All tagged ministry
We are creatures of habit, myself included, but we can change our patterns. We can choose, like my elder friend, to be more intentional on Sunday mornings. We can pay attention to where we go, who we talk to, which classes we attend, and the patterns of behavior we exhibit. We can choose to become more intergenerational in our presence at church, and thus leave a different kind of wake.
Pray for workers. Pray for those who will talk about the Jesus journey. Pray for those who will invite others to hear the good news. Pray for those who will teach the good news of Jesus. Pray for those who will walk beside the new Christians.
As I’ve spent time sitting with the story of Jesus’ sending out the disciples, I feel a sense of urgency to take seriously not only the humility, trust and faith of the disciples but also the compassion, awareness and hospitality of the countless communities that received them along the way. I pray that you and I, in whatever our ministry may be, will be ready to respond with the trust of the disciples on the journey, and to show up with the compassion of the disciple who invites the stranger to become a friend.
Your testimony is not about being untouched by pain but about surviving it and finding God in the ashes. Healing is not about forgetting. It is about living differently because of what you’ve survived. The scar becomes a story. The loss becomes an altar. The former thing becomes a seed.
As ministers of the Gospel, may we always remember that no one is too far from God’s love and forgiveness! He is not far from each one of us, and he is at work through his Spirit, drawing all sorts of people towards Godself.
We know that hitting people over the head with the Bible and proclaiming the wrongness of their actions doesn’t work. We’ve often been embarrassed that our well-intentioned but judgmental practices of the past left deep wounds and were certainly not effective evangelistic tools. At the same time, it feels two-faced to keep quiet.
To me, chaplaincy is the art of presence. It’s about stepping into the unknown, where the tapestry of life unfolds in unexpected ways. We arrive, often unaware of the stories that await us or the roles we will play. Yet we stand ready, like sentinels of faith, poised for the perfect moment to weave our threads into the fabric of the present.
To what extent may generative AI tools be appropriately used in the process of sermon preparation? Does this use eliminate the role of the Holy Spirit and the transformative process on the homiletician?
We truly, sincerely, want to be more like Christ. But do we really? I ask this only because it seems our impatience and avoidance of others is truly impressive. We have perfected the art of being angry, passive-aggressive, inflammatory, and obnoxious gloaters when things go our way.
Most congregations are already creating worship services, small-group experiences, and service opportunities that embody intergenerational ministry. However, many church leaders do not give language to these dynamics. Therefore, I always remind leaders to begin using language that describes for their church where intergenerational moments are happening.
Take the opportunity. Tell the good news. Keep the main thing the main thing. Jesus died for our sins, he was buried, and God raised him from the dead. Ask God to keep you focused on the message. Ask to keep on task. Ask God to remind you of what you ought to do.
Intergenerational ministry is a vision of the church that takes seriously Paul’s vision of what it means to be “in Christ.” Those generational barriers that often divide or rank us are reconsidered in light of Christ. In the Body of Christ, every part is equal and matters to the collective whole. Every part offers something, and every other part is made better for that contribution.
In moments as seemingly mundane as the passing of Communion trays, we get to help shepherd our people by serving them. In doing so, we follow in the footsteps of the Chief Shepherd.
When you are sick, you have an excuse. When you are not well, people tend to make exceptions for you. When you are hurt, you aren’t held to the same standards as you normally would be.
Intergenerational moments go beyond this mere sharing of the same physical space. These experiences occur when the pews turn into circles, allowing different generations to engage deeply with each other in meaningful ways. Instead of simply co-existing in location, there are opportunities for real connection, conversation, and contribution from every age group.
Our callings are unique because God has made each of us uniquely. Fearfully and wonderfully made can extend to the very things that we bring into the world for God’s pleasure.
Jesus’ teaching here is that the children of the kingdom will have to wait until harvest time to see evil completely destroyed. This waiting, however, does not imply conforming to the world or indifference to its injustices.
Can we learn to stand WITH the people of God, even when they stand AGAINST us? Can we bring ourselves to ask God to forgive the Church, even when we have been rejected by it? Can we refuse to let go of the Church, even when it desperately wants to let go of us?
“Who am I?” I am God’s! Because I am God’s, I have nothing to fear. So, when He calls, and He will call, we can approach Him in humility and gratitude and say, “Here am I, send me! Do with me what you will.”
We can strengthen our ministry when we take the time to surface these perspectives so that we can refine and use them intentionally.
