LIFTING THE LOAD OF MINISTRY OFF YOUR LEADER’S SHOULDERS
Module I
There are many pastors and leaders of ministries who are expected to do everything for everyone in the local church. They preach, teach, pray, prophesy, lead people to Christ, visit and minister healing to the sick, cast out demons, perform marriages, funerals, counsel couples, and families, teach children’s church, direct the choir, lead worship, officiate over communion, baptize new converts and the list goes on. They do these things because there is a legitimate need, and the people designated by God to handle these responsibilities either have not been chosen by the people, or they have not stepped up to the plate after they have been identified by their anointing. However, this could lead to burn out and ultimately cause a leader to stray from the true plan of God for their lives. In order to avoid such situations, leaders need like-minded members in their midst who will help shoulder the load of ministry. This is very important because as you lift the load of ministry and steady your leader’s hands, you avoid defeat and bring stabilization to the corporate vision of God upon your leader’s life and to all that concern you.
HOW TO RESPOND TO CORRECTION WITHOUT DETACHMENT
Module II
Correction, chastisement and biblical discipline are God’s way of letting us know that He’s not finished with us yet and that He is about to expand your territory. However, God in his sovereignty has decided to accomplish those purposes in our lives through the leaders He has placed around us to help deaden those things in our lives that could potentially destroy our future in Him. As believers, we operate under the principle that our leaders are chosen by God so detachment should not be an option. Rather, it should be God who decides when it is time for you to move on. We should not allow the pain of true biblical correction and discipline to deter us from receiving the great rewards of righteousness and good gifts. Biblical chastisement and correction must be endured. We can’t go around it; we must go through it and how we go through it will determine its ultimate effect in our lives. This module will teach you how to embrace biblical chastisement and correction so that you can partake of the fruits of righteousness, holiness, and happiness.
HOW TO STAY COMMITTED IN TIMES OF CRISIS
Module III
Commitment plays an important role in the life of every believer. The Bible clearly teaches that our first commitment should be to our heavenly Father whom we should love and serve faithfully. However, it is very important that we understand the principle of commitment as it relates to serving those who lead us especially during times of crisis. Anyone can hang around and support a leader when everything is going well but the strength of our commitment is tested whenever there is a crisis in your leader’s life, ministry, marriage, health or family. During those turbulent days, leaders desire true relationships that serve not only as a source of encouragement and feedback but also as safe harbors. They need to know that they are surrounded by someone who will remain committed and connected to the vision of God upon their lives. But you will never be able to remain planted and connected to that person, place or thing unless you are willing to stay committed. This module will help you to understand and carry out the principles of commitment.
HOW TO RAISE LOCAL BODY MINISTRY GIFTS TO SERVE THE LOCAL CHURCH
Module IV
Everyone who accepts Christ as their personal Lord and Savior is put into His body, in the form of a ministry. Just as the physical body has many parts to it, the body of Christ is made up of people who are called to a particular area of ministry. That area of ministry is appointed by the Lord, impermanent in the believer’s life and accompanies them wherever they go. It puts a greater vitality in what you are doing and enables you to stay focused on how the Holy Spirit is moving within your fellowship. Understanding body ministry is vital to being an effective disciple of Christ but unfortunately, this issue is difficult for many pastors because it implies some loss of control. This module was designed to bring greater understanding of body ministry to the body of Christ.
ESTABLISHING A STRONG YOUTH MINISTRY IN THE LOCAL CHURCH
Module V
A youth ministry is an evangelical ministry intended to instruct and disciple youths in what it means to be a Christian, how to mature as a Christian and how to encourage others to claim Jesus as their Savior. This is accomplished through teaching, relationship building and mentoring. Youth ministry positively affects society by making life better for teenagers whether they are involved in ministry or not. However, in order for one to be a successful youth leader, there must be a passion for youth ministry. Passionate youth leaders give God and others their attention. They also engage the culture, explore the culture to learn from it and they employ the culture to explain the truth. If you have felt a stirring in your heart and desire to begin a youth ministry, whether you are currently in an urban or a rural area, the inner city or a suburban setting, you can do it. This module will teach you the essential ingredients to establishing a successful youth ministry that if properly implemented will make it more likely that your youth will keep coming back.
DEVELOPING AN EVANGELISM ATMOSPHERE OVER A LOCAL CHURCH
Module VI
Evangelism is the responsibility of every believer. It is birthed out of the Great Commission – a command from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ who said, “go” before He said to heal, prophecy or even teach. Unfortunately, there are many misconceptions and myths about what evangelism is and what it is not. Evangelism is not trying to get people saved. It is not sending people to the other side of the world where we feel they have never heard the Gospel. It is not passing out tracts or flyers at different locations on a weekly basis. It is not telling people that they will go to hell if they don’t get saved “right now.” It is not a program the church runs to try increase membership. It is not a training ground for people who want to be pastors or preachers. It is not asking people, “Are you saved, born again, washed in the blood of the Lamb, or any other fanciful Christian language that the average person does not understand. It is not a method for getting a pat on the back from God for being a good Christian. Neither is it a way to prove how spiritual you are because you won more people to the Lord than the next person. Evangelism is winning the lost and training them in God’s way. This module is designed to help the local church effectively fulfill the Great Commission.
HOW TO RESTORE THE FALLEN BELIEVER IN THE LOCAL CHURCH
Module VII
If you ask most believers how they are doing, they will undoubtedly give a favorable response such as they are “blessed of the Lord and highly favored.” They will declare with a broad, almost believable grin that they are the “head and not the tail,” when the truth is they feel like the tail and the enemy is wagging them silly. The reality is they’ve been battered and assaulted by the wicked one, and are living in a cycle of spiritual ups and downs. They’re in desperate need of Holy Spirit guided believers to set them right and help them get back to their rightful place in God. They’re looking for a spiritual person to be of assistance, someone who won’t judge them harshly by their own personal standard, but who will come in meekness, gentleness, and without any sense of superiority with the rescuing word of the Lord. The scriptures clearly instruct those in the body of Christ who are guided and controlled by the Holy Spirit to be ready to restore and set right our brothers and sisters who have been overtaken in misconduct and sin. It is as we use the tools outlined in the Word of God, we will achieve the best possible outcome. This module was designed to equip believers in the local church with the necessary tools to be the voice of true restoration to all who are in need.
ESTABLISHING A STRONG CHILDREN’S MINISTRY IN THE LOCAL CHURCH
Module VIII
Many children attend church because their parents go to church, and they do not have a choice. But what will happen when that child grows up and has to make his or her own decision? Will they know God? Will they have a desire to be apart of a ministry or to serve God? Statistics show that the majority of believers become born again as a child and the older he or she becomes the less likely it is to make a decision for Christ. Therefore we must teach our children now. Jesus taught the disciples that ministry to children is as important as a ministry to adults. Just as it is important for adults to know, love and serve God, so it is for children. We must do all we know to do to lead children to the life-changing experience of knowing Jesus and learning what it means to follow Him. Our children are the next generation of reformers who are going to affect our world for Christ. The time for them to walk in their gifts and fulfill purpose and destiny is not when they grow to adulthood, but it is now. This module will teach you how to build a strong and effective children’s ministry.
DEVELOPING A STRONG WORSHIP TEAM THAT RELEASES THE ANOINTING IN THE LOCAL CHURCH
Module IX
A lifestyle of worship is crucial to every believer in the body of Christ. Whether you are a worship leader or a congregational member, you have a commission to make others hungry for the type of intimacy and honesty that only manifests when we are “laid bare” before a holy God. Worship is not merely the act of singing songs with meaningful lyrics, tearfully expressing our acknowledgment of His greatness, and quietly or loudly basking in the glory of God’s manifest presence, although that is certainly a part of who we are. Worship is fundamentally a heart of obedience to God. It means we become so close to Him that our ears are married to God’s voice. Worship strengthens our relationship with the Lord and enables us to be more fruitful as we carry His heightened presence out into the world. Yet we often retreat to our conditioned responses in church, as opposed to heartfelt genuine expressions of our love and faith that will set us apart from the Sunday morning-only church-going pack. This module teaches you how to develop a culture of worship within your local church.
HOW TO WALK OUT THE WILL OF GOD AS YOU SERVE IN THE LOCAL CHURCH
Module X
The heavenly Father wants to communicate with all of us. He wants to meet our needs. He wants to exhibit all His loving attributes in our life. He wants to take His place as our El Shaddai so that it may go well with us. But in order for Him to be these things to us and His promises to be manifested in our lives, we have to hearken and obey His instructions. Throughout the scriptures, we are told to hearken to the instructions of God because our victory in life is based on the extent of our hearkening. To the extent that people hear and do what God says, they are led by His Spirit, they know His will, and they walk in victory, glory, and peace. However, the only way to know someone is to spend time with them. So it is with our relationship with Father God. As you spend time with Him on a daily basis and as His words remain active and alive in you, will be vitally united to Him Also, God promises to reciprocate when we draw near to Him, when we connect with the comfort of His presence, when we bask in His love, when we renew our trust in Him and hear His directions for our life. This module is designed to help every believer foster greater intimacy with the Heavenly Father.
HOW TO DEVELOP A MISSION CONSCIOUS CHURCH
Module XI
The mission field is one of the believer’s mandates. Not only are we called to our neighborhoods, regions, and cities, but we are also called to the uttermost parts of the world. So churches need to develop a vision for missions. We may not all get to go to the mission field. Neither is everyone called to live in remote parts of the world to preach the Gospel of Christ. But as believers, we can all be supportive of missions and develop mission-minded people who can respond to the call to be missionaries. To do this, you must first understand the process of embracing the vision for a missionary call. Then you must learn how to go about making that missionary call a reality. When you respond to the call of God to go to a foreign land, your success won't be based on how much money you’ve raised, or how many people you’ll have praying for you, or even whether you have a prophetic word from God. But it will be based on how well you know God and how well you know who you are in Him. This module was designed to help believers respond appropriately to the call to the mission field.