Equipping
Members and Leaders with Ministry Skills
One of the objectives of discipleship is to help
class members to respond to the hurts and needs of others. Therefore,
discipleship should occur more than one hour a day each week and
requires commitment, accountability, and training.
Prepare through Bible study.
Jesus is the ultimate model of ministry. The Bible teaches us how
to be like Jesus. Therefore, the foundational action for equipping
members and leaders for ministry is to engage them in personal,
systematic Bible study. They study not just to know more but to
be more. The Bible study is a means of being spiritually prepared
for ministry.
Organize for ministry. One of
the values of education ministry's organizational structure—the
individual units (classes and departments) and the leaders needed
to make them functional—is to develop a ministry base that
allows members and leaders to become ministry practitioners. The
smaller groups make ministry more personal as relationships grow
stronger. Moreover, the smaller groups usually strengthen communication,
encourage participation, and make ministry more manageable than
in larger settings.
Take a ministry skills inventory. Encourage
each class or department to inventory its members to discover ministry
interests and skills. The information on member ministry interests
can be used in planning skill development events. The information
about ministry skills can be used immediately by matching an individual
with a known ministry need.
Train members and leaders in ministry
skills. A training plan may be developed and implemented
in cooperation with the church’s ongoing discipleship ministry.
In fact, the discipleship leader and the general Sunday School leader
ought to be in ongoing communication to plan events that match training
needs. Some of the training leaders may be individuals in the church
who have expertise and experience in a ministry area. Don’t
overlook the training and skills the pastor and other staff ministers
have in ministry.
None of this skill development training will make
anyone an expert, but it can provide a basic foundation for knowing
how to respond appropriately and sensitively to a specific need.
Part of the training could include making participants aware of
professionals or local agencies to which referrals can be made when
needed.
Communicate the needs. Leaders
and members can hardly be expected to respond to needs they don’t
know. Therefore, keep open channels of communication that provide
information about ministry needs. Here are areas in which ministry
needs may exist:
- Class. Members and prospects will be touched
by circumstances that call for ministry intervention. Determine
how the group can most appropriately respond to the need in a
way that communicates love and concern without intrusion or embarrassment.
- Church. Needs may exist in other areas of
the church. Determine how the group can share in the response
to those needs in a way that helps the small group see itself
in the context of the church as body.
- Community. Some larger needs exist in the community
that open doors for expanded ministry, even with other believers,
and become opportunities to be “salt and light.”
- World. As leaders and members become aware
of world needs, the group could decide to sponsor or at least
participate in a mission project in another area of the state
or nation, or in another country.
Provide opportunities for ministry. People will
grow as believers and become more adept at ministry as they practice
ministry. Some of these people will need encouragement; they may
not—at least initially—seek out ministry opportunities.
Plan several church-sponsored ministry projects that allow for different
levels of involvement. Set in place a process to enlist participants,
especially those who have expressed an interest or indicated skills
for a specific ministry. |
