3/5 WE CAN MAKE USE OF YOUR TALENTS, SKILLS, MINISTRY, WISDOM AND CARING HEART .

3/5 WE CAN MAKE USE OF YOUR TALENTS, SKILLS, MINISTRY, WISDOM AND CARING HEART. 

    THE WORD OF GOD IS THE WILL OF GOD seeks people (who themselves become members) who are willing to use their gifts, professional skills, experience, wisdom, time and caring hearts to help build a mature, healthy, welcoming, stable, growing and multiplying fellowship.

    Our goal is not merely to increase attendance. We want to develop believers who know Christ, understand God's Word, live it, care for one another, serve others, contribute to the community, develop other believers and eventually help establish new fellowships.

 11. MUSIC, WORSHIP AND CULTURAL SENSITIVITY. 

    Different generations may have different preferences concerning worship style.

 Roles and duties: 

•  Help the fellowship distinguish biblical principles from personal preferences.

•  Encourage respectful discussion about changes in music and worship formats.

• Avoid allowing music preferences to become causes of division. 

• Give different generations opportunities to participate.

•  Preserve biblical substance while allowing appropriate creativity. 

•  Help members understand that worship is ultimately directed toward God rather than toward satisfying every individual preference.

 12. SMALL GROUPS AND PERSONAL CONNECTION.

  As a fellowship grows, some people may feel anonymous. Others may feel uncomfortable because they feel too exposed. 

 Roles and duties:

• Develop appropriately sized small groups or care groups. 

• Create safe opportunities for people to know others personally. 

• Give members different levels of participation. 

• Respect reasonable privacy. 

• Avoid forcing people into public roles before they are ready. 

• Ensure that small groups do not become exclusive clubs. 

• Connect small groups to the wider fellowship rather than allowing them to become independent factions.

    A growing fellowship needs both a larger corporate identity and smaller relational communities.

 13. MEMBER PARTICIPATION AND USE OF GIFTS.

     Every believer should have an opportunity to contribute according to his or her ability and calling. 

 Roles and duties:

• Identify talents, skills, professional abilities and spiritual gifts among members.

• Create opportunities for service.

• Match people with appropriate responsibilities. 

• Train rather than merely recruit volunteers. 

•  Rotate responsibilities where appropriate to prevent burnout and overdependence on a few people.

• Recognize that valuable service includes administration, technology, hospitality, teaching, counseling, music, finance, social work, entrepreneurship, communication, maintenance and community service.

    We do not want spectators; we want participants, and this is because everyone has something to offer according to the Word of God. 

 14. HANDLING UNMET EXPECTATIONS.  

   Members may have ideas for ministries or programs that leadership cannot immediately implement. 

 Roles and duties: 

• Provide channels for members to present ideas.

• Listen respectfully even when an idea cannot be adopted. 

• Explain decisions where appropriate. 

• Help members distinguish between “my idea was not accepted” and “leadership does not value me.”

• Encourage members whose ideas are good but cannot yet be implemented to consider how they can contribute within available resources.

• Avoid creating entitlement around personal ministry ambitions.

 15. FINANCIAL STEWARDSHIP AND RESOURCE MOBILIZATION.

     The fellowship needs resources to minister effectively, but financial pressure should not become the defining culture of the church.

 Roles and duties:

• Teach biblical stewardship. 

• Encourage giving freely and willingly rather than through manipulation. 

• Make appropriate financial information available according to the fellowship's governance arrangements.

• Identify legitimate sources of support.

• Develop partnerships with individuals, churches, organizations and responsible institutions. 

• Develop sustainable income-generating initiatives where appropriate.

• Mobilize resources for community projects. 

• Seek funding for education, skills development, social support and fellowship development.

• Ensure that needy members are not made to feel inferior because they cannot contribute financially.

 “Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity.” — 2 Corinthians 9:7. 

Elijah Mutua Kirima.

 Pastor. 

THE WORD OF GOD IS THE WILL OF GOD.

WE CAN MAKE USE OF YOUR TALENTS, SKILLS, MINISTRY, WISDOM AND CARING HEART - 2/5.

WE CAN MAKE USE OF YOUR TALENTS, SKILLS, MINISTRY, WISDOM AND CARING HEART - 2/5  

THE WORD OF GOD IS THE WILL OF GOD seeks people (who themselves become members) who are willing to use their gifts, professional skills, experience, wisdom, time and caring hearts to help build a mature, healthy, welcoming, stable, growing and multiplying fellowship.      

   Our goal is not merely to increase attendance. 

We want to develop believers who know Christ, understand God's Word, live it, care for one another, serve others, contribute to the community, develop other believers and eventually help establish new fellowships. 

 6. A CULTURE OF NON-JUDGMENTAL CHRISTIAN FELLOWSHIP.

  -  We need people who can help believers avoid making others feel condemned because of their past, personal circumstances or legitimate differences in non-essential matters.

 Roles and duties: 

•  Teach the difference between biblical conviction and personal preference.

•  Discourage looking down on people because of their past. 

•  Help members welcome people who are still growing.

• Encourage mature believers to model patience.

• Discourage comparisons concerning wealth, education, occupation, appearance, family status or spiritual achievement. 

• Teach believers to correct one another with humility and love. 

• Ensure that Christian standards are upheld without creating a culture of constant suspicion and condemnation.

-  Romans 14:1–4 provides an important reminder about receiving one another without turning every difference into a judgment.

 7. MEMBERSHIP RETENTION AND PASTORAL FOLLOW-UP.

   Growth is not only about attracting people. It is also about understanding why people leave and addressing preventable causes.

 Roles and duties:

• Maintain appropriate contact with members who become irregular. 

• Find out whether absence is caused by work, family responsibilities, illness, relocation, conflict, discouragement or other legitimate circumstances. 

• Avoid assuming that every absent person has become spiritually careless. 

• Help members find practical ways to remain connected.

• Follow up with people who have quietly withdrawn.

• Conduct periodic member-care conversations. 

• Learn from people who leave without automatically blaming them. 

• Identify recurring organizational problems that cause unnecessary loss of members.

 8. FLEXIBLE FELLOWSHIP FOR PEOPLE WITH DIFFERENT SCHEDULES.

   People work different hours and have different responsibilities. 

 Roles and duties: 

•  Create alternative fellowship opportunities where resources permit. 

• Use small groups, weekday meetings and appropriate online interaction. 

• Help shift workers remain connected.

• Consider members who work on weekends. 

• Avoid making one meeting time the only measure of commitment. 

• Encourage members to make fellowship a meaningful priority while recognizing genuine work and family responsibilities.

• Help people organize their schedules rather than simply criticizing them for being busy.

   The objective should be faithfulness and meaningful fellowship, not attendance for attendance's sake. 

 9. HELPING MEMBERS BALANCE REST, WORK, FAMILY AND FELLOWSHIP.

     Some people regard their only free day as a day for recovery from work. 

 Roles and duties: 

•  Listen to their circumstances rather than immediately condemning them.

•  Explain the value of Christian fellowship and mutual encouragement. 

•  Help them explore alternative meeting times where possible. 

•  Encourage healthy balance between work, rest, family and spiritual life. 

• Avoid creating a culture in which exhaustion is interpreted as spiritual failure. 

    Hebrews 10:24–25 emphasizes gathering together, but Christian community should also demonstrate wisdom, compassion and consideration for people's circumstances. 

 10. RELEVANT AND ENGAGING TEACHING.

     People sometimes describe sermons as boring or irrelevant. 

-  Rather than immediately dismissing this criticism, we should ask:

 What are people struggling to understand?

What real-life issues need biblical teaching?

Roles and duties: 

• Help teachers connect biblical truth with real-life circumstances. 

• Encourage clear, understandable and practical communication. 

• Address family, work, relationships, finances, parenting, leadership, integrity, suffering and community responsibility from a biblical perspective. 

•  Encourage listeners to participate actively.

• Vary appropriate teaching methods. 

•  Invite constructive feedback. 

•  Teach members that meaningful listening requires an intention to understand and obey God's Word. The goal is not entertainment. The goal is transformation.

  Elijah Mutua Kirima. 

Pastor. 

THE WORD OF GOD IS THE WILL OF GOD.

WE CAN MAKE USE OF YOUR TALENTS, SKILLS, MINISTRY, WISDOM AND CARING HEART - 1/5.

WE CAN MAKE USE OF YOUR TALENTS, SKILLS, MINISTRY, WISDOM AND CARING HEART - 1/5

 THE WORD OF GOD IS THE WILL OF GOD seeks people (who themselves become members) who are willing to use their gifts, professional skills, experience, wisdom, time and caring hearts to help build a mature, healthy, welcoming, stable, growing and multiplying fellowship. 

    Our goal is not merely to increase attendance. We want to develop believers who know Christ, understand God's Word, live it, care for one another, serve others, contribute to the community, develop other believers and eventually help establish new fellowships.

 “And the things that thou hast heard of me among many witnesses, the same commit thou to faithful men, who shall be able to teach others also.” — 2 Timothy 2:2

 1. SPIRITUAL FORMATION AND DISCIPLESHIP.

    We need people who can help believers grow from simply attending meetings to becoming mature disciples of Christ.

 Roles and duties:

 • Teach and facilitate Bible study and practical discipleship. 

•  Help believers understand how God's Word applies to everyday life. 

• Encourage personal prayer, Bible reading, obedience and spiritual growth. 

• Help new believers understand the foundations of Christian faith. 

• Establish discipleship pathways for children, youth and adults.

•  Identify believers who are ready to serve and help them develop their gifts.

• Mentor emerging leaders.

•  Encourage believers to become both learners and teachers. 

•  Help members move from receiving ministry to participating in ministry. 

 Desired outcome: 

• Members should progressively become spiritually mature, responsible, dependable and capable of helping others grow. 

 2. WELCOMING AND MEMBER-INTEGRATION MINISTRY. 

  A fellowship grows when people not only come, but also feel known, valued and connected. 

 Roles and duties: 

• Welcome first-time visitors warmly without overwhelming them.

• Follow up appropriately with visitors and new members.

•  Introduce new people to other members.

•  Help newcomers discover where they can participate. 

•  Watch for people who regularly attend but remain isolated. 

• Create opportunities for members to develop genuine friendships.

• Ensure that no individual or small group controls access to the fellowship. 

• Reduce cliques and unnecessary divisions.

• Help members feel that they belong without creating unhealthy dependence.

 Desired outcome: 

• A person should not remain a stranger indefinitely.

 3. PEACE, UNITY AND CONFLICT-RESOLUTION MINISTRY.

   -  We need people who can help maintain a fellowship where gossip, cliques, unnecessary arguments, bitterness and divisions are reduced as close to zero as realistically possible. 

 Roles and duties: 

• Teach members how to resolve disagreements biblically and respectfully.

• Discourage gossip, character assassination and spreading unverified allegations.

•  Encourage people to speak directly to the person concerned. Where necessary, encourage the biblical process of involving another mature person. 

• Refer unresolved or serious matters to appropriate church leadership. 

• Help people distinguish between genuine wrongdoing and personal differences.

• Facilitate reconciliation where appropriate. 

•  Protect people from bullying, intimidation and retaliation. 

•Help in  dealing with serious misconduct fairly rather than hiding it in the name of peace. 

• Encourage forgiveness while recognizing that forgiveness does not eliminate the need for accountability. 

 A useful principle is, help people to:

-  Go to the person, not around the person.

-  Seek restoration, not humiliation. 

- Seek truth, not victory. Matthew 18:15–17 provides an important framework for addressing personal offenses. 

 4. ACCOUNTABILITY WITHOUT HYPOCRISY HUNTING.

   Members sometimes become discouraged when they believe other believers do not live according to what they profess. 

 Roles and duties:

•  Teach believers to avoid generalized accusations such as, “People here are all hypocrites.” 

• Encourage specific concerns to be addressed responsibly. 

•  Help members distinguish between genuine hypocrisy, human weakness, immaturity and legitimate differences of conscience.

• Encourage people to raise concerns with evidence rather than assumptions. 

• Teach leaders to receive correction without defensiveness.

• Encourage leaders and members alike to acknowledge mistakes and apologize.

• Establish a culture where accountability is accompanied by grace. 

   -  The objective is not to create people who monitor everyone else.

-  It is to create a community where everyone is willing to examine himself or herself.

 5. CARE, COUNSELLING AND RESTORATION 

    Some people arrive in a fellowship carrying wounds from family, previous churches, relationships, workplaces or other experiences. 

 Roles and duties: 

•  Listen carefully to members experiencing emotional or relational difficulties. 

•  Provide appropriate pastoral care.

•  Help people process legitimate hurts without allowing bitterness to become their identity. 

• Assist members who feel offended, rejected, mistreated or misunderstood.

-  There is room for appropriate referral to qualified professionals where an issue exceeds the fellowship's competence.

• Establish confidentiality and safeguarding practices. 

•  Pay particular attention to vulnerable people. 

• Help restore relationships where restoration is safe and appropriate. 

•  Never pressure victims to remain in unsafe situations simply to preserve appearances.

 Desired outcome:

 -  People should find a place where they can heal, grow and regain healthy Relationships.

Elijah Mutua Kirima.

Pastor.

THE WORD OF GOD IS THE WILL OF GOD.