Hospitality

Most people decide whether they will return to a church within a very few minutes after arriving on the church property. It happens long before the music begins or the pastor preaches. Their decision is based on what they see and what they experience in those first few minutes. If a church is serious about wanting to reach new people it is critical that they become very intentional about providing great hospitality to every person who comes on their property.

"Pastor's Peeps": Bivocational Ministry: The pain that exists in small churches

"Pastor's Peeps": Bivocational Ministry: The pain that exists in small churches

Actions Speak

Whether or not you are aware of it, your behavior—both what you do as well as what you don’t do—affects your witness for Christ. It is an issue of testimony: What does your life say about God to the friends, relatives, coworkers, neighbors, or even strangers who might be watching you?

Legacy

When you begin a ministry in a new place one of the things you need to recognize is that one day you will leave there.  You may be called elsewhere, be fired, retire, or die, but if the Lord tarries you will one day leave that church, and you will leave a legacy.  People will remember certain things about your ministry in that church.  The person who follows you will either build upon that legacy or have to tear it down in order to build something positive.  The earlier in your ministry in that place you recognize this the more likely it will be that your legacy will be a positive one.  You cannot control what you will encounter when you begin a new ministry, but you can control how you respond to that and the legacy you will leave behind when you leave.  Don't leave a mess for others to clean up.  Make sure your legacy is a positive one upon which the next leader can build.

Glorify God

The very purpose for which you and I exist is to give glory to God, that's what it's all about.  Jesus is called the Lord of glory. We are to give Him glory. He deserves it. And it is the mark of a committed Christian; it is the mark of a really genuine disciple that he gives God glory. His life reflects the attributes of God. God is praised by the way he lives.

Vision

The cause of poor giving to a church is a lack of vision.  If the only thing a church is going to do with its finances is pay the utilities and salaries, that is all the money that will come in.  People give to vision; they give to ministry; they give much less to maintenance activities.  In a lifetime of attending smaller churches I've seen it happen numerous times that a church that struggles to pay its bills each month suddenly raises a large sum of money within days or weeks to fund a major project.  That alone proves the church is not without resources.  The problem is that we've not challenged the people to part with those resources for something more exciting than an electric bill.

Rejection

Rejection can be extremely cruel. Israel was a unique nation, chosen by God to be the guardian of His Word and the proclaimer of His Kingdom. The OT records His miraculous and providential care for her throughout the centuries. The prophets told of One who’d come as her great Deliverer. Israel eagerly awaited the promised Messiah. But the story has a surprise ending. In the person of Jesus Christ, the Messiah finally came and presented Himself to Israel. The religious leaders examined Him carefully, measuring Him every way they could. But He didn’t fit their blueprint. They expected a reigning, political Messiah who’d instantly deliver them from Roman oppression. They felt no need for a spiritual deliverer, so they rejected Him and tossed Him aside like a worthless rock.