As I finish up my thoughts about how the church (as a whole) and specifically in my ministries have not given the importance due to training and equipping church members to do the work God has prepared for us and them to do in advance (Eph 2:10 & 4:11-12) there is something we can do about it.
First off there is now quick fix for this, it’s going to take time and energy looking at your ministry (whole church, youth, children’s, first impressions, small groups, etc.) and seeing what needs to be done and then planning it out.
Giving training and equipping the importance that it is due requires…
-Making the big ask. For the most part people are not going to line up at your office door waiting to sign up to be a volunteer in you ministry. They are actually dying on the inside waiting for you to ask, they’ve been told they were created for a purpose yet we never give them ways to fulfill that purpose in or outside the church.
-Ask what are their passions and gifts. A great place to start when placing them in ways to serve.
-Give them a list of places to serve.
-Give them Spiritual Gifts analysis and the Strength Finders test, or your personal favorite. This helps to make sure people are serving in a way that suits their giftedness. Too many times we place warm bodies in whole that might end up being square peg in a round whole.
-Spend time putting together what the position entails, expectations, and training material into a manual of some sort. You can’t pull this stuff from other churches or organizations, you have to spend time putting this together yourself for your specific ministry environment and church culture.
Above all you have to make it your ministry not just a part!
The Whole Series
Part 1 – Equipping?
Part 2 – The Misaligned Focus of Church Leaders
Part 3 – Training and Equipping Lapses
Part 4 – What We Can Do About It
