BestPractices
|
March 31, 2010
|
|
Two great (free) webinars for BP/Ministry readers:
- Date and time not set yet, but Elder Jan Paulsen has agreed to meet with BP readers in a webinar forum. We are looking toward May, and will let you know the moment we get it set up.
- Loren Seibold, Editor, Best Practices for Adventist Ministry
|
|
|
|
Discipleship
| The iFollow Discipleship Webinar
Dave Gemmell,
Associate Director, NAD Church Resource Center
 I'm
writing this email to you because we need your feedback as we finish up
a
new resource. We've been working here at the NAD Church Resource Center
on a monumental discipleship resource that is long overdue. The need for
discipleship curriculum has been on the top of many pastor's minds for
years.
If you've heard of the discipleship resource that the Center For
Creative
Ministry has been working on, it is this same resource. We contracted
with them
to produce the core units for the resource and they are nearly done. We
are getting
close to delivery of this massive resource, which will be called
iFollow. It
will include the Pastor's Edition available on the Pastor's
DVD and the iFollow Website as well as a series of companion
books for your small groups and pastor's classes, whi ch we're calling
the iFollow Series. As we approach
the final stages, we need your feedback, in order to make the final
tweaks to
the resource. We also need your help getting the word out about this new
resource to your networks.
At 11:00 a.m. EDT on April 14 we will be conducting a 75 minute webinar where iFollow will be introduced and where you
will have a chance to give your feedback to many of the features. To
register
for this event please follow
this link.
https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/265889201
As an incentive, if you're one of the first 200 people who register in
the next
twenty-four hours we will immediately ship to you the very first iFollow
book. The volume is
entitled Getting It Right,
written by
Dan Day,
Director of the NAD Church Resource Center. It will give you a feel for
the book component, the iFollow Series, and will be part of the
webinar conversation. But if you miss the deadline don't give up. All
who
register and attend the webinar will eventually receive the iFollow
Pastor's Edition at no charge.
I thank you in advance for your valuable feedback at the webinar.
|
Ministry
|  Elder's Training Retreat
William S. Davis D. Min., Wyoming Region of the Rocky Mountain Conference
On any given Sabbath around the worlds the majority of Seventh-day Adventist churches are hearing a sermon preached by a lay leader or church elder. In addition to speaking at church the local elder is responsible for leading board meetings and visiting members. So much of the churches health depends on empowering leadership and yet we find that few elders have any formal education in the theology and practical issues of ministry.
In the Wyoming area of the Rocky Mountain Conference the pastors have come together to provide for the training of the elders so they are empowered and equipped for the ministry to which they are called. Twice a year the elders will come together for an elder's training retreat. The purpose of the retreat is to focus on the elder as person, theologian, and leader. Each retreat over the three year period will have three seminars that address these areas. Upon completion of the retreats and some additional take home reading and reports the elders will receive a certificate that shows that they have completed the requirements for Elder's Ministry and are now Certified Elders in Wyoming.
The Wyoming Adventist Pastors Association has come together to provide the teaching and materials as well as inviting speakers from the conference and union. The first session was held in Casper in January 2010 with over 30 elders in attendance. The response was overwhelmingly positive on the part of the elders, many of whom have served for years with little or no recognition of the importance of their ministry.
|
|
Reading For Pastors
|
Congregational-health expert says churches are in unprecedented crisis. Quote: "[Bill] Wilson said he has seen a spike in recent months in both the number and
depth of conflict.
'We are in epidemic status, Code Red, DEFCON 4, however you want to say
it,' Wilson said. 'We are in pandemic mode in terms of conflict in local
congregations. Church is reflecting the anxiety in the culture that has to do with
political, economic and social turmoil. You can't turn those
voices off when you walk into the sanctuary.'"
Tim Keller:
New debate about Islam: Can one be a Christian Muslim, in the sense that Messianic Jews are Christians?
- Joseph Cummings thinks so. Quote: "We all have more than one identity and
community. For example, most American Christians assume one can be both a
patriotic American (loyal to that community) and a faithful Christian,
though
they may disagree with some things their fellow-Americans do or teach.
Believers like Ibrahim seek to be both authentic Muslims (loyal to the
community of their birth) and faithful disciples of Jesus, critically
evaluating what their fellow-Muslims do and teach in light of the
teachings of
Christ - sometimes accepting, sometimes reinterpreting, sometimes
disagreeing."
- David Claydon thinks contextualization may go too far.
- President Obama's 2009 Cairo speech that is credited with opening this debate for some Christian leaders.
- Our own Dr. William Johnsson, in Adventist World: "Adventists and Muslims: Five Convictions" Quote: "Taking seriously the
mission to Islam has the potential to renew
and reform the Adventist Church.... Adventist outreach to Muslims will
come about only when we humble
ourselves, allowing the Lord to soften our hearts and break down
prejudices. The Lord must put within us a deep love for Muslims and a
burning desire to see them join us on the road to the kingdom. He must
make our churches warm, open, and accepting of Muslims. Only He can do
that. Such changes will mean an Adventist Church revived and reformed."
|
| To the Point
| If there is anything the nonconformist
hates worse than a conformist, it's another nonconformist who doesn't
conform to the prevailing standard of nonconformity.
- Bill Vaughan
Never eat more than you can lift.
- Miss Piggy
Against stupidity the gods themselves contend in vain.
- Friedrich von Schiller
I'm still an atheist, thank God.
- Luis Bunuel
I base my fashion taste on what doesn't itch.
- Gilda Radner
O Lord, help me to be pure, but not yet.
- Saint Augustine
Correct me if I'm wrong, but hasn't the fine line between sanity and madness gotten finer?
- George Price
The best doctor in the world is the veterinarian. He can't ask his patients what is the matter - he's got to just know.
- Will Rogers
The word 'politics' is derived from the word 'poly', meaning 'many', and the word 'ticks', meaning 'blood sucking parasites'.
- Larry Hardiman
Man is a credulous animal, and must believe something; in the absence of good grounds for belief, he will be satisfied with bad ones.
- Bertrand Russell
|
News, Ideas & Reminders
|
- From Richard Mills, Sr.: "My son recently purchased "The Adventists"
DVD.
We looked at a few days ago. It is positive. Most of the presentation
is
on health. The producer says he has changed his diet
and other
lifestyle habits to reflect Adventist beliefs. He was impressed by a
visit to
Loma Linda and
wanted to do a documentary on SDA's. A brief, very
brief section on the beginnings of Adventism is shown. A portion is
given
to Dr. Kellogg and his contribution. Overall, it was quite positive. We
hope to
show it in our church in the next couple of weeks. It is worth
purchasing and
showing to the membership."
|
|
Best Practices is a Vervent publication of NAD CHURCH RESOURCE CENTER. Editor: Loren Seibold, Senior Pastor, Worthington Ohio Seventh-day Adventist Church. E-mail:
Best Practices. You are free to republish pieces from Best Practices in your own
newsletter or blog, with attribution to the Best Practices newsletter and the
author of the piece. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
