As iron sharpens iron,
one person sharpens another. (Proverbs 27:17)
“We don’t pray like Jesus taught us to pray… . We assume pulpit and bulletin announcements are effective recruiting tools… . We allow the same members to hold several positions… at least until they sometimes become the power group in the church.” - Chuck Lawless
“The humble person is not blind to their strengths; they are looking to see how their strengths can help others. They are self-aware without being self-consumed.” - IFWE
“The apostle Paul models that art of recognition in Romans 16. He shows us how easy, yet powerful it is when we acknowledge those who are working hard serving Jesus and His Church.” - Baptist Press
“We care more about reaching our potential than building up the body. If we are denied the opportunity to express our gifts, we feel disrespected, unappreciated, and perhaps offended.” - 9 Marks
Of course there will be hard places. What of it? To choose ease rather than effort is to choose slow decay. (Isobel Kuhn, missionary to China and Thailand, 1901–1957)
Let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us. (Hebrews 12:1)
“you can inadvertently create a vibe that suggests the work of membership is somehow ‘less than’ the work of elders. That’s a tragedy.” - 9 Marks
“Here are some basic principles we learned in a study…. What specific action does your church take to move members into ministry?” - Chuck Lawless
“Part of Christian parlance is to speak of ‘the ministry’ or ‘the minister’ to refer to a set of professional religious activities….That’s a rather unfortunate happenstance of how religious terms develop, because ministry refers to everything Christians do to build up the body of Christ” - P&D
“trying to recruit church volunteers primarily by making announcements from the pulpit, via email, or within the church newsletter. Here’s why that approach doesn’t work” - Chuck Lawless
Reposted from Rooted Thinking.
Even though I had my struggles as a teen, God had my heart. I wanted to serve Him. When I heard appeals from pastors or missionaries about being willing to give ourselves fully to Christ in full-time Christian service, my heart sang, “Let me!”
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