resurrect the local church.
Pros: Humbly
written by a pastor and teacher with over 30 years experience, the
author doesn't share only the success stories, but also what he learned
the hard way-boiling everything down to three simple concepts with
plenty of Biblical support: Prayer, People, and More People.
Cons: Only
112 pages! Entire books have been written about some of these chapter
titles (e.g. "How To Effectively Facilitate Change Within A Church")
Why you should read it: In "How
To Keep Your Best Volunteers", Del explains how to get rid of
Nominating Committee in favor of a Human Resource/Lay Ministry team
that meets year round.
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