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 8 Questions for New MinistriesDecide which ministry you should start.
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In most cases it takes the starting of new ministries to attract new people and give them an opportunity for the love of Christ to be shown. But what ministry should you start? Here are eight questions to answer. 1. Who is our audience? Reaching the whole world with the gospel is the mission of the Christian faith, but life-giving churches recognize that the world is made up of many different audiences. Since different groups of people have quite different cultures, needs, and methods of communication, a church that intentionally tries to reach a specific group with the message of Christ will normally be much more effective than one that tries to reach everyone with a general outreach. Every church should have a sign that says, "Everyone Welcome," but unless they have a deliberate strategy in place to help people become a part of the church, they will see only accidental growth. 2. Where do we sense the burden of God in our church at this time? The number one attitude seen in a church that does a good job welcoming newcomers is the desire to reach out to others. Caring service is the center of all that they do. A church desiring to serve others should seek God's leading and wisdom and carefully evaluate resources and abilities to implement a new ministry. God desires to use our gifts and abilities to serve others. Carl George, respected church consultant, once noted that in Luke 10:25-37, Jesus tells us not to ask, "Whom am I required to love?" ("Who is my neighbor?"), but "How can I show the love of Christ to others?" ("To whom am I a neighbor?"). 3. What specific group of people is God giving us a burden to serve? Different people have different needs. Gone are the days of thinking broadly. It is now time to think specifically. At one time churches developed a one-size-fits-all ministry for adults. Later we thought in terms of a ministry for younger adults, middle-aged adults, and senior adults. Now we must view adult ministry even more specifically. Young adults can be divided into several categories, such as collegians, career singles, young couples without children, young couples with children, and single parents. Middle-aged adults are never-married singles, couples with elementary-school children, couples with junior higher, couples with senior higher, couples with college-age children, empty-nest couples, and single parents. Older adults include the recently retired, adults living in care facilities, adults living with their children, adults raising their grandchildren, and on and on. A church cannot say it wants to minister to adults. Today you must be very specific about the type of adult to whom you want to minister. 4. What needs do these people have that we could meet? If you don't know what the needs are, ask the people. Sticking to your own idea of what people want without asking them for their input is a mistake. Not all new ministries end up in the Hall of Fame. Some end up in the Hall of Shame. |             | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
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