Nor Cal / Nev College Ministries

Convictions About Ministry

I have a few convictions about ministry:

1. ministry is complex, and so
2. we regularly face unfamiliar problems which we’re not smart or experienced enough to solve,
3. yet rarely do we face a problem that no one else has ever solved.

Therefore I’m a firm believer in gleaning ideas from wherever I can. That’s a pretty Biblical perspective, by the way:

Intelligent people are always open to new ideas.
In fact, they look for them.
Proverbs 18:15, NLT

An intelligent person is always eager to take in more truth;
fools feed on fast-food fads and fancies.
Proverbs 15:14, The Message

Kaizen, I am told, is a Japanese term meaning "improvement". It's used in business circles to refer to a achieving true & long-lasting excellence through making many small incremental changes to everything you do.

It's a great word to know, it's a better word to practice.

• Do you pause after every message to ask how you could have done better?
• Do you solicit feedback from your students? Do you listen to it?
• Do you change something small every time you have a meeting?

Here's a specific tip that works well:

This article first appeared in Pastoral Renewal, October 1980, Vol. 1, #4 and was adapted for a campus ministry context.

How to set goals and priorities that move God's people toward his purposes.

By Ted Engstrom.

Purposes or goals?

It is important for a discipler to distinguish between purposes and specific, achievable, measurable, and manageable goals. For instance, ask yourself if the following are purposes or goals:

• To glorify God through our campus ministry
• To be a mature Christian
• To teach an effective lesson in Small Group
• To be a good friend and helper
• To be a better discipler

It might surprise you to know that none of the above are goals. They are all purposes. A purpose, or aim, is something for which we ultimately hope. It is not necessarily measurable in itself, but is a clear direction toward which we wish to move.

Ready to Disciple?

So you're ready now to be a Small Group Discipler. Or are you? How does a person assess his or her own preparedness? By what gauge or guide can one evaluate whether to take a step of faith and assume discipling leader-ship? Anyone who takes seriously the Lord's injunction to "disciple the nations" will ask these kinds of questions.

In this lesson, we shall look at two gauges or measuring sticks by which we can measure ourselves, drawn from practical experience in campus ministry and from the Apostle Paul.

Essentials for a Small Group Discipler

Godly character

The most incredible news the world has ever heard is that God himself came to earth. Not only did this provide a wonderful salvation for us, but the Lord wanted to make sure we could come to know Him as He is. No more voices from a mountain or earthquakes or even still small voices, but God became a man. In doing so, He demonstrated firsthand what He purposes us to become. The most significant way that we can know how we are to live, act, think, and love, is to see a model, have an example. Jesus was the first model for all who would follow Him, and not only are we to follow Him, but we are to become like Him.

Introduction

Discipline is training that corrects, molds, and perfects the mental abilities and moral character of a person. We often think of punishment first when we consider discipline, but even good punishment should serve to penalize a person due to their lack of self-control (trusting that the direct attention will aid in the development of self-control). Thus, to discipline simply means to impose order upon disorder within the mind, heart and spirit.Spiritual disciplines are tools of training for the spiritually unruly which will cause growth in the knowledge of God, growth in putting on the irnage of Christ, and growth in living an effective Christian life-style. The disciplines enable the "fruit of the Spirit" to come to a bountiful harvest in our lives, bringing love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.

Problems Measuring Ministry Productivity

Last week I saw an award-winning author get interviewed. At one point the topic turned to productivity, and the author opined: “There are a lot of things I can do and justify in my mind as an author: research, brainstorming, or getting my workspace set up just right. But at the end of the day, I look at how many words I’ve put on paper. That tells me whether I’m being productive or I’m just making myself busy.”

I had two emotional responses: admiration and envy. I felt admiration because this was obviously a person of discipline and ambition. I felt envy because it must be nice to have such a simple metric to evaluate your day.