Church work

I don't think of myself as unemployed.  I always love filling out a form that asks for my occupation.  Usually I put down "homemaker."  My second job is churchman - member of a church.  After my family (and *honesty* myself) I spend my time, energy and thoughts on the things of the church and the people of the church.  One of my greatest desires in becoming a wife and a mother was to have more time to study the Bible, theology, and serve the church.  (Insert laughter here)


So that's the background to explain why I'm sharing this link.  It's a case study-type post about a successful church planting strategy.  I really liked this part:

The spirit of loving relationship and real friendship is trust-building.  Relationships are not begun by first of all trying to peg/categorize/scrutinize a newcomer.  The church body acts as a family, with a warm and winsome character.  They love and know each other, and they want to love and know newcomers.  At the same time, these churches do not ignore or excuse sin.  Necessary exhortation, rebuke, and warning take place, but in the context of this evident, existing relationship of Christian love.  Part of the vision is maintaining the life of community and fellowship by sending and planting before the congregation grows so large that members become practically unknown to each other and visitors become invisible.  

I like this model much more than the nameless, consumer-focussed mega-church one.  How 'bout you?


And while we're on the subject of churchmanship, check out this list of appropriate work for women in the church.  When you've done all these and still have any time left over, maybe then you can complain about the few roles withheld.  From John Piper:

Ministries to the handicapped

• hearing impaired
• blind
• lame
• retarded

Ministries to the sick:

• nursing
• physician
• hospice care—cancer, AIDS, etc.
• community health

Ministries to the socially estranged:

• emotionally impaired
• recovering alcoholics
• recovering drug users
• escaping prostitutes
• abused children, women
• runaways, problem children
• orphans

Prison ministries:

• women's prisons!
• families of prisoners
• rehabilitation to society

Ministries to youth:

• teaching
• sponsoring
• open houses and recreation
• outings and trips
• counseling
• academic assistance

Sports ministries:

• neighborhood teams
• church teams

Therapeutic counseling:

• independent
• church based
• institutional

Audio visual ministries:

• composition
• design
• production
• distribution

Writing ministries:

• free lance
• curriculum development
• fiction
• non-fiction
• editing
• institutional communications
• journalistic skills for publications

Teaching ministries:

• Sunday school: children, youth, students, women
• grade school
• high school
• college

Music ministries:

• composition
• training
• performance
• voice
• choir
• instrumentalist

Evangelistic ministries:

• personal witnessing
• Navigators
• Home Bible Studies
• outreach to children
• Visitation teams
• Counseling at meetings
• Billy Graham phone bank

Radio and TV ministries:

• technical assistance
• writing
• announcing
• producing

Theater and drama ministries:

• acting
• directing
• writing
• scheduling

Social ministries:

• literacy
• pro-life
• pro-decency
• housing
• safety
• beautification

Pastoral care assistance:

• visitation
• newcomer welcoming and assistance
• hospitality
• food and clothing and transportation

Prayer ministries:

• praying!!!
• mobilizing for major Concerts of Prayer
• helping with small groups of prayer
• coordinating prayer chains
• promoting prayer days and weeks and vigils

Missions:

• all of the above across cultures

Support ministries:

• countless jobs that undergird major ministries

Now off to cook dinner!!!