Enduring Churches Podcast with Alan and Trent

Episode 351: The Church Being the Church

How can we care for people?

• Value all people highly. Jesus does.
   
• Open a/partner with local food pantries to help provide basic needs.
   
• Be uncompromising in our gospel witness.
   
• Consider teaching essential work skills and offering counseling services to individuals.
   
• Establish clear guidelines to determine how your church can effectively meet the needs of its members.
   
• Partner with other churches in meeting needs.
   
• Acknowledge that we may be taken advantage of by some people, but our obedience is not bound by another’s response.
   
• Don’t grow weary in doing good.

Episode 350: How to Lead Change

In our words:

• I see something that needs to change
• I know where we need to change
• I think about the timing of the change
• I recognize why this change will be hard
• I enlist people who share my heart
• I address the "elephants in the room" lovingly but firmly
• I acknowledge failure is an option, but so is success.
• I stay the course long enough to gain a clear picture of the results

See John Kotter

- 8 step E-book

 

See the writing of Tod Bolsinger

 

See Dan Heath

Episode 349: How to Talk About Church Finances

 

1. Have an open and transparent perspective on church finances
2. Avoid apologizing for talking about the subject
3. Preach and teach on the subject naturally
   1. When it's in the text
   2. When it's a good illustration
   3. When there's a specific need
4. Accept responsibility for being the primary spokesman for your church's finances.
5. Share stories of God's faithfulness
6. Keep numbers in front of people
7. Talk about estate planning
8. Be faithful in your own stewardship

Episode 348: How To Plan For Revival

 

What is revival

1. Malcolm McDow and Alvin Reid "revival is God's invasion into the lives of one or more off His people in order to awaken them spiritually for Kingdom ministry."
   1. personal
   2. Institutional
   3. Regional
   4. specialized - like youth ie Jesus Movement
   5. national
   6. global
2. Jonathon Edward's 5 signs of revival
   1. Increased esteem for the true Jesus: People have a greater love and high regard for Jesus Christ, recognizing him as the Son of God and the savior of sinners.
   2. Opposition to Satan's kingdom: The Holy Spirit works against the interests of Satan's kingdom, causing people to turn away from sin.
   3. A greater love for the Scriptures: People develop a deeper love and trust in the Bible as the inspired and truthful Word of God.
   4. Movement from error to truth: People are led from falsehood into truth and gain the ability to discern between spiritual light and darkness.
   5. An increase in love for God and man: There is a genuine increase in love for God and for fellow human beings, particularly demonstrated through humility. 
3. Praying John Hyde 5 Questions
   1. Are you praying for quickening in your own life...your fellow workers, and in the church?
   2. Are you longing for greater power of the Holy Spirit...are you convicted that you cannot go on without this power?
   3. Will you pray that you will not be ashamed of Jesus?
   4. Do you believe that prayer is the great means for securing this spiritual awakening?
   5. Will you set apart one–half hour each day to pray for awakening?
4. McDow and Reid Steps to Revival
   1. Recognize the need
   2. Repent of sin
   3. Obedience to God
   4. Exercise of Faith
5. Revival does not occur where
   1. Biblical authority is minimized
   2. Prayer is neglected
   3. Obedience is optional

Episode 347: How to Lead An Invitation

1. Before you ever preach: Spend significant time praying and asking what God wants his people to do.

 

2. The Response begins before the invitation time.

• Ask people to start responding long before you actually give the invitation.

 

3. Don't be too quick - you can take your time  

• Many pastors through in a phrase or 2.  Some end by saying that's all I have

 

4. Let the scripture and the lesson lead to the invitation

• a review or summary from the text

 

5. Lead in naturally - don't stop and start
6. Make it personal
7. Be Clear: Give exact steps - tell your church how they should respond.

• Be Direct - ask them to take a specific action
• Invite them to the community
• Give everyone some way to respond - not just a first-time decision to follow Jesus.

Take away their fears or concerns.

• No one here is judging you - Satan wants people to believe that everyone is judging them - this is a lie.  So remind folks that everyone else is cheering them on.

Keep the invitation open after the service

Encourage prayerfulness in the church

An Example (Michael Gabbert)

Episode 346: How to Keep Volunteers Engaged....

 

How can we say thanks - Children's minister example

 

1. Words of thanks

 

2. Meaningful personalized gifts

 

3. Experiences with you

• Take them to a conference
• A concert
• A nice dinner

 

4. Ask them what they need to be great - Equipping volunteers shows that you care and want the best for them. It also shows that you believe they are valuable to the ministry

• • resources
  • training events

 

5. Take time to get to know them and what energizes them

• • spiritual gifts inventory
  • personality inventories

 

6. Make a big deal about them in front of the church

• • shows the church that the ministry they are doing is important
  • encourages the volunteer
  • encourages others to volunteer

 

When recruiting volunteers, never say

• • Don't say "This is easy."
  • It won't take much time
  • You won't have to do much

Episode 345: How To Train Sunday School Teachers

 

Five steps for Sunday School Growth (Arthur Flake)

• • • 1.        Know the possibilities
      • Church leaders need to put together their expectations
      • What is Sunday School/small groups supposed to accomplish  
        • Evangelism
        • Discipleship
        • Support
    • 2.        Enlarge the organization
      • multiplying classes 
      • Church leaders need to consistently share about the importance of Sunday School/small groups
    • 3.        Provide space and equipment
      • What you will teach
      • Room sizes and capacities
    • 4.        Enlist the leaders 
    • 5.        Go after the people

 

Vetting process

-spiritually mature

-calling

-teachable, coachable

-dedicated

-likable

 

 

Initial training

Technical -how to move beyond reading a lesson

People skills - probably more important than teaching skills

• • how to cultivate interaction
  • how to handle difficult people or situations

Class structure

• • teacher
  • community
  • hospitality

 

Ongoing Training

Must be a priority

Must be budgeted

Must be scheduled

Based on what skills teachers are supposed to be learning and what Sunday School is to accomplish

 

Provide ongoing support

Talk with them

Have teachers meet together to brainstorm and encourage

Resource Them

Tools

Bring in denominational support staff to teach teachers

Episode 344: How to Care For Orphans and Widows

 

1. Recognize that you have widows and /or orphans in your church and community. Single Moms (and single dads)
2. Caring For Widows
   1. Be intentional. Assign specific people to serve specific widows. Call them. Send cards. Help them with home and auto repairs. Visit and take meals. Give them a hug. Hold their hand.
   2. Widow and widower banquets
3. Caring for Orphans
   1. Encourage church members to become foster parents. (Example: Amy in Yuma asked God for a sign) Support foster families
      1. How many children in America need foster homes?
   2. Support Christian children's homes.
      1. Don't just assume that the government is going to take care of orphans. Volunteer.
         1. Raise funds.
   3. Consider mentoring programs
      1. Example: The Buzzards (little brothers). Pair up a man with an orphan boy to teach them what a dad would teach.
      2. Encourage mentoring Programs - Fathers in the Field
   4. after-school tutoring projects
4. Single moms are another area of need
   1. physical, emotional, and financial burden
      1. car repairs
      2. school supplies
      3. care groups

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Episode 343:  How to Disciple

 

Ingredients of Discipleship

• Build a relationship. Discipleship always happens in a relationship.

◦ First pray and ask God to show you someone who needs to be discipled.

• Read the Bible together

◦ Simply ask them, “Will you read the Bible with me?”

• Do Ministry together

◦ Train up the person who will replace you

 

Discipleship always happens in relationships.

 

Who has God placed in your life?

 

What is their learning style?

Visual

Auditory

Kenesthetic

 

4 Discipleship Questions (ask these each time you meet for discipleship)

• Where have you seen God working recently?
• What have you been learning from your own Bible reading lately?
• Who have you been praying for to share Jesus with?
• Are you too busy to be discipled?

3 Discipleship stances

• • Discipleship needs a consistent process.
    • • What is your plan?  90 percent of pastors said they had no plan for discipleship
      • Survival kit
      • New city catechism
      • Disciplemakingstages.com
      • The Lost Art of Disciplemaking by Leroy Elms
  • Discipleship needs evaluation
    • • We have to have a way of measuring progress.
  • Discipleship needs to be reproductive
    • • Can we move more and more people into it?

Episode 342: The Rise of the Generations

https://www.barna.com/research/young-adults-lead-resurgence-in-church-attendance/

 

Millennials and Gen Z lead the way in church attendance?

 

Good news for our future, why?

• The world's systems don't work
• Softening of the heart
• Changing the landscape of the church
• An opportunity

How we interact...

1. Sincerity - our actions should represent
2. Simplicity - our operations and systems
3. Significant - our purpose
4. Small - intimacy matters