rorwoRrD ‘The Connectional Ministries Handbook comes to us at an appropriate time when such resource material is greatly needed in our Church today. ‘The Handbook will, undoubtedly, meet the need in our local churches, charges and districts for teaching and guiding material. Pastors and lay leadership have been yearning for material that promotes uniformity in the doing of ministry. Rev. Sophirina Sign ably defines Connectional Ministries and its importance in a Connectional denomination. The Role and Responsibilities of different ministry coordinators has been clearly spelt out. This also applies to all those who promote the teaching ministry in the church, namely, Sunday Schoo! Teachers and Superintendents. Sophirina prescribes how members should be cared for and developed into disciples. Connectional Ministries has always been regarded as the heart-beat of the church, especially in the Zimbabwean context. Connectional Ministries is that arm of the church with the mandate to fulfil the mission of the church. Church and leaders that commit their resources (human, time, financial, material) to the Connectional Ministries work will be rewarded abundantly with spirituat fruits. tis for this reason that this Handbook is 2 must-have for all local churches, pastors and leaders. Not only do we need to have it, but to translate the contents into action, Rev. S. Sign has done a tremendous job in producing this valuable material and deserve our appreciation and commendation. 1 commend this book to ati those dedicated and committed to the revitalization of ‘our congregations through the doing of ministry, Rev. Dr. Gift K, Machinga Conference SecretaryCONTENTS: Introduction History ofthe formation of The United Methodist Church What it Means to be Connected “The Basis of our Connectionalism Organization and Leadership Connectional Ministries “Three important Persons in Connectional Ministries Connectional Ministries Chairperson ‘Work Area Chairpersons Coordinators: Qualifications of Coordinators General Responsibilities and Roles of Coordinators Nurturing Ministries Responsibilities of Nurturing Ministries Coordinator Family Ministries Children’s Ministries Young People’s Ministries Small groups Ministries ‘Support Groups Ministries Christian Education “The Role of Christian Education in Teaching Ministry “The task of Sunday Schoo! Characteristics of a Good Sunday School teacher Duties of Sunday Schoo! Teachers Training for Sunday School Teachers Sunday School Superintendents Migsion Education Leadership Development Programs - Coordinator ‘Camp and Conference Ministries - Coordinator Outreach Ministry Responsibilities of Outreach Coordinator Witnessing Ministries Roles of Prayer Coordinator Membership Care ‘Turning Attenders into Membership Developing Mature Members “Turning Members into Ministers or Disciples ‘The Differences Between A Committee and A Lay Ministry ‘church Council tocal church Connectional Ministries Examples of Areas of Concentration Connectional Ministries Structure At Local Church ‘Connectional Ministries Structure At Circuit Level References PAGEUST OF TABLES and FIGURES TABLE DESCRIPTION Table 1 A Family is Important to Three Entities Table 2 Local Church Connectional Ministries Areas of Ministry UST OF FIGURES FIGURE DESCRIPTION Figure 1 A Brief History of the Formation of The United Methodist Church Figure 2 Ministry Begins With Figure 3 Significance of Connectional Ministries (CM) Figure 4 Three Important Persons in Connectional Ministries Figure 5 Seven Basic Work Areas Figure 6 Coordinators Figure 7 Qualifications of Coordinators Figure 8 The Roles of Coordinators Figure 9 Nurturing Ministries Council/Team Figure 10 _Single People's Ministries Coordinators Figure 11 The Role of Children’s Ministries Coordinators Figure 12. Reporting Structure and Leadership for Children and Young People’s Ministries at District level Figure 13. The Role of Young People’s Ministries coordinator Figure 14... Reporting Structure and Leadership for the Young People’s Ministries at Local Church Figure 15 Significance of Small Groups Ministry Figure 16 _Activities of Small Groups Ministry Figure 17. Role of Support Groups Figure 18 Christian Education Team Figure 19 Outreach Ministries Council/Team Figure 20. Witnessing Ministries Council/Team wt 21 Coordinator of Prayer Ministries Figure 22 Figure 23 Connectional Ministries Reporting Structure at Local Church, Coniectional Ministries Structure at Circuit Levet PAGE 25 B 15 16 v 18 19 20 2a 24 29 30 31 33 36 38 39 40 aL 53 54 55 74 5SECTION ONE 4, INTRODUCTION: «This Handbook is a collection of presentations done during Connectional Ministries workshops at district, circuit and local church levels, «The Handbook seeks to provide Information on HOW connectional Ministries should operate at 2 Focal church level or congregation. tn this Handbook, (he terms congregation and local church shall be used interchangeably. + {tis my conviction that a focal church thet effectively implements what is suggested in this Hracgbeok wil realize the beauty of making disciples of less Christ to transform the world. «Your will realize that disciple making at a focal church's ‘effectively achieved through nurturing, outreach and witnessing ministries. This Handbook covers the following topics: mearing ‘ef Connectionalism; the basis of our Connectionalism; organization and leadership of The United Methodist Church; significance of onnectional ministries; ministry coordinators and their roles and responsibilities; Roles of Cristian Education Committee; Family ministiess ‘Children’s ministries; Young People’s Ministries; duties and responsibiities of Sunday School teachers and Superintendents; Membership Care church Council; Connectional Ministries reparting structure at local and circuit levels. 2, BACKGROUND OF THE UNITED METHODIST CHURCH (UMC: 2.4 Origin: ‘The United Methodist isa most carefully oxnanized and largest denomination in the wortd it is a Christian denomination, originated in the ‘Ta! century, with the evangelistic/revival nitistry of two brothers -John (1703-1794) and Charles (1707-88) Wesley. ‘The. Methodist Church began as @ movement and 2 100° network of focal societies with & mmission Methodists are indeed “methodical” about the ways they approach mission and ministry. 2.2 Acronym for the term ‘Methodists’: “Tig acronym carries qualifications or characteristics of Christians called Methodists. : MISSIONARY, Mission, Ministry . EMPOWERED, Evangelist = TRUSTWORTHY = HOLINESS, Honest ORGANIZED, Obedient : DETERMINED, Dedicated : INSPIRED, industrious : SPIRIT-FILLED, Servanthood = TRANSPARENCY, = SACRIFICE wau-corame2.3 ABrlef History of the Formation of The United Methodist Church (UMC): METHODIST EPISCOPAL CHURCH (Thomas Coke ; Francis Asbury) CHURCH OF THE BRETHREN IN CHRIST (Philip William Otterbein; Martin Boehm) Evangelical Association OF Germany (lacob Albright) i 1803... 1830....,.| METHODIST PROTESTANT CHURCH METHODIST United 184A -| EPISCOPAL CHURCH Evangelical fe church Evangelical Church THE EVANGELICAL UNITED BRETHREN CHURCH ‘THE UNITED METHODIST CHURCH (UMC) Figure 1 | Summary: i + 1n1939, The Methodist Church (M.C.) was formed by the union of three Methodist Churches; 4 a, Methodist Episcopal Church South (M.E.C.S.) b. Methodist Episcopal Church North (M.E.C.N.) and ¢. Methodist Protestant Church (M.P.C.)ee a b. 4 1 1946, The Evangelical United Brethren Church (E.U.8.C.] was formed by the union of two churches: The Evangelical Church (E.C.) and The United Brethren Church (U.8.C.). in 1968; The United Methodist Church (U.M.C.} was formed by the union of the two churches: Methodist Church (M.C.} and The Evangelical United Brethren Church (£.U.B.C.) One reason United Methodists are able to accomplish many great things is the church's emphasis on the concept of CONNECTIONALS! Connectional versus Congregational: What It Means To Be Connected? Connectionalism is the theological understanding and foundation of Methodist polity. It basically means that all local congregations are interrelated through the larger church. In The United Methodist Church, this translates in several ways. All local church buildings are owned by their Annual Conference. In addition, pastors only serve a congregation when they are appointed by their Bishop. tt provides @ linkage between and among members, congregations of local churches, Charges, Districts, Annual, Central and General Conferences into a world wide web of human and material relationships. The linkage is Multi-Level, Global in Scope and local in thrust. Congregational: Each congregation is responsible for making its own decisions. Congregation are not connected to any mother church. They do what they fillis good for them. Examples of congregational churches are Protestant Christian churches practicing, Congregationalist church governance in which each congregation individually and autonomously runs its own affairs. Connectionalism is a historic core value of United Methodism. United Methodists are connecter to one another. We are united in 2 dynamic ministry with one another and with Christians ali over the globe in fulfiling the mission of making disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world. Through these interactive relationships, we prove repeatedly that we can do 30 much mote together to advance Christ's mission than any one of us can do by ourselves, Connectionalism is not an invention of United Methodism. Actually, it is a biblical concept. even goes back to the New Testament Church when Jesus said, “! am the vine and you are the branches.” Paul described the church as the "body of Christ.” We seek to five out these teachings through our shared life as United Methodists. lical Texts On Connectionalis 4.4 Connected from the beginning:- “in the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word wos God, He was with God in the beginning, Through Him all things were made; without Him nothing was made that has been made. In Him was life,‘and that life was the light of the men...The Word became flesh and dwell and made his dwelling among us..” (ohn 1:17) 4.2 One Body Many Parts:- “The body is a unit though it is made up of many parts, and though its parts are many, they form one body. So it is with Christ..." Now you are a body of Christ and each one of you is part of it. And in the church God hos appointed {first the apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then workers of miracles, ‘also those having gifts of healing, those able to help others, those with gifts of administration, and..” {1 Corinthians 12:12-31) 4,3 Each Part Is Connected To:- ".. $0.1 prophesied as I was commanded, and as | was prophesying, there wos a noise, @ rattling sound, and the bones came together, bone to bone. | looked and tendons and flesh appeared on them and skin covered them, but there was no breath in them. And He said to me, ‘Prophesy to the breath; .." So 1 prophesied as he commanded me and breath entered them; they came to life and stood up on their feet — 0 vast army.” (Ezekiel 37:1-14) Dry Bones Were Connects Dry bones! Dry bones! Dry bones! Head bone, the head bone confected to the Neck bone, the neck bone ... connected to the... Back bone, the back bone .. connected to the... Hip bone, the hip bone ... connected to the. ‘Thigh bone, the thigh bone .. connected to. Knee bone, the knee bone ... connected to the. Leg bone, the leg bone ... connected to the Angle bone, the angle bone ... connected to the... Foot bone, the foot bone ... connected to the. Ory bones. 4.4 Be Connected To Jesus The Vine:- : “1am the vine; you are the branches. if a man remoins in me and 1 in him, he wilt bear much fruit, apart from me you can do nothing. ff any one does not remain in me he is like @ branch that is thrown away and withers... f you { remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish and it will be given you.” (John 15:5-8), 5. The Basis of Our Connectior ‘Our connection is based on our sharing of the following aspects:~ | i t1). 2). 3). 4). 5). 6). pore a, b. « ‘Tradition of Faith: ‘Tradition and Heritage: Leadership: Constitutional Polity: Membership: ‘Ownership of Property: Ethos, Fellowship: ‘A. Common Vision: To be a continuously transforming UMC in the Zimbabwe Episcopal Area, that claims higher ground spiritually, physically, emotionally, socially and morally A Common Mission:- Making DISCIPLES of Jesus Christ through witnessing, outreaching ‘networking and nurturing for the transformation of the world. A.Common Tradition of Faith:- We believe in the Triune God ~ Father, Son and Holy Spirit. We hold In common with all Christians a faith in the Mystery of Salvation in and through Jesus Christ. We share the common belief that Gods redemptive love Is realized in human life by the activity of the Holy Spirit. We understand ourselves to be part_of Christ's universal Church when by adoration, proclamation, and service we become conformed to Christ. With other Christians we recognize that the reign of God is both a present and future reality. We share. recognition of the authority of Scripture in matters of faith, the confession that our justification a8 sinners is by grace through faith, and the sober realization that the Church is in need of continual reformation and renewal. ‘A Common Tradition And Heritage: God's revelation to The United Methodist Church over the centuries and how our fore-fathers in faith responded and interpreted this revelation in theie particular way. Wesleyan Theological Heritage stems from an emphasis upon practical divinity, the implementation of genultt Christianity in the lives of believers. Wesley's orientation toward the practical is evident in his focus upon the “Scripture way al salvation” Wesley's doctrinal emphasis is that we are saved by GRACE: (An undeservel nmerited and loving action of God in human existence through the ever-present Holy Spirit). A Common Leadership: As an Episcopal Church our leadership is centered on the: Episcopacy = Bishop Superintendence - (District Superintendent (DS)} ‘The Itinerancy — Ordained Pastors and The Laity ~ ‘A Common Constitutional Polity:- The UMC Is organized into conferences The Charge ~ The District ~ The Annual ~66 10 d. TheCentral~ e.g. Africa Central Conference e, The General Conference- 5.3 The Charge Conference:- a. Is the basic unit of the Annual Conference. b. tis the decision making board of the local church. itis the Annual Conference of the Charge. 4. tis the place of action; where church programs are formed and Annual Conference resolutions are implemented. ‘The District Conference;- a. {tis the division of the Annual Conference to which an ordained elder is duly assigned as District Superintendent (DS). b. The District Superintendent (DS) is an extension of the Bishop's office. ‘Annual Conference:- Is the basic unit of The United Methodist Church. It guides the Church. It meets annually Nomination of Bishops takes place. ¢. Itis defined in three forms: Session e.g. 10" Geographical e.g. ZWAC and ZEAC Structural Leadership ve Central Conference: Is composed of clergy and laity membership in equal numbers (e.g, 30 clergy and 30 lay delegates). Grouping of Annual Conferences in a certain geographical set up/boundary. ¢. Itis tasked to elect and assign Episcopal leaders (Bishops) to their respective Episcopal Areas, d. We belong to the Africa Central Conference. Annual Conferences in Africa Central Conference and their current Episcopal leaders:- a. Eastern Angola Episcopal Area: Bishop Jose Quipungo (2000...) Eastern Angola Annual Conference b, East Africa Episcopal Area: Bishop Daniel A. Wandabula (2006. East Africa Annual Conference (includes Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda, Sudan and Uganda} ©. Mozambique Episcopal Area: Bishop Joaquina F. Nhanala (2008... Mozambique North Annual Conference Mozambique South Annual Conference South Africa Provisional Conference de Western Angola Episcopal Area: Bishop Gasper Joao” Domingos (2000...) ‘Western Angola Annual Conference e.. Zimbabwe Episcopal Area: Bishop Eben K. Nhiwatiwa {2004... Zimbabwe East Annual Conference Zimbabwe West Annual Conference ‘Malawi Mission Conference ‘The General Conference:-a a. Isthe highest level and i the top policy-making body of The United Methodtst Church The only organization which may speak offically for the Church. e Mects gnce every four years to consider revisions to church law, as well as adopt resolutions oF vieeent moral, social, public policy and economic issues. (This is where The Book of Olsciline 's revised). 4d. Italso approves plans and budgets for Church-wide programs for the next four years. | the 2012 meeting was held, April 24 to May 4, at the Tampa Convention Center, in The United States of America, 7). ACommon Membership: a, Laity Membership: Membership in a local church or an Annual Conference one becomes a member globally. There are two classes of lay membership in The United Methodist Church: Baptized and Professing members. ‘The UME practices Infant Baptism, Baptized members are those who have been baptized 28 infants or children, but who have not subsequently professed their own faith. Baptized members become professing Members through Confirmation and Profession of Faith, New members who were not previously baptized are baptized and are welcomed in the Christian family/fellowship Clergy Membership:-Includes men and women who are: local pastors, ordained elders, and ordained deacons and are appointed to various ministries. Elders in The United Methodist Church are part of what is called the Itinerant Ministry-and are subject to the authority and appointment of their Bishops. They generally Serve as pastors at local congregations. Deacons: Make up 2 serving ministry and may serve as: Musicians, Educators, Business ‘Administrators, and a number of other ministries. 2), ACommon Ethost- Our own way of doing things in sone, prayer, moral fe, and ie style 9}. ACommon Ownership of Property «All property acquired locally s held in (rust as property of ‘The United Methodist Church. 40). A Common Feilowship: - Ways of meeting regularly for Spiritual nurture and mutual support ~ section meetings, class meetings, organizations, sociaties, revivals, small groups e.g. reunions, community gatherings, etc. 7.0 Our Core Values: Five important values for us as UMC members: a. Experiential Christian life: 12:4-2) b. Love your God and neighbour: - Because God is love: So you shall “Tove the Lord your God wi oll your heart and with all your soul, and with all your strength and with all your mind, you shall love your neighbour as you love yourself” (Luke 10:27). c. Sociat Responsibility - Being part of society and responsible citizens who meaningful contribute towards the betterment of our society (Matthew 25:31-46) = Living A Life That Is Centered On Christ (Christo-Centric). (Romans12 d. Do Good to all people: - “Do all the good you can, to all the people you can, at all the times you can" (by John Wesley), Dono harm to other thirsty give him a drink good” (Romans 12:21). By avoiding evil of all kinds. “if your enemy is hungry feed him, if he is .” (Romans 12:20}. "Do not be overcome by evil, but overcorne evil with 8.0 Conclusion; Knowledge of the background of The United Methodist Church and its Connectionalism enables The UMC members to understand the operations of the Connectional Ministries at the focal church. The next section outlines the organization and leadership of The United Methodist Church. SECTION TWO. ORGANIZATION AND LEADERSHIP:- 1. layleader 2, Delegate To Annual Conference 3. Administrative Committees 4, Work Area Committees 5. The Church Council 2. The Lay Leader:s the primary representative of the laity of the local church. 41.4 Duties include: ‘a. Informing The Church Council of opportunities for Ministry within the community, 1 b. Informing the Laity of opportunities for Training and Service in the Mission of the Church, and : ‘¢. Counseling with the Pastor concerning the state of the Church and needs for Ministry. 2. ‘The Lay Member of Annual Conference/Delegate:- a. Shall represent the local charge to the Annual Conference and b. Serve as an interpreter to the local church of the actions of the Annual Conference. cc. Shall give a report before the first planning meeting of the Charge. 3. Committees: + ‘There are Two Categories of Committees: | 1, Administrative Committees 2, Work Area Committees, i 3.2 Administrative Committees: Board of Trustees (801) Finance Committee Staff- Pastor Parish Relations (SPPR) Committee Lay Leadership (Nominations) 3.1.1 Board of Trustees (BOT}: Responsible for: a. All supervision and oversight and care for all real property of the church. b. Avery “HANDS ON" committee.B 3.1.2 Finance Committee: Responsible for: a... The Financial Planning and For Funding the Ministry of the Church. b. The Development of the Church Budget. Staff- Pastor Parish Relations (SPPR) Committee: a. Acts asa “Human Resource” committee forthe Church. b. Functions as a liaison between the congregation and the Pastors/staff of the Church. Helps them to achieve goals, evaluating their progress and effectiveness, and sharing ideas. d._itshall recommend adequate staff needed to carry on the work of the Local Church. 2. it shall advise the Bishop concerning the appointment of the Pastor. f Itshali enlist, interview, review, evaluate, and recoramend to the Charge Conference personss : candidacy for ordained ministry. 3.1.4 Committee on Lay Leadership or Nominations: Responsibility is to: a. Identify, develop, deploy, Evaluate, and b. Monitor Christian Spiritual Leadership for the focal congregation. (Book of Dis: This committee serves the Charge Conference by nominating persons for office, + NB: Membership = 9 elected members (Divided into 3 annual classes) plus the Pastor and Loy Leader. The Pastor is the chair. 5.2 Work Area Committees: ' 3.2.1 Connectional Ministries Comimittees:~ Discipleship (Christian Education, Worship, Evangelism, Stewardship and Temperance) Education Membership Care Church and Society Projects ~e.g. Building, Agriculture, etc., ‘Communications, Publications, History and Achieves: Ministry With Women, Children and Youth Health and Welfare Children, Youth, Young Adults, Men and Women Ministries Missions Societies or organizations (RRW, MUMC and UMYF) scr re rp sore 4, Conclusion: Knowledge of organization and knowledge of your church leadership helps ¥ understand the polity of your church, The next sections deal in detail with the work committees and ministries under Connectional Mini| SECTION THREE CONNECTIONAL MINISTRIES introductio: Connectional Ministries is an arm that mobilizes all our resources to assist congregations in making disciples for Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world. Jesus Christ commissioned us to go and make disciples of all nations (Matthew 28:18-20), And as we do this we need to bear in mind that: Teaching is our ministry, Jesus Christ is our model, transformed lives our product and heaven Is our goal. ‘The Scripture from 4 Corinthians {12:24-26) reminds us that all ministries of the church are connected. 1.0. MINISTRY:- Different Christian traditions have different understandings on the term ‘ministry’. Most people think of ministry as the work done by pastors, evangelists and missionaries. Ministry is more than that. Ministry is all one does, regardless of his/her occupation. Ministry Is that work which glorifies God and influences other people. In The United Methodist Church context, the priesthood of all believers is highly valued, which renders a much more connectional understanding of ministry. This implies that every member in the church is a minister. Every member performs the duties of the ministry and every Christian in some sense bears the title of ‘minister’. 11. Ministry has the following characteristis Ministry is personal, and is conferred upon people by God. It is not detached from the person or people ministering or receiving the ministry. For instance, Jesus Christ began His ministry at the age of 12 and Paul in Acts 20:24, speaks of how he received ministry from Christ. Ephesians 4:12 describes how every member of the Body of Christ is equipped for service or ministry for the sake of he community. Ministry is interpersonal. it involves interaction. To minister is to serve another, as evidenced in Matthew 23:11, "The greatest among you must be your servant.” ‘Ministry involves people. The content and purpose of ministry is the communication {in word ‘and deed) of the gospel (2 Corinthians 9:13, “And because of the proof which this service of yours brings, many will give glory to God for your loyalty to the gospel of Christ, which you profess, and for your generosity in sharing with them and everyone else.” 1 Peter 4:10, “Each ‘one, a5 a good manager of God's different gifts, must use for the good of others the special gifts he has received from God.” There are varieties of ministries but the same Lord, The content of ministry centers on the gospel of Jesus Christ and everything that message entails.45 inistry is hard work. The Bible shows us that Jesus Christ and even Paul fulfilled their ministries in the face of hardships. In 2 Timothy 4:5, Paul urged Timothy, “But you must keep control of yourself in all circumstances; endure suffering, do the work of a preacher of the Good News, and perform your whole duty as a servant of God.” This a biblical definition of ministry is, @ personal commission from God that labors toward the reconciliation of others to Christ through the Gospel. It isa faithful service of God's people rendered unto God and others, on God's behalf to bring God glory, build up God’s church and reach out to His world Connectional ministries then considers a more holistic concept of ministry and how it relates to an individual's everyday life. The service of God does not only take place in the church, but also in the home, kitchen, field, workshop, business, school, hospital, community, etc. 12. Assessing Needs of the Congregation: Assessing the needs of the people is key to effective Chri istry. Figure 1, below - illustrates that ministry begins with persons and not with programs. The reason why our ministries are sometimes not effective and successful is that our approach is wrong, There is need to identify the problems people are facing: e.g. in marriage, economic, discrimination, poverty, illiteracy, unemployment, etc,, Issues faced: can be, e.g. political, social, gender issues; economic issues; poverty and hunger issues; cultural issues; peace and justice issues, religious issues, etc., Forces people face, can be, e.g. religious or spiritual or physical, ete., The hopes and dreams, people come to church with the hope that they will have peace and freedom from the bondage of sin,16 ‘ PERSONS, not _with programs 5. The hopes and dreams which are calling them. Figure 2. 2.0.SIGNIFICANCE OF CONNECTIONAL MINISTRIES (CM) ‘At local church level discipleship making is effectively achieved through the three ministries of Nurturing, Outreach and Witnessing, This new ‘ministry model has team coordinators for Nurturing, Qutreach, and Witnessing. The coordinators will form a core team as Connectional Ministries staff for collaborative ministries for response to the needs of the local church.7 _ Agency for Concerned-with helping planning the the total group to he a TOTAL program team and to develop a Say unified and of the Church for comprehensive ministry ALL persons. for the entire church. SIGNIFICANCE OF CM Ae Coordinators and = Work Area Chairpersons bring proposals for ministry to the CM Bee the work of the church. ] Figure 3. 3.0. Purpose of the Connectional Ministries:- {As partof the total mission of the Church, is 2. To be responsible for: the development, administration and evaluation of the program of tH Church and b. To encourage, coordinate and support the Conference agencies, Districts, Circuits and tog churches in their ministry and various programs in accordance with the mission of The Unit Methodist Church. 4.0. Responsibilities of Connectional Ministries (CM):- Connectional Ministries is responsible to facus and guide the mission and ministry of The Unit Methodist Church within its boundaries by: 4) Envisioning the ministries necessary to live out the mission of the church in and through Annual Conference; 2) Is responsible for programs related to the Church's Mission. It shall consider, develop coordinate goals and program proposals for the Church's Mission.Figure 4 18 3) Creating and nurturing relationships and connections among the Local, District, Annual Conference, and General Church ministries; 4) Providing encouragement, coordination, and support for the ministries of nurturing, outreach, and witnessing in districts and congregations for the transformation of the world; 5). Ensuring the alignment of the total resources of the annual conference to its mission; 6) Developing and strengthening family ministries, including all needs and concerns of the local churches. 7) Providing for advocacy and monitoring functions to ensure that the church is consistent with its stated values. Each local church shall provide a comprehensive program of: Nurture, Outreach and Witnessing along with: Leadership training, and the planning and administration of the congregation's organizational and temporal life, in accordance with the mission of The UMC. Coordinators for each of these ministries shall be put in place to coordinate the programs. Each local church shall also strengthen ministries to: Children, Young people (Youth and Young Adults), Support groups, Small Groups, Families, etc., by providing coordinators for each of these ministries. These ministries will operate under the nurturing ministries. 5.0. Three important Persons in Connectional Ministries: cm CHAIRPERSON IMPORTANT PERSONS 2. COORDINATOR 5.1. The Connectional Ministries Chairpersor a. Must be a person with passion for ministry. That. is one who has ministry at heart Chairs all Connectional Ministries meetings. ©. Leads the Connectional Ministries to perform its task. d e 1s an ex-official member of all council meetings of nurturing, outreach and witnessing ministries. Represents the Connectional Ministries in the Church Council and the Charge Conference and gives CM report.19 f. Supervises the work of the Connectional Ministries, which includes, the implementation of recommendations and resolutions and also, the preparation and distribution of CM minutes, reports and plans that are necessary to the proper operation of the Connectional Ministries team. fg. Must be @ person who understands well the operations of the Connectional Ministries and the structure of The United Methodist Church. hh. Must be a person who reads and is ready to learn new things. i, Must be a committed and a hardworking person. j. Calls for Connectional Ministries meeting. 5.2.Work Area Chairpersons: Keep the Connectionat Ministries informed and active in developing, in the light of the gospel, the congregation's mission in seven basic work areas: Work Area Chairpersons keep asking such questions as: 1) 00 our goals and plans include all the major concems of the church? 2) How effectively are we communicating the gospel? 6.0,SEVEN BASIC WORK AREAS: ¢ 4. - WORSHIP se SOCIAL CONCERNS. Figure 5 SECTION FOUR 7.0.COORDINATORS: 7.1 Biblical Base of Ministry Coordinators: ‘Acts 6:2-4: "So the 12 gathered all the disciples together and said, ‘it would not be right for us to neglect the ministry of the Word of God in order to wait oni alae aN ET 20 tables. Brothers, choose seven men from among you who are known to be full of the Spirit and wisdorn. We will turn this responsibility over to them and will give our attention to prayer and the ministry of the word.” They then appointed helpers (Coordinators) for church work. This illustrates the spiritual mission of ministry coordinators to assist with administration of church programs and free the leadership of the church to focus on spiritual matters, 7.2 Definition of a coordinator: - Someone who organizes the way people work in an activity. C <— They keep > with _ beforethe CM _and their _ questions such _needs. << How effective is our ministry in relating ___ the gospel and the resources of the church to life needs? Figure 6 7.3, What is to Coordinate? 2. |s to organize an activity so that the people involved in it work well together and achieve a good result, 5. Is to make the movements of the parts of your body work well together when performing a Particular action, ‘Thus, coordination is the way in which the parts move together when performing an activity. 7.4, QUALIFICATIONS OF COORDINATORS:H « 24 ts Full ofthe JOLY SPIRIT- Full of | WISDOM - AFULL MEMBER Ce : ae a to hislher viderstand: - area of lifestyle Hebets passion, figure7 15 1) 2) 3) 76 SYNE ‘SPECIAL QUALIFICATIONS OF A COORDINATOR: An attitude of servant leadership. A passion for Christ and the church's ministries leadership experience in the ministry the person will be coordinating, GENERAL RESPONSIBILITIES OF CGORDINATORS: Responsibility is a duty that you have, especially because you are in charge of something. . Coordinators are called to coordinate ministries of the church Primary point and contact person for pastors and congregation. May perform strategic duties such as providing a vision for a program. May work on practical matters as ensuring the environment is safe or purchasing materials,5, 6. 7. 10. 11, 1 Interpret the work and ministry of the CM. Faithfully participate in training events. Ensure a positive atmosphere during contacts with pastors, sessions and congregations. Keep a file of correspondence to aid CM teams in their work and keep contacts to receive minutes, reports and newsletters In Collaboration with CM Chairperson, and Vice- and Committee Members, assist in identification and recruitment of team members.. Ensure open communication between CM chairpersons, CM work area committees and church council, etc. Knowledgeable of CM resources available for church. ROLES OF COORDINATORS A role is the way in which someone or something is involved in an activity or situation, and how much influence they have on it: : = RECOMMENDING 3. PARTICIPATING THE ROLES. OF COORDINATORS COORDINATING. 1 Asks figure 8 INVESTIGATING: Discover the needs of the congregations and explore the forces and issues which they are facing. An issue includes not only a problem but also, a hope. The coordinator as he/she carries the investigation, he/she - isa« cr e f & What do persons as individuals in your congregation need in order to function as helpful church members? What do church members need to function most effectively as whole persons? What forces are affecting members in your local church and community? Which of these are distractive and should be opposed or overcome? Which are positive and should be reinforced? What are some of the potentialities of your members’ growth and ministry? Which of these possibilities should be stimulated or strengthened? Your investigation includes discovering and studying the resources in and beyond the local church which may help you in meeting the needs of your congregation. RECOMMENDING A coordinator brings his/her ideas and proposals to Connectional Ministries. The recommendations will then go to the Church Council for approval. PARTICIPATING As a member of the whole Connectional Ministries, the coordinator is actively involved in all CM. deliberations and decisions. He/she is concerned with all the work of the CM ‘which shatl consider, initiate, develop and coordinate proposals for the church’s strategy for mission,” (The United Methodist Church, Book of Discipline por. 153). Jn Recommending to the committee on finance, the financial resources needed to undergird the ministries which are to be developed.’ ' Im Recommending goals for the congregation in all areas of the particular ministry. He/she is concerned not only to get the work done, but, also, to help the members of the group to work together as a tearn. COORDINATING, The distinctive function of a coordinator. In the process of the CM planning, he/she checks on how the various ministries relate to other ministries and try to help the Council bring some order and balance to them so that they make up a harmonious whole, Once these plans are drawn out, the coordinator guides further planning in such a way that the congregation's work with the ministries is consistent and complete. More specifically he/she sees that schedules, finances, resources, leadership, and other details, are integrated in an overall design, He/she sees the implementation of these ministries. IMPLEMENTING How does the coordinator carryout the implementing task? He/she works closely with the chairpersons of the work areas under his/her ministry. He/she gives the overall supervision to these groups and insures that plans are put into action. In any case he/she will keep in touch with what is happening and be available for consultation when needed. EVALUATING, Reviews the results of specific ministries. For each of these he/she finds out to what extend the: original goals were achieved and make recommendations for further improvement. Checking on the ongoing work of the church as it relates to specific ministries and evaluate24 its effects on the ministries. Some programs will need to be improved, others may be discontinued. Recommendations will be reported to the Connectional Ministries for its action. 7. RELATING. The Coordinator ‘serves as liaison with organizations, persons, and resources in and beyond the local church.’ E.g., the Family Ministries coordinator works with the Children’s and Young People and the Nurturing Ministries coordinators to develop e.g. a family ministry program for the local church, taking into consideration the suggestions of the General Church Agency and the Annual Conference Agency responsible for family life. Keeps the Connectional Ministries Aware of the resources and activities in his/her area of - ministry. The coordinator shall work with other coordinators. The work of coordinators has some aspects that are related to other ministries, SECTION FIVE 8, NURTURING MINISTRIES Nurturing Ministries of the congregation: (Book of Discipline, 2004 , par 252.20) Falls under DISCIPLESHIP and it Shall give attention to: 1) Christian Education, 2) Worship, 3) Stewardship and Temperance, 4) Family Ministries, = 5) Children’s Ministries 2 6). Young People’s Ministries (Youth and Young Adults), 7). Christian of Spiritual Formation/Prayer Ministry, 8) Membership Care, 9}. Small Groups and of Support Groups Ministries, = 40) Leadership Development Ministry and Resourcing Ministry, 11) Education (e.g. Higher education and Mission education), 312) Ongoing preparation and development of lay and clergy leaders for the ministry of the church, S.1 RESPONSIBILITIES OF NURTURING COORDINATOR 8 Coordinates Education programs of the local church working closely with Christian Education Committee. : B. Coordinates all programs that have something to do with Worship — working with the worship S committee. Making sure equipment/ material needed is available. ~~ & Coordinates all programs that involve Christian Formation ~ of believers at the local church 4 Makes sure the members. are well cared for ~ well fed with spiritual food ~ to meet the spiritual needs of people ~ develop members (attenders to members and to mature members or ministers or disciples of Jesus Christ ® Work with coordinators of Small Groups, for supporting the formation of Christian disciples focused on the transformation of the world, Small Groups may concentrate on teaching and learning, fellowship, support, community ministries and accountability.82 a3 {Work with Stewardship and Temperance committee to educate the congregation 0) stewardship programs. @- Coordinates the programs of families, children and Young People’s Ministries, working together with the coordinators of these ministries. Attention is given to the needs 0} individuals and families, NURTURING MINISTRIES TEAM OR COUNCIL STEWARDSHIP AND TEMPERANCE CHRISTIAN EDUCATION ‘CHILDREN'S MINISTRIES AVEC UNS YOUNG > “SMALL GROUPS PEOPLE'S - & SUPPORT ~ _ MINISTRIES _ GROUPS — MINISTRIES MINISTRIES MINISTRY WITH YOUTH & SINGLE PEOPLE, YOUNG ADULT PARENTS, MEN, MINISTRIES WOMEN, COUPLES, figure 9 ‘Nurturing the Whole Person: Nurturing should take place to meet the physical, spiritual, intellectual, emotional and soci needs of an individual. 1) Physically, a person neads good health, recreation, nourishment, safety, ete, 2}. Spiritually, provide a conducive environment for worship, prayer, time with God, etc. 3) intellectually, feed your mind through Bible Study, training, discussion, exploration, ete. 4) Emotionally, a person needs to be honored, respected, loved, significance, belonging, etc 5) Socially, fellowship, liveliness, mentoring, fun, e SECTION $x26 9.0. FAMILY MINISTRIES: Introduction: This topic was presented at a Single Women fellowship workshop held at Mutare Women Center, in April 2012. Single people (women or men) all fall under families. So when we are talking of family ministries, the single people are part of this ministry. In this discussion | have highlighted the characteristics of family ministries, the job of family ministries coordinator, the functions of family ministries” coordinator and the functions of single people's ministries coordinator. Characteristics of Family Ministries: Itis characterized by flexibility and wholeness. It is flexible in that it offers a variety of resources to local churches and Anneal Conferences, rather than a uniform program for all to follow. ‘Thus, it stimulates local initiative as each group plans and implements its own family ministry appropriate to its unique.conditions, It is a whole ministry in that it secks to bring the whole gospel to bear on all family fife, both in the chureh and in the world. {t is conceived as an integral part of the total ministry of the church to persons as family members. It is not an occasional ‘program’ but a continuing, ongoing ministry of the whole church to all its families (Leon Smith. 1975. 7) Famuilies are important: ‘Why are families so important? Why do you believe that they are important? Discussion. ‘Table 1 A family is important to three entities: In itself ‘To Society ____| Te God | To its own members, providing | As a primary unit of our social | As basic structure of human food, clothing, shelter for their | structure, performing certain | relationships, prSviding basic physical needs, essential funetions for the general | community for individuality, pegs Bat especially to cach other as | welfare: producing children and | given by God in creation for the Persons, meeting the personal | caring for them, helping them to | welfare of mankind; and affectional....needs of the } mature. as responsible members| As a channel for God's =fineinbers._of that family... |-of -society;--providing for the | unconditionat love ~ affirming, shildren, youths, . adults —all.} needs..of -adults..as persons in | sustaining, sacrificing, forgiving aer0ss the life span relationships; feeding into our | redeeming; culture certain values that | As an opportunity forthe undergird both stability and | Kingdom of God to come on creativity carth within families and in society. ‘The Job of Family Ministries Coordinator: ‘The fociis of his/her job Is on families — ‘On persons as family members On families as units On forces affecting families On the potentialities of families in the church and in society. Focus on persons as family members:95 n on persons with family concerns: not mainly on men and women as individuals, but on men and women as husbands and wives related to each other in marriage as fathers and mothers, parents. of their sons and daughters, or as grandmothers and grand fathers to their Brand hildren; Not only on adults, as single persons living alone or with others, but on single young adults related to their families of origin or establishing their own. Focus on families as units: On the immediate family, as small group of two or more persons related by marriage, birth or adoption, usually bearing a common name. On all kinds of families ~ husbands and wives families without children, mother (or father) and- child headed families, broken families with only one parent at home, two sister families living alone, larger families with aunts oF unck nieces of nephews or cousins; affluent families, deprived families, suburban families, inner families, village families, farms families, growth points families, ete. On families at all stages of family life cycle — beginning families, child bearing families, families with young children, families with primary school children, families with teenagers, families i the launching stage, families in the middle years, aging families. Families in the middle years may have special need for intergenerational ministries, especialy When young adults are in alternate lifestyles, The young couples may have challenges understanding and communicating with each other. To meet this need, the local church ca organize a weekend retreat for the young couples. Some training may be given i communication skills, in conflict management, and in problem solving. Focus on forces affecting families: On influences from outside the home which affect families for good or il: On cultural factors such as the moral climate of the community, urbanization, depersonalih influences of technology; On social and environmental conditions ~ inflation, housing, polluti population; On specific forces and events ~ TV and other mass media, movies, magazines, wi fc, On social structures — business, education, government, medicine. Focus on the potentialities of families: Not only on their problems, but, also on their possibilities; Not only on the family as an object ‘the church's concern, but also as an agent of the church's ministries. You see family ministry not only as the ministry of the church to families - to help them bring gospel to bear on the issues and on the forces with which they struggle and on the tasks th face at all stages of family life-cycle, but also as the ministry of families to their own members to help one another within the family in every area of life, and especially to improve Christi nurture in the home throughout the life span of all family members, As the ministry of families through the church ~ to ertify themselves as chiliren of God 9 members of the Christian community, and to join in meaningful participation in the life of congregation and other expressions of the church, As the ministry of families in the world ~ fulfil their mission in the world today by witnessing and serving in the community, nation 2 world “The Roles or Functions of The Family Ministry Coordinator:1 28 1. Investigating. As family ministries coordinator, identify the families for whom you are rasponsible — both in the congregation and in the community. Discover their needs and explore the forces. and. issues. which they are facing. Family needs include not only problems, ‘where people hurt,’ but also the need for effective functioning, for growth and enrichment, for finding satisfaction and meaning and purpose in life. Jesus came that, ‘they may have life, and have it in abundance’ (John. 10:10). Family needs also include the issues with which families are struggling, such as sex education in schools, military or alternative service, question of premarital sex relations, use of drugs, guaranteed annual income, etc. an issue includes not only a problem but also, a hope. Ask such questions as: ‘What do persons as individuals in families need in order to function as helpful family members? What do families as units-all kinds of families ~ need to function most effectively as whole families? What forces are affecting families in your church and-community? Which of these are distractive and should be opposed or overcome? Which are positive and should be reinforced? What are some of the potentialities of your families’ growth and ministry? Which of these possibilities should be stimulated or strengthened? Your investigation includes discovering and studying the resources in and beyond the local church which may help you in meeting the needs of your families 2. Recommending. Family coordinator brings his/her ideas and proposals to Connectional Ministries. The recommendations will then go to the Church Council for approval. 3. Participating. As a participating member of the whole Connectional Ministries, the coordinator is actively involved in all Connectional Ministries deliberations and decisions. This implies that the coordinator is concerned with all the work of the Connectional Ministries ‘which shall consider, initiate, develop and coardinate proposals for the church’s strategy for mission,’ (Book of Discipline par. 153). This includes recommending to the committee on finance, the financial resources needed to undergird the ministries which is to be developed.’ It may also include recommending goals for the congregation in all areas of the particular ministry. In participating in the Connectional Ministries, the coordinator is concerned not only to get the work done, but also to help the members of the group to work together as a team. 4. Coordinating. The distinctive function of a coordinator is coordinating. In the process of the Connectional Ministries planning, the coordinator checks on how the various ministries relate to other ministries and try to-help the council bring some order and balance to them so that they make up’ harmonious whole: Once these plans are roughed out, you guide further planning in such a way that the congregation's work with families is consistent and complete, ‘a unified and comprehensive ministry’ with families. More specifically also, coordinating means that you see that schedules, finances, resources, leadership, and other details are integrated in an overall design. The coordinator, coordinates the implementation of these ministries. 5. Implementing. How does the coordinator carryout the implementing task? He/she works closely with the chairpersons of the work areas under his/her ministry. He/she gives the overall supervision to these groups and ensure that plans are put into action. In any case he/she will keep in touch with what is happening and be available for consultation when needed.9.6 97 98 6. Evaluating. The coordinator’s responsibil 29 es include reviewing the results of specific ministries, aaen af these the coordinator finds xt to what extend the original goals were achieved and ‘make recommendations for fur rther improvement. Also, checking on the ongoing work of the local chureh as tt relates to specific ministries and evaluate its effects on the ministries, Some programs will need to be improved, others may be discontinued. Recommendations will be reported to the Connectional Ministries for its action. 7. Relating. Among other responsibilities the coordinator ‘shall serve as liaison with organization‘ persons, and resources in and beyond the focal church.’ The work of the family coordinator has oie aopects that are related to other ministries. The coordinator shall work with other coordinators. For example, the coordinators of the Children, Youth, Young Aduits, Nurturing ministries, Sunday Schoo! Superintendents and Ministry with Women, Children and Youth to dlevelon a family ministry for the local church, taking into consideration the suggestions of ‘he General Church Ageney and the Annual Conference Agency responsible for family Ife. The coordinator shall keep the Connectional Ministries aware of the resources and activities to Be in planning for family activitis marriage, and in helping fal 's in the local church and home, in the preparation of youth for ies find opportunities for service in the community and the world.” Coordinator of Family ~Life Education: fa. Develops a year round program Assist in recruiting and training, ‘of family life education leaders for ministry with families G._ Supervise the development of family-life education events, such as @ study group for parents, & family night or all day gathering, young couples” retreats, ete 4, Encourages and assists teachers and leaders incorporating family life concerns into the content of classes and groups. e. Develops programs and promotion for Annual Christian Family Week observances Single People Ministry: Being single can be defined as a state of being separate, discrete, particular, alone, oF stinct. The ceacon of being single may be temporary, or permanent for some. Remember, Psalms 139:14 says, you are fearfully and wonderfully mace. single people's ministry is an arm of Family Ministries. It is not an organization, itis 2 ministry, “The fone! church, through Family ministries should come up with programs to empower single people in Christian ministry. Our purpose is to see single people fiving as committed followers of Jesus Christ. Progrart® should be planned for them to ‘meet and worship together as a way of drawing them closer to Christ, They need to. fellowship. and encourage one another in Christ. They should be seen ‘expressing God's love as they serve each other and their community. if the needs of this group are not met most of them feel discouraged and they quit from comine| to church, On the other hand, if their needs are met they are the most effective ministers at the focal church. Single People’s Ministries Coordinator:Coordinates all the programs associated with the single people of all categories, mate. or female: works under Family ministries which works under nurturing ministries figure 10 Conclusion: Effective ministry to Famili ies results in_effective participation of members in the local church and the community. SECTION SEVEN 10 CHILDREN’S MiNisTRIES Each local church shall give attention to the Children’s Ministries. This ministry includes all ministries involving children within the life of the congregational cemmunity, including but not limited to. Sunday school, vocation Bible school, nursery tninistries, children’s choir and music ministries, fellowship groups, support groups, small term study groups, children’s worship experiences, mission education experiences, and other children programs, for children of all age groups 7 put emphasis on this ministry, each local church shall put in place a Coordinator for Children's Ministries. (800k of Discipline poragraph, 2004, 252.2, p. 164-165) 40.1 Responsibilities and Roles of the Children’s Ministries Coordinator + Shall be responsible for assuring that children are considered and included within the life of the | congregation. The coordinator wil lead the children’s council, when organized, and will work closely with the Pastor in charge and the other program related staff or leaders, & The coordinator will vision, plan, and advocate for children, particularly in the areas of falth development, safety, and discipleship, The coordinator will work with other leaders in Procedures are in place to kee} them. the congregation to assure that policies and P all children safe and the adults who care for and work with31 @,' The coordinator will also advocate for mission education for children, including The United ‘Methodist Church Children’s Fund for Children Mission, ‘The Role of Children's Ministries Coordinator: “Builds good relationships with other leaders; {he teaching prograi in Children, Youth and Young Adults dasses of the Sunday school, in cooperation with the church SS Superintendent, CHILDREN’S Oversees evaluation of the prosramof \\ MINISTRIES - pee ministry with ‘Of the \ children, OORDINATOR facilities and Youth and Young ‘Adults equipment; Provides vision and coordination for the congregation’s effortsin ministry to children and young people from 0 through years. Figure 11 10.2 Other crucial functions of the Children’s Ministries Coordinator: Recommends to and plans with the Nurturing committee a program to meet the needs of children, Assist in recruiting and training leaders for ministry with children, Facilitates the use of curriculum resources with children, 10.3 Children’s Ministries at District and Conference levels: At district and Conference levels there shail be a children’s ministries director or coordinator to direct the activities and programs of children working together with coordinators from local churches,404 Reporting Structure and Leadership for Children and/ Young People’s Ministries at District Level: District Connectional Ministries {DCM} speed Eestesesaeeeseseianasanas District Director or Coordinator of Children and/ Young People's. Ministries {obcayPm) a Young Peopie’s Children’s Ministries Coordinators from Circuits Coordinators from circuits Figure 12 ina 10.5 Children’s Ministries Coordinator: Key Result Area: 1). Acquiring catechism booklets and other relevant literature for the children 3) To organize and coordinate children’s ministries music festivals at local church, circuit 2). To coordinate observance of Children’s Ministries Week as per Conference calender 4) Each year to organize and coordinate children’ ministries revivals 5). To organize and coordinate retreats for children. §) To work together with Sunday school superintendent aiming at strengthening Junior Sunday school programs. 7), To assist children to abstain from taking drugs theough special program of Substance Abuse and Related Violence (SPSARV), 8) To organize and coordinate drama competitions 9), Organize and hold Vocational Bible School (VBS), during school holidays and issuing certificates Of attendance to the participants 10) To follow the guidance fram the ‘Book of Discipline’, and to inteoduce to all circuits ‘rite of possage ceremony’ for those children graduating from the children’s ministries level to the youth and issuing certificates of honour to them, 12) To organize and coordinate lessons on ‘Stewardship of Giving” to the children a8 a biblical requirement.33, SECTION EIGHT 1 YOUNG PEOPLE'S MINISTRIES (YPM) 41.1 The term Young People, is inclusive of all persons from approximately 12 through 30 years of age. The term encompasses both youth and young adult ministries and allows for age flexibility given the different age definitions for young people in various cultures around the world. (2008 Book of Discipline par. 256.3, pp. 172-175). 11.2 Who is included In Youth Ministry (YM)? The term ‘Youth Ministry’ is an inclusive title, encompassing all concerns of the Church and all activities by, with?, and for? youth. The Youth Ministry of The U.M.C. shall include all persons from approximately 12 through 18 years. This age group Is from primary and high school going age, generally from grade seven to form six, who are currently or potentially associated with the local church or any of its activities. Youths who are full members of the church have all rights and responsibilities of church membership. ‘Their needs should also be met wherever they are. 11.3. Whois Included in Young Adult Ministry (YAM)? ‘The term “Young Adult Ministry’ is an inclusive title encompassing all concerns of the Church and all activities by, with and for young adults. ‘The Young Adult Ministry of The U.1.C. shall include all persons from approximately 18 are currently or potentially associated with the church or any of its activities. ‘Young adults who are professing members of the church have all rights and responsibilities of church membership. This group is in colleges, universities and some at work. So the church needs to extend its ministry to this group of people wherever they are, 30.who 114 Needs Assessment: To minister to the young people first assess their needs and put ‘them into small groups: ‘According to their age groups (12-14; 15-18; 19-20; 21-30; 31-35) ‘According to their gender (boys; girls or males; females) again considering their different age groups. “According to thelr social status (those nearing courtship; couples; widows; divorced; etc) 115 Coordinators: Each ministry shall have a coordinator to coordinate activities for each group, We have coordinators for: Young People’s Ministries (VPM), Youth Ministries (YM) and Young Adult Ministries (YAM). ‘all * all toget activities by youth or young adults this Includes anything that youth and youre adults lead. activities with youth or young adults — this includes what youth, young adults and adults do ther and should include the bulk of youth and young adult ministries activity at a local church. > all activities for youth or young adults — this includes what adults do for the benefit of youth and young adults (essentially without youth or young adults input or assistance).aA 11.6 The Role of Young People’s Ministries Coordinator Oversees: ‘he teaching progra Builds good Plans for _relationships in Children, Youth and special days for with other Young Adults dasses of children, leaders: ‘the Sunday school, in youths and young 2 cooperation with the church SS uperintendenty adults THE ROLE OF YOUNG PEOPLE'S Oversees the program of MINISTRIES “ bie inistry with of the hl dren, CORDINATOR facilities and Youth and Young Adults equipment Provides vision and coordination for the congregation's effartsin ministry to children and young people from Othrough Dyears. Figure 13 117 Coordinator of Young People’s Ministries: Shall also, be responsible for the following tasks: * Recommending to the Church Council through the Connectional Ministries chair; activities, program emphasis, and settings for Young People's Ministries, * Recommends: to and: plans with the Nurturing team/couneil @ program to meet the needs of youths and young adults * Assist in recruiting and training leaders for ministry with children, youth and young adults + Facilitates. the use of curriculum resources with youth and young adults, 11.8 THE YOUNG PEOPLE'S MINISTRIES COUNCIL/TEAM: + Shall be made up of no less than % youths and young adults. * Nominations for members of the council (both youths and young adults) shall come from the youth or young adults, * Nominations will then be send to the committee on nominations and lay leadership development for approval and then to the charge conference for approval33 SECTION EIGHT 11 YOUNG PEOPLE'S MINISTRIES (YPM) 11.1. The term Young People, is inclusive of all persons from approximately 12 through 30 years of age. The term encompasses both youth and young adult ministries and allows for age flexibility given the different age definitions for young people in various cultures around the world. (2008 Book of Discipline par. 256.3, pp. 172-175). 11.2 Whois Included in Youth Ministry (YM)? The term ‘Youth Ministry’ is an inclusive title, encompassing all concerns of the Church and all activities by’, with’, and for* youth. The Youth Ministry of The U.M.C. shall include all persons fromm approximately 12 through 18 years. This age group is from primary and high school going age, generally from grade seven ta form six, who are currently or potentially associated with the local church or any of its activities. Youths who are full members of the church have all rights and responsibilities of church membership. Their needs should also be met wherever they are. 11.3 Whois included in Young Adult Ministry (YAM)? The term ‘Young Adult Ministry’ is an inclusive title encompassing all concerns of the Church and all activities by, with and for young adults, The Young Adult Ministry of The U.M.C. shall include all persons from approximately 28 - 30 who are currently or potentially associated with the church or any of its activities. Young adults who are professing members of the church have all rights and responsibilities of church membership, This group is in colleges, universities and some at work. So the church needs to extend its ministry to this group of people wherever they are. 11.4 Needs Assessment: To minister to the young people first assess their needs and put them into small groups: According to their age groups (12-14; 15-18; 19-20; 21-30; 31-35) According to their gender (boys; girls or males; femates) again considering their different age groups. According to thelr social status (those nearing courtship; couples; widows; divorced; etc} 11.5 Coordinators: Each ministry shall have a coordinator to coordinate activities for each group. 3 We have coordinators for: Young People’s Ministries (YPM], Youth Ministries (VM) and Young Adult Ministries (VAI). * All activities by youth or young adults ~ this includes anything that youth and young adults lead. ” all activities with youth or young adults ~ this includes what youth, young adults and adults do together and should include the bulk of youth and young adult ministries activity at a local church, * Ail activities for youth or young adults ~ this includes what adults do for the benefit of youth and young adults (essentially without youth or young adults input or assistance).34 11.6 The Role of Young People’s Ministries Coordinator Oversees {he teaching progra Builds good Plans for relationships in Children, Youth and special days for with other Young Adults classes of children, leaders: the Sunday school, in youths and young % cooperation with adults the church SS. THE uperintendenty Provides the ROLE OF ovaluation or \{ YOUNG PEOPLE’S Cxorsses SME ane MINISTRIES see chron, CORDINATOR facilities and. Youth and Young Adults equipment; Provides vision and coordination for the congregation's effortsin ministry to children and young people from Othrough Dyears. Figure 13 11.7 Coordinator of Young People’s Ministries: Shall also, be responsible for the following tasks: Recommending, to. the Church. Council. through the Connectional Ministries chair; activities, program emphasis, and settings for Young People’s Ministries. Recommends to and plans with the Nurturing team/council a program to meet the needs of youths and young adults. Assist in recruiting and tralning leaders for ministry with children, youth and young adults. Facilitates the use of curriculum resources with youth and young adults 11.8 THE YOUNG PEOPLE’S MINISTRIES COUNCIL/TEAM: Shall be made up of no less than % youths and young adults. Nominations for members of the council (both youths and young adults) shall come from the youth or young adults. Nominations will then be send to the committee on nominations and lay leadership development for approval and then to the charge conference for approvalpangs mpaeee 11.9 Young People’s Ministries Council Composition: ting Membe ‘At least one young adult and one youth ‘The coordinator of Young People’s Ministries (YPM), The coordinator of Youth Ministries (YIM) and ‘The coordinator of Young Adult Ministries (YAM). The United Methodist Youth Fellowship (UMYF) presidents Ex-Officio Members The pastor The lay-leader The UMYE advisors Nurturing Ministries Coordinator Connectional Ministries chalrperson Finance chairperson and or church treasurer Note: All offices of this council shail be held by youthsand young adults ‘No member shall serve for more than four consecutive years. The council shall meet at least semiannually. ‘The council may meet additionally at the request of the pastor, coordinator of Young People’ Ministries (or related person). 11.10 Responsibilities of the Young People’s Ministries (YPM) Council: To assist the coordinator of YPM in planning and developing activities, program emphasis, and settings for youth and young adults in the focal church. To assist the coordinator of YPM in finding and encouraging spiritually mature adults to work with youth and young adults in the local church. ‘To encourage and facilitate the furthering of education for the coordinator of the Young People’ Ministries (YPM). To encourage and educate youth and young adults on possible careers in professional ministry ‘and how to consider any vocational calling and opportunity to serve, To be resource for other churches interested in starting or revitalizing youth or young adult ministries within their local churches. To further educate youth, young adults and adults on The United Methodist Church as a connectional church by encouraging and supporting the participation of youth and young adults in districts, annual and central conferences, and other general church ministries, To promote and educate persons about the Youth Service Fund. To promote the camping and retreat ministries within the local church, To promote, introduce and encourage youth and young adults to become active in United Methodist campus ministry when they attend a college or university, To empower youth and young adults to be full participants and active leaders in The United ‘Methodist Church To consult with pastor/staff perish relations committee in 1) developing written job descriptions; 2) nominating; 3) evaluating the job performance of youth and young adult ministries and any other volunteer and paid staff related to youth ministry in the local church.36 Its stronely recommended that the Young People’ Ministries (YPM) council develop a Program budget for their ministry. 41.11 The Coordinator of Young Adults Ministries (YAM) and the Young Adult Counei ‘Shall be responsible for recommending to the church council The activities, program emphasis, and settings for young adults, Shall gather the names and addresses of all college students to send to the campus minister or chaplain of the college or university the students are attending, Shall encourage college students to participate in The U.M.C. campus ministry, and Recommend opportunities for congregation to support and participate with annual conference Campus ministries and annual conference related college and universities The council shall develop a program budget for their ministry 11.12 The Coordinator of Youth Ministries (YIM) and the Youth Council: The Youth Council shall be responsible for: Assisting the coordinator of Youth Ministry in planning and developing activities, program emphasis, and settings for youth in the local church. Assisting the coordinator of Youth Ministry in finding and encouraging qualified adults to work with youths in the local church, Developing a covenant for all adult volunteer youth workers, Facouraging and facilitating the furthering of education forthe coordinator of Youth Ministry. Encouraging and educating youth on possible careers in professional ministry and how to consider any vocational calling and opportunity to serve Promoting the camping and retreat ministries within the local church, Empowering youth to be full participants and active leaders in The UMC. The council shall develop a program budget for their ministry. 11.13 The United Methodist Youth Fellowship (UMYF) Fhe local church may designate one ofits settings as The United Methodist Youth Fellowship In the Zimbabwean context, this group is one of the strongest organization present at each local church. In-our context (Zimbabwe) this group or organization is a combination of both youths and young adults ( 12-30 years). | have even observed that most of the current members of this organization are young adults from the age of 19 and above. The organization is governed by its constitution which is reviewed after every eight years. Members must be faithful to it by Subscribing to retain their membership, The constitution is very clear on the leadership positions and their functions. Only members enjoy the benefits of this organization. In this organization {here are two groups of members, the probationers and the full members, whereas with the Young people’s ministries every person from 12 through 30 is ministered to, Note: What needs to be made clear is that Young People’s Ministries is not an organization that feeds to be jolted by the youths or the young adults. By the virtue that a person's age Is between 12 and 30 years automatically that person fits into this group, whether married of ‘ingle parent. In this ministry, every group's needs are met. The church comes up with programme for the affected youths and young adults, the young couples, the single parents and those who are still single. 14.14 Reporting Structure And Leadership For The Young People’s Ministries At Local Church:37 Church Council Children’s Ministries Young People's Counc Family (cum) Coordinator Ministries Chaimerson a ice 4 Secretary —— 7 Vice aaa Committee members ae sees Coordinator Coordinator Nun Sees Young Adults Youth Ministry Ministry (YAN) (v0) Couneit Councit pce Presic eS Figure 14 umyr \ Organization / Leadership \ teat 11.15 Conclusion: Effecti churches are call fe disciple making needs involvement of young people. Loc to open doors for young people to full participation in the cause making disciples for Jesus Christ in order to transform the world. Young people should ri Up and raise the banner of Jesus Christ where ever they are planted. SECTION NINE38 12, SMALLGROUPS MINISTRY 4 124 Definition. ‘Small groups: are simply groups of Christians who meet to share what God is doing in thelr lives. They are encouragement groups. True small groups have 10-12 people. In small groups prayer is offered, a Christlike fe is modeled. Everyone is kniown. Absentees are easily noticed and followed up. ‘The Bible is effectively shared and discussed as God's road map far life, 12.2 Characteristics of Small Groups Ministry: Through Small Groups Ministry we nurture connections and explore spirituality within our congregations. Small groups connect people to the body of Christ. Other small. groups-take people tothe discipleship journey from other places on the spiritual maturity scale, All effective small groups move people along the path towards a more Christ-like life. ‘Small groups ministry helps spectators to become servants. The intention of small groups is to help disciples grow and attract pre-Christians into the process. In Small groups new converts. grow into balanced disciples of Christ. Discipleship or becoming Christ-like does not happen overnight: Itis a life long process. In small groups discipleship happens uniquely for every person, s 12.3 Goals for Small Groups: ‘a. Community becoming part of spiritual family building godly relationships. : b. Fellowshin (a time for minimal refreshments and lots of laughter). ©. Pastoral care ~ small groups leader always stay connected with his/her group members. d. Prayer partners ~ learn to carry burdens together. Bible Study ~ trained small group leaders can help to encourage the study of God's Word and challenge students to live life. {Outreach — small groups are a great opportunity to reach neighbors. Small groups offer a special a time for Christians to be living witnesses. Every group should be encouraged to have an outreach event. 2 g. Expansion ~ effective small groups ministry recycles wasted lives into usable vessels of honor, Small groups attendees should hear about the goal of every group to birth new groups. 12.4 Significance of Small Groups Ministry30. Sete. support formatio! Concentrate ¢ of Christian on the teaching \ disciples, focused and learning, onthe fellowship, support, transformation of community the world. ministries and accountability. SIGNIFICANCE OF SMALLGROUPS MINISTRY 3. Members of small groups will build their knowledge of the Bible, the Christian faith, the UMC, the societal context in which the church finds itself. figure 15 125 ‘Types of Small Groups: a. Disciple-making groups, for believers wanting to develop spiritual disciplines and go deep, b. Community Groups, for believers and non-believers, persons who want to build in-depth relationships with others. ©. Service Groups, for believers and non-believers who are serving alongside one another in ministry. For instance, ushers, musical teams, leadership teams, preparing and serving meals to the elderly people, etc... d. Support Groups, groups for b personal difficulties. . Healing Groups, groups for believers and non-believers who come alongside one another to recognize and be released from the lies that Satan has imprinted on thelr hearts. f. Family groups, which is build around families. They meet for fellowship and sharing experiences. g. Prayer or Intercessory groups, Meet for an hour to pray. Praying for local church leadership, national leaders and local church programs, etc, h. Spiritual formation groups — where members meet for prayer and fasting, Bible reading and meditation, devotions, etc |. tnterest/ Affinity Groups, Build around common interest, hobbies, sports etc. Thi and quickest group to start and maintain. vers and non-believers, groups that support attendees through the easiest j. New Comers Group: An opportunity to connect with first time guests or new comers. Get together with the new guests or visitors. During this one hour discussion they share with the guests about the ministry of your church. k. Bible Study Group: Builds community. Application of Biblical truth is often the result.Ae 40 1. Seeker Groups, groups led by @ couple of believers but for non-believers. Groups that spend much time dealing with the issues non-believers are considering before coming to Christ. Focus ‘on reaching the lost. Leaders are well trained in personal evangelism. Great outreach. m, Intergenérational Family Group: The group is aimed at reaching the children and sharing inistry method with parents. Reunion groups: - Sections- Our sections are examples of small groups, but some of our sections are too large. They have exceeded the number of real small groups. Some sections have members up to 30 or 40. A sizeable small group must have 10-12 people. An individual can participate in several small groups. For instance, section, family or home-group, prayer group, Bible. study, service or outreach. ©. Sunday school classes: A typical Sunday school class can be a small group. if you have effective Sunday school teachers, Sunday school is still a very productive place for discipleship to transpire. 12.6 Activities of Small Groups Ministry: Church school, which provides people with opportunities for practicing skills for faithful discipleship,. 2. Worship, Faith sharing, The creation of. new theological reflection,. ACTIVITIES OF SMALL GROUPS MINISTRY: Prayer, community building, Service with the poor and marginalized and Advocacy for peace and justice. Figure 16 127 SUPPORT GROUPS MINISTRIES Under Nurture Ministries, local churches are encouraged to support particular needs of the congregation and community members, through:12.7.1 Support Group$ Ministries; including but not limited to: care and prayer groups; divorce recovery; grief recovery; etc, Parenting groups and Support for people who are suffering from chronic illness, including people with mental illnesses and their families, etc. 12.7.2. The Role of Support Groups 4. upport particulai needs of the congregation and Care and Divorce Recovery : 5. a seauppertter X SUPPORT (Parenting chronic linesses } SEROUPS Groups etc, 6. including persons with mental iliness and other familiar diseases. Figure 17 12.8 How to Begin Small Groups at Your Local Church:- 42). Encourage every member to joina small group. 2) Develop a network of small groups build around different purposes, interests, age groups, ‘geography, tasks, skills, etc. New members assimilate best into new groups. This helps to avoid old members domination in small groups. New members have their ‘newness’ in common, The larger your church grows, the more important small groups become for handling the Pastoral care functions. Small groups provide personal touch that everyone needs, especially, in a crisis,‘The whole church can be regarded as a large ship, and the small groups are the life boats. Small groups keep members busy and in the fellowship. Our sections are good examples of small groups. if we maintain the small numbers, they can become effective groups for ministry, Conclusion: tis in smal groups where Christianity is modeled and caught. There is modeling and mentoring in true spiritual sense. They are spiritually training groups. Complete discipleship and Spiritual maturity is realized. Small groups are fellowship groups. Development of friends and easy pastoral care is key. Small groups facilitate connection among members. Small groups are effective in reaching and including neighbors. SECTION TEN 13. CHRISTIAN EDUCATION 13.4 CHRISTIAN EDUCATION TEAM LEADERSHIP BISSiON DEVELOPMENT - EDUCATION: Superintendent PROGRAMS MEMBERSHIP CARE CHRISTIAN EDUCATION CHILDREN’S TEAM MINISTRIES, ALL > . OTHER SMALL ¥e : CHURCH, | GROUPS — PEOPLES “AND BOARDS MINISTRIES | CONFEREVCE - AND. MINISTRIES 2 = MINISTRIES, figure 18 13.2 THE ROLE OF CHRISTIAN EDUCATION IN TEACHING MINISTRY: It has the responsibility for the total teaching ministry of the church. In every ministry of the church there is the educational component ~ thus, the committee of Christian Education may43 be called upon to provide assistance in relation to the teaching dimensions of these progra but the functions will be the responsibility of the councils or teams or groups. ‘The committee of Christian Education formulates the policies of the church’s teaching rinisy ‘and plans for the implementation of these policies. This function may be delineated moy especially in terms of the following responsibilities, Role number 1. Understanding the task: Role Number 2. Determine the educational program: a 2) 3} 4) 5} 6) 7 8) 9 ‘As you plan for your Chri a a 3) 4) 5) Role Number 3, Select Curriculum Resources: Reviewing a goal of the church’s teaching ministry and determining the purpose for th, ministry are essential elements in helping the committee to understand its task A primary responsibility of the committee of Christian Education is to plan, implement a evaluate the church's program of Christian Education. Below are nine characteristics of effective vital Christian Education: The church gives priority to Christian Education and understands that itis more than just Sund: School. The pastor is committed, involved and trained in relation to Christian Education, ‘The teachers and leaders are knowledgeable, committed, caring and teachable. The teaching ministry with adults is given a strong emphasis and programs for children a young people are offered. The content offered for study addresses biblical understanding, giobal awareness, moral ai value issues and social issues. Avariety of learning activities are used for all age levels. Strong administration foundations are in place. Parents and guardians are supported in their teaching rotes. Members are informed, eager and enthusiastic about the teaching ministry. jan Education program, ask the following questions: Are people learning the content and meaning of the Bible? Are people seeing themselves, life and other people more clearly from God's perspective? ‘Are people's values becoming more aligned with God's values? Are people becoming more skilled in serving God? ‘Are people becoming more like Christ? These objectives must help your local church to continue to preach Christ to each person, usi all wisdom to warn and to teach everyone, in order to bring each one into God's presence as mature person in Christ. (Colossians 1:28) Your vision for spiritual maturity must be to bring glory to God by presenting Jesus Christ with many Christ-like disciples as we possibly can before Jesus returns, The committee of Christian Education acts for and is responsible to the church in determin! the curriculum materials for its teaching program. The choice of a curriculum design and supporting curriculum materials is one of the ci functions of the committee. Choosing curriculum resources is a very crucial decision. So should not be left to a single individual, not even the pastor or the superintendent, nor t selection to be made independently by each teacher. Rather students, teache!4) 2) 3) 4) 5) 6) 4 superintendents and the professional staff {if available) of the church all need to be involved with the committee of Christian Education in curriculum section process The. Christian. Education. committee. together with those to design the curriculum must be reminded that the Bible is the foundation, Education that is Christian must first be education in the Scriptures. ‘The Bible is the unique and foundational text for the educational ministry of the church. Why this argument? Because: the Bible contains the record of God's self-revelation; repository of God's redemptive message for the world; inspired by God; providentially preserved; God's gift to His church; the only authoritative guide for Christian life and work and indispensable book that brings persons to Christ. Teaching and learning the Bible must be the first concern of a church’s educational ministries. What are the structures for the church to use as it engages in the ministry of Bible teaching and learning? The Sunday Schoo! The section meetings. Intensive Bible study sessions, Small groups e.g. support groups, reunion groups, Class meetings Family devotions Spiritual retreats, etc. Role Number 4. Enlist and support educational leaders: A significant key to the effectiveness of the educational program is its leadership. The committee of Christian Education, through the person responsible for leader development will want to develop a systematic plan for discovering, selecting, recruiting, training and supporting leaders. Integral to such a plan is the concer for building a climate of motivation for leaders, What are the factors that motivate leaders? How can we recruit, train and provide other support for leaders so as to contribute to their motivation? Role Number 5. Determine job description with leaders: y 2) 3) 4) 5) Any leader is more likely to do the job well when the leader has had the opportunity to be involved in the writing of the job description for the position. job description enables a leader to see what his/her job is. The descriptions are helpful tools for persons recruiting leaders. Job description should be specific enough to be helpful; to recruit Reasons for developing Job descriptions: They help a person make a decision to accept a task; Serve as a guide for the leader in fulfilling the position; Aré tools that help leaders to deal openly with expectations about assigned roles. Are a helpful starting point for changing functions in order to meet changing individual or group needs, capacities or goals and offer a basis for evaluation. Job descriptions are also related to the following factors; The structure of Christian Education, e.g. the size of the committee or group on which the leader will serve, whether the position is a coordinating one, superintendent or teacher ~ determines how jobs are described.a5 Recrultment of leaders; it should be specific enough to be helpful but general and open-ended ‘enough to be developed further as itis fulfited Program priorities; as program priorities are determined for a given year, one or more job descriptions may need to be rewritten accordingly. Personial goais of the leaders; what a leader really does may vary from what is expected by others merely because the personal goals of the leader vary from the expected goals of the Christian Education committee. Evaluation by leaders; A job description maybe used by a leader in evaluating how well the task is being done. Periodic self evaluation with each leader may result in improved effectiveness in reaching objectives. Role Number 6. Prepare and administer the Educational Budget:- Because teaching is a major ministry of the church, the expenses of the entire educational program of the local church should be financed by the local church budget ‘The committee on Christian Education should prepare an annual “asking budget” which will include the projects and programs that the committee plans for the year. In developing the budget the committee will indicate two sets of figures, one showing the minimum requirements, for the program and the other showing desirable additional fund, The budget committee can then prepare a total church budget taking all interest into account. The Christian Education Committee should administer the educational budget according to the policies of the church. Role Number 7. Allocate space and provide equipment and supplies: Students and their teachers or leaders are greatly influenced by physical environment in which they meet. They respond to space, light, color, physical comfort and freedom for creative activity, The committee of Christian Education is responsible for providing the best possible rooms and equipment as a setting for effective teaching and learning experiences, Role Number 8. Interpret the Educational program to the congregation: 13.2 13.24 The Committee of Christian Education will interpret to the entire congregation the significance, objectives and plans of the educational program. The purpose of such interpretation is to help persons recognize the ministry of the church and the responsibility of everyone within the congregation to be a growing person. SUNDAY SCHOOL TEACHERS The Task of Sunday School: To lead the pupils to know God as revealed by Jesus Christ and so to love Him and desire to serve Him all their lives, To teach the Bible and the doctrines of the faith in such a way that the pupils will want to apply them to their own lives To train in worship and reverence, To train in church membership. To train the pupils to grow steadily in Christian character and in the knowledge of God and Christ and the church of Christ,6 33.2.2 13.2.3 13.24 46 To instil in pupils the desire to serve the church of Christ at home, in the community and throughout the world. What Makes A Good Sunday School Teacher? Jesus Was the Master Teacher. (Matt. 4:23; 5: What made Jesus @ good teacher? He knew the things He wanted to teach. He knew His pupils. He taught by speaking of things they understood He sought good in His pupils. He suited His teaching to the time and audience. He was a doer of the words He spoke ; 7-29; John 3:2) Why Did ‘The Twelve Follaw Him? Not for riches (Matt. 8:20), Because Jesus Christ was righteous, good, kind, thoughtful of others, etc., Characteristics of a Good Sunday Schoo! Teacher: The Teacher: Is the most important person in the success, growth, and development of a Sunday School class. The class may be made up of individuals within a specified age range, and possibly grouped by sex. Must be a born-again Christian, who confesses Jesus Christ as his/her Lord and personal Savior. Must be an active member of The United Methodist Church. Must hold to Biblical truths and other doctrines taught by The UMC. ‘Must have a real and vital relationship with Jesus Christ. Convinced that he/she has something valuable to teach/offer and believing that his/her pupils can master it. \s dignified. Has few basic rules. Is interested in his/her pupils. Knows their needs. Shares their problems, Treats the students equally. !s willing to help the students. Is firm but fair. Loves the difficult students. Prays for each student. is approachable. Agood teacher hunts for things that touch his/her pupils’ lives when he/she teaches. Teaching involves regularity, — promptness, full co-operation in the work of the Sunday school and the Church, study, proper preparation. Has no favorites. Admits when is wrong. Is not angry when he/she is asked to explain. Does not control by fear. Is seeking to improve, Is disciplined and faithful in his/her work, senses the importance and urgency of his/her task Realizes his/her God appointed responsibility to teach each individual. 's mature in his/her own faith and his/her relationship with others. Lives “in Christ" and witnesses. to the Word of God and the power of prayer. Uses intelligence, imagination, good sense, intuition, understanding of human nature, true witness and joy in his/her teaching He/she avoids undue or continual criticism of his/her pupils. Knows his/her class by name, Recognizes the maturity of his/her pupils and helps them to find themselves. Respects the personality of each one. Is open minded, resourceful, willing to share responsibility and has a strong moral standard. How Does He/she Teach?ay 2) 4) 5) 6) B25 13.3 1) 2) 3) 4) 5) 6) 7 8) 9) a7 A porter; before he/she selects his/her lump of clay and starts his/her wheel revolving, has already in his/her mind a picture of the pot that he/she is going to make. And so, a teacher must have a picture of a disciple he/she wants to produce. Only when the teacher has accepted Jesus as the Lord and Savior. Each teacher should search his/her awn heart and deeds to see if he/she really does put Jesus first, before money, prestige, position, possession, family, etc. (we can teach about religion, but there is truth in the saying that religion itself is caught rather than taught). teave a good legacy: After the disciples have forgotten the teaching they will remember the teacher and his/her example. Good and positive attitude: No clever teaching method, no visual aid, will get the lessqns over the barriers that have been raised by the teacher's attitude and the resulting attitudés in the disciple’ mind. Full of patience and gives himself or herself to the task. The impatient, unsympathetic, intolerant teacher who sees only little nuisances in his/her class and whose comments are usually: “Hurry up’. “Sit stil”, “We have no time now”. "No questions”. “I told you so”, etc.” {eaves in his/her disciples the distaste for Christianity. It is not enough to give lessons. We must sive ourselves. Speak out of his/her heart: A lot of the answer in teaching lies in whether the subject and purpose first fired the imagination and soul of the teacher. If we speak out of our heads the story will enter heads, but if we speak out of our hearts the story will enter hearts. How Should We Look at Teaching? As obedience to the Great Commission, (Matt, 28:19-20). As service to God, (John 15:8). ‘As service with God, (1 Cor. 3:9). As service with Christ, (John 15:15-16). As devotion to Christ and to persons in need, (John 21:17; Matt. 18:13-14). Christ’s attitude towards children as an example, (Mark 10:14). Christ’s desire to reach the unreached, (John10:15-16). Necessity of teaching the Word of God, Luke 24;45, Acts 8:30-31. Even as Christ loved the Church and gave himself for it, (Eph. 5:25; 2:21). The best multiplication of one’s life, (John 12:24-26). Duties of Sunday School Teachers ‘The Specific Responsibilities of the Teacher are as Follows: Attendance. Teaching, Organizing Ministering: Directing: Encouraging. Fellowshipping Planning, Evaluation: ATTENDANCE. Sunday School, Sunday Worship Services, Section Meetings, Weekly Educational programs, training and seminars for leadership development called for. By so doing, the teacher can be an ‘example of faithfulness, and thus, encourage faithfulness among class members. Teachers should avoid excessive planned absences (e.g. more than 2-4 Sundays per year)48 TEACHING. ‘The teacher should make every effort to effectively teach the specified Bible lessons to his/her disciples, under the leadership of God's Holy Spirit. The teacher will teach from the open Bible, He of she should use commentaries, and other resources for study and preparation. The teacher's goal is to use a variety of teaching methods to lead the class members to discover the truths contained in the Bible passage, and to apply those truths to their everyday lives. Teachers are to strive for very practical application of Bible truths, so the members can live the lesson throughout their daily activities, The teacher should enjoy his/her teaching! ORGANIZING. Sees that his/her class is properly organized. Besides indoor lessons the teacher has to organize his/her class for outreach and ministry programs. For example, can organize to visit a prison, the hospital, old people’s home etc,, to minister to these people in various ways. Organize a committee within his/her class to help hin/her organize trips or retreats for the class, Organize the class into groups for ministry, encouragement and outreach purposes. When organizing for the Outreach programs for the class, the teacher can work closely with the Outreach Coordinator. The class should be involved in reaching out to the lost and un-churched persons within its specified age range. Each class can have or come up with some leaders to help lessen the work of the teacher. Such organized groups can be as follows Care Group Leader: The task of this leader is to contact every class member of his/her group each week. This will help building a relationship with each group member. Each member within the group is encouraged to be faithful in attending the Sunday school sessions. The Leader of Activities: This leader's task is to plan and carry out fellowship activities for the class, Examples of such activities are Christmas party, retreats, recreation programs, get together programs, etc. The teacher and the leader of activities will work together with leaders of other classes, Creativity is encouraged. The Class Secretary: His/her task is to accurately record class attendance each week. Keeps a record of contacts for each class member. Takes brief notes on what will be discussed, suppose there is a meeting held, NOTE: This arrangement is different with Preschool and Children's classes. These classes have several teachers: One teacher can be the Lead Teacher. There shauld be a Care Class- Teacher, another the Activities Leader and the other one the Class Secretary. MINISTERING: Know the neéds of each member: and ask the Lord to help you teach the Bible to address those needs wherever possible. Visit in the home of each class member: at least three times a year, and Minister to class members when alerted to specific needs by class leaders, DIRECTING:, The teacher will lead, and direct the work of the class. The work of the class can be summarized as: Reaching people for Bible studi, Teaching the Bible, Seeking to win persons to Chrisi, and Developiny; (or maturing) Christians. The teacher will see that the other class leaders are doing their jobs properly and faithfully. ENCOURAGING,4) 2) 3) ay 5) 1) 2) 3) 4) 5) a) 2) 3) 4) 5) 49 The teacher will challenge and encourage each class leater and class member to become personally involved in the class' work of reaching out, teachig, winning, and developing. ‘as a part of this task, the teacher will be expected to take part in outreach programs, visitation, and encourage each class leader and member to do the sam FELLOWSHIPPING Since fellowship and friendships are so needed in our modern, fast-paced world, the teacher will direct the activities leader to plan class fellowship activities on at least a quarterly basis. Fellowship activities should always be used a5 opportunities to reach out to prospects, as well as encourage members. PLANNING. The teacher will make planning and preparation for teaching an important priority in his/her weekly schedule. To. plan: his/her work effectively the teacher should be someone who is 2 reader and/or a researcher. He/she should be a learner. He/she should be able to provide: 'ASIMPLE LESSON PLAN, which includes the following aspects: The Bible text, The theme, The aim and objectives of the lesson, The students” activities. Plan with curriculum (A curriculum is an important tool or a guide) Adopt a weekly preparation plan. As you plan, pray for your students and for your preparation. Read and meditate on the Scripture. Read the materials and rewrite the goals in your own words, Examine the lesson plan and select what you will use. Plan the schedule and who will be responsible for what. Arrange the room, collect supplies, and make any samples. Review the Scripture and plans: itis important to use a checklist during lesson preparation: What in your lesson plan will catch the students’ attention Are the planned activities inline with the age level and individuals? How are the activities arranged? Do they meet the needs of all the participants? The activities should give room for active and quiet times, verbal and mental, individual and group work. How Can Planning Be Done? As you plan check whether the lesson relates to the students’ everyday lives. itis important to plan on how you are going to use the Bible during the lesson. Are there opportunities to feel into, meet with and respond out of the Bible. EVALUATION: Evaluate his/her lessons and or activities with the class. Consider what happened during the session that was positive. What area was done better and what section need improvement. How was the interaction or participation among the students? ‘What plans do you have to make sure every student gets involved? How did they grow in their faith? What were the challenges? How were they handled?6) 7 3) ay) 2) 134 1 2 1 a} b) 2 3. a) b) a) 2) 3) 4) 50 ‘Any ways set to prevent such challenges or problems in the next lessons? Were the resources adequate for the session? What was missing or what was in access? State clearly what you have learned from your students. Was the place/room/play ground set up adequately for the activities you needed. What need to be revisited? ‘Training For Sunday Schoo! Teachers Sunday school teachers are important in the society. So they need to be well trained and ‘motivated for them to have the passion and desire to devote themselves to teaching, Training Sunday School Teachers Involves two aspect Intellectual aspect ‘The Spiritual aspect The following areas are significant 2ild should be part and parcel of the training, Cultivation of Spiritual Life: Every great teacher of the souls of people must demonstrate within himself/herself a rich spiritual life He/she must have a profound faith, reverent earnest purpose, love for souls, gladness of service and patience of heart. This comes with prayer and thoughtfulness, obedience to the divine voice, and single hearted trust - such experience enriches the life and gives power to the character. Knowledge of the Child: It is required that a teacher of junior Sunday school must read books on the psychology or developmental stages of a child, child nature and books on teenagers. Knowledge of Lesson Mater The Bible as a whole, This is a very important aspect. A Sunday school teacher must be a Bible reader. He/she has to read and have a deep understanding of the Bible. Study Bibles are the ‘most appropriate Bibles for a Sunday School teacher. Knowledge of Curriculum Development: ACurriculum is important. ‘teacher should be trained on how he/she can develop one. When selecting a curriculum for an adult class the teacher should involve the class members, ‘There is no doubt that the adult students, unlike the children, have varied needs and varied biblical knowledge. This makes them unique in their fearning. For this reason, itis great to have more than two adult Sunday school classes. We can have a BEGINNERS’ CLASS OF ADULTS, where members can be tought on topics that welcome them to the new faith, Such lessons on: Repentance, Confession of sins, God the Father Son and Holy Spirit, Faith, ete.st ‘A class of PROFESSING MEMBERS: Can be taught on other related issues like: How one can ‘overcome’ temptations, etc. if our Christian life is to be lived out in life everyday, it is appropriate to study in the context of what is going on in our daily fives. Both the CHURCH CALENDAR and THE YEARLY CALENDAR can give you what to study. Some adult classes can be ‘arranged-according to some: SPECIAL GROUPS of individuals who share common needs, for example: 4) The youth groups, 2). The girls, boys, 3) Youngadults 4). The single people, 5) The married couples, 6) The widows, 7) The support groups, 8). The disabled etc. Special groups/classes need teachers who are really dedicated to take the task till the syllabus is over. 13.5 SUNDAY SCHOOL SUPERINTENDENTS Sunday school programs at local churches don't just happen. They take a lot of work and planning on behalf of the Sunday schoo! teachers and the people in the local church's leadership. The people that head-up Sunday school programs at local churches are generally called Sunday school superintendents. Without these individuals overseeing education ministries, Sunday school classes would quickly become disorganized and ineffective, and attendance would drop. Superintendent job descriptions vary from one local church to another, but there are some common duties. Some Common Roles of Sunday School Superintendents, 1. Survey and Evaluate 2. Select And Equip 3. Oversee Facilities 4, Produce Growth 5. Budget 6. Accountability 1. Survey and Evaluate:- Sunday school Superintendents must survey and evaluate the needs in the Sunday School programs at their local churches. This is done by talking with teachers, church leaders and attendees, Possible néeds could be additional classrooms, breaking over-crowded classes up and making additional classes available, implementing new curriculum and areas of study, adding new teachers and assistants to the classes, and more. The needs must be evaluated by; Importance and prioritized. important needs should be met as quickly as possible. This involves skills in long-range planning and the ability to follow through on those plans. 4, Select and Equip: Sunday school Superintendents also must select teachers for individual Sunday school classes and equip them with the training, literature and other materials necessary to meet the needs of Sunday school students.52. 5. Oversee Facilities: Sunday school Superintendents must ensure that The Sunday school facilities meet the needs of the teachers and students. This involves determining classroom space assignments based on attendance numbers, ensuring that the facilities are safe and in good working order, and Checking classrooms after services to ensure the rooms have been retuined to order. Produce Growth:- An important role of Sunday schoo! Superintendents is Visitation, Evangelism and Other activities that will grow participation in the local church's Sunday school program. Superintendents should strive for at least a 10 percent enrollment growth each year. 7. Budget:- Sunday school Superintendents must stick to a budget and be able to meet the needs of the classes within the budget. The money that is designated for Sunday school programs is usually decided on by local church leadership with input given|by the Superintendent. If Superintendents cannot meet the needs of their Sunday school programs with the monies that are allocated. They need to submit an official request for more funds to the Church Council through the Connectional Ministries, Superintendents should be; ready to show where the money that is disbursed to the Sunday school department is being spent and show where the requested money will be allocated. 8. Accountability: Sunday school Superintendents come under the authority of the church leadership and must be accountable for decisions made in the capacity of Superintendent. Likewise, Sunday school Superintendents must old teachers and Sunday school volunteers they oversee accountable for their decisions. Sunday schoo! Superintendent reports to the Christian Education Committee, which reports to the nurturing council, which reports to the Connectional Ministries. Teachers report the day to day running of their class-room affairs to the Sunday schoot Superintendants 13.6 RESPONSIBILITIES OF THE SUNDAY SCHOOL SUPERINTENDENT or COORDINATOR: a. administers the Sunday school according to the policy of the Christian Education Committee; Acts as liaison between the Christian Education Committee and Sunday school staff; © Oversees the work of the Sunday school staff in planning, implementing, and evaluating: d. Report regularly to the Christian Education Committee regarding concerns, needs and accomplishments of the school; e. Recruits teachers and other workers with the approval of the Christian Education Commitiee; {. Works with the coordinator of leadership development to develop, implement and promote a teacher training program; 8. - Interprets the Sunday schoo! to the congregation; h._ Establishes a program for enrollment; i. Secures persons to care for equipment and audiovisual materials and to handle other administrative details; Acts as liaison with other church officers, boards, ministries and committees regarding Sunday school concerns.en nea OORT 53 Understanding the roles and duties of Sunday schoo! teachers and Superintendents will help us solve the problem of running short of Sunday schoo! teachers, The other important thing to ‘encourage an effective Sunday school program at your local church is to Know exactly what is fequiréd, ~-—-What groups, what are their needs and how are their needs going to be This lesson will help enable congregations come up with viable Sunday school programs. Teachers must be motivated by provision of materials for: Sunday school lessons, accommodation, places to teach their students, training etc. 14, MISSION EDUCATION - COORDINATOR Develops year round program of mission education for persons of all ages a. Oversees the development of mission education events such as 2 school of missions, a family b. mission, a mission study tour, a mission work project outreach committee; c. Recommends, develops, and oversees service projects approved by the d. Encourages persons to be involved in mission projects within the community as well as remote places and to understand mission as reciprocal. ‘e. Encourages teachers and other leaders to use material interpreting denominational missions and mission emphases. f. Promotes use of materials for the annual mission offerings of the denomination. 15, LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMS - COORDINATOR ‘a. Plans for an ongoing program of training for all educational leaders; b. Arranges for leadership classes or workshops within the congregations Publicizes and promotes attendance in training events (workshop, seminars, conferencs © held within the local church or by the denominatian. Gd. Assist age-group coordinators 16. CAMP AND CONFERENCE MINISTRIES - COORDINATOR a, Interprets the values of camp and conference ministries to the congregation, b. Promote attendance of individuals and families in denominational camps and conferences, c. Oversees the church’s program of scholarships or other financial help for attendees; d. May plan retreats, camping experiences, or conferences for the church family; secure volunteer leadership from the congregation for denominational camp and conference programs; e. Plans for reporting camp and conference experiences to the congregation; SECTION ELEVEN 17.0 OUTREACH MINISTRIES: II give attention to: Loca? and 17.1. Outreach Ministries: (2004 Book of Dis. par 252.26). St larger community ministries of; Compassion, Justice and Advocacy. These ministries include: 1. Church and Society, 2. Higher Education and Campus Ministry,- 37.2 54 Health and Welfare, Ministry with Women, Children and Youth, Communication and Publication, History and Achieves, Projects (Agriculture, Building, etc.,) Missions, etc. Outreach Ministries Council: (The Church Our and Global health; Tisclonteal ee tan ht eh, wane So rograms singles widow Primary Health Care; \ trusts; Prison Services; "omansantvlrabe mission hospitals and human rights; cau etrproaraiag herbeand alike ei lesles satis family te; ea headed - linies; ie aoe Home Based Care poverty and disadvaniaged Programs umane ees COMMUNICATIONS, "HISTORY AND ___ ACHIEVES MISSIONS OUTREACH MINISTRIES MINISTRY WITH HEALTH AND COUNCIL/TEAM WOMEN, WELFARE CHILDREN AND YOUTH CHURCH AND SOCIETY peace and justice issues, etc, Figure 18 f 2 17.8 y 2) Responsibilities of Outreach Coordinator Organizing outreach events includes marketing, sales and planning related activities to assist in promoting services anid réceiving donations. Outreach coordinators often act as a spokesperson for an organization, and may be involved with television, radio and other public everits to promote an organization.55 ‘SECTION TWELVE 18.0, WITNESSING MINISTRIES 18:1 Witnessing Ministries (2004 Book of Discipline, par 252.2c) Falls under DISCIPLESHIP and Shall give attention to: 1} Developing and Strengthening evangelistic efforts of sharing of pers: stories of Christian experience, 2). Faith and Service; 3) Ecumenical and Inter-religious Concerns, 4) Communications, 5) Lay Speaking Ministries and other means that give expressions of witness for Jesus Christ, 6). Societies or Organizations ~ RRW; MUMC and UMYF. COMMUNICATIONS ‘onal and congregational 18.2 Witnessing Ministries Council or Team Ecumenical and Interreligious concerns. | ay bib eante PRAYER (MEMBERSHIP. ~ aM COORDINATOR _ | RECORDING : SECRETAR - Tae SPEAKING OR EVANGELISM LOCAL : PREACHING FAITH AND 5 MINISTRIES. SERVICE Evangelism in sections, schools, families, colleges and universities | Evangelism among youths and young adults | Evangelism at growth points resettlements and farming areas; Open alr preaching crusades, revivals, 2 evangelism, visiting backsliders, weak Christia ynon-church goers @.t.c_ Figure 2 |56 SECTION THIRTEEN 19, PRAYER MINISTRY ‘The nurture, outreach and witness ministries and their accompanying responsibilities shall include consideration of the election of Prayer Coordinator: (2004 Book of Discipline, par 252.2e) 19.1 Coordinator of Prayer Ministries Bible lessons on prayerand meditation Intercessory Teams Prayer and fasting programs Private and. publicprayers ograms, families, children youths, young ; the bereaved, those in grief, those in prison. scion f national leaders traditionalleaders, ‘army, police, ; Ministers, etc Praying | for peace in our communities, ets Figure 20 19.2 Roles of Prayer Ministry Coordinator 1) To promote and mobilize the Local Church to pray, 2), Establish a prayer room or designated place for prayer resources and, 3) Encouraging intentional prayer for the pastoral leadership of the Local Church. |20.0 20.1 s7 SECTION FOURTEEN MEMBERSHIP CARE Introduction: The word membership originates from Christian circles, “Today the concept is misunderstood and has lost its original meaning. Many people today associate it with paying dues, meaningless rituals, silly rules and hand shakes” (Rick Warren:1995:310), Biblicully, membership Implies, becoming a vital organ of a living body. Paul echoed this when he addressed the Christians in Rome and Corinth, Romans 12:4-5, “fust as each of us has ane body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, so in Christ we who are many form one body, and each member belongs to all the others.” in 1 Corinthians 6:15, Paul pauses a question, “Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ himself?” Paul goes on to argue that, “God has combined the members of the body and has given greater honour to the parts that lacked it, so that there should be no division in the body, but that its parts should have equal concern for each other. if one part suffers, every part suffers with it; fone part is honoured, every part rejoices with it” (1 Corinthians 12:24-26). Any organ that is detached from the body will not only miss its purpose of existence, but it will also shrivel and die quickly: This is true for Christians that are not committed to any specific congregation or local church. This is the reason why incorporation or assimilation of new ‘members into our local churches is crucial. Rick Warren's ideas on membership care are briliant. Much of the information used in this, section is from Rick Warren’s book entitled, The Purpose Driven Church; Growth Without Compromising Your Message & Mission, 1995. 20.2 Turning Attenders into Membership Most focal churches neglect the issue of feeding baby believers. Baby believers do not know what they need. {tis the local church’s responsibility to take the initiative in assimilating new comers into the congregation, The Membership Care Committee has a big task It is the task of the Membership Care committee to come up with progeams to help turn attenders into mature members. The programs must help the attenders realize that they are no longer strangers to God and foreigners to heaven, but they must feel that they are members of God's very own farnily. Help them to appreciate that they belong to the household of God with every other Christian. This is what Paul said in Ephesians 2:19, A crowd of attenders must be formed into a congregation of members. This is a process of assimilation or incorporation. Through this process people are moved from being attenders to active members of their local church, 20.3 Develop a plan to assimitate new members. important questions that should be asked are: (Proverbs 20:18a says, "Make plans by seeking advice.” Rick Warren in his book, The Purpose Driven Church, (1995 page 311) suggested 12 questions to be asked when developing a plan to assimitate new members. | have find these questions appropriate for us today as we deal with the membership care Issue.1) 2) 3} 4) 5) 6) 7) 8) 3) 58 ‘What does God expect from the members of His church? ‘What do we expect from our members right now? ‘What kind of people already make up our congregation? How will that change in the next five to ten years? What do our members value? ‘What are new members’ greatest needs? What are our long term members’ greatest needs? How can we make membership more meaningful? How can we insure that members feel loved and cared for? 10) What do we owe our members? 11) What resources or services could we offer our members? 12) How would we add value to what we already offer to our members? 20.4 a) 2 a 4) 5) Benefits of Membership: ‘Membership is now an act of commitment, There are numerous benefits to membership. The Bible shows us that. It identifies a person as a genuine believer. in Ephesians 2:19, Paul says, “., you are no longer foreigners and aliens, but fellow citizens, with God's people and members of God's househol It provides a spiritual family to support and encourage the members in their walk with Christ. in Galatians 6:1-2, the word of God urges the spiritual people to restore a brother who falls into sin and to carry each other’s burdens, Hebrews 10:24-25, reminds us that we must not give up meeting together, and we must also encourage one another. It gives them a place to discover and use their gifts in ministry. The aposte Paul, in 4 Corinthians 12:4-27, talks of spiritual gifts and how we should use them. {t places them under the spiritual protection of godly leaders, in Acts 20:28, the word of God encourages the church leaders to keep watch over themselves and all the flock which the Holy Spirit has made them overseers. The church leaders are urged to be shepherds of the church of God. so by virtue of being a member of the local church or congregation, you have protection of church leaders. It gives them the accountability they need to grow. Ephesians $:21 says, “Submit to one another out of reverence for God.” ‘Attenders at your church should be given assurance that becoming a member of a congregation has benefits an individual can not find anywhere else in the world. They must see the benefits of worshipping, discipleship, fellowship, evangelism and ministry. 1) Worship helps members to focus on God, preparing an individual spiritually and emotionally for the week ahead, Worship programs at your church should match with this expectation. 2) fellowship helps the member to face life's problems by providing the support and ‘encouragement of other Christians. 3) Discipleship helps a member fortify his/her faith by learning the truth of God’s Word and applying biblical principles to lifestyle, 4) Ministry helps the member find and develop his/her talents and use them in serving others.20.5 206 59 5). Evangelism helps the believer to fulfil his/her mission of reaching his/her friends and fomily for Christ Establish a Membership Class at your local church. This is the most important class because it sets the tone and expectation level for everything else that follows. A strong membership class build a strong congregation while @ weak Membership Class will build a weak congregation, The strength of a membership class Is determined by its content and call for commitment. Some churches’ Membership Class covers wrong material or content. They mix the content for the new believers class with the membership class. For instance, content based on spiritual growth or basic doctrine is for the new believer's class or Christian doctrine class and not for the membership class. Your membership class should answer the following questions: ‘What does it mean to be saved? ‘What isa church? What are the purposes of a church? What are benefits of being a member of a local church? ‘What are the requirements for membership? What are the responsibilities of membership? What are the vision, mission and strategy of your church? How is the church organized? How can | get involved in ministry? What do | do now that i am a member? Question (a) is important because you might have many people who want to join the church who are not believers, Explain to the fiembership Class that trusting Jesus Christ is the first requirement for membership. It is also Important to think of the different age groups when teaching a Membership Class. Completion for Membership Class is required for membership. ‘An Example of the syllabus for the Membership Class: ‘Our Salvation a. Making sure you are a Christian. b. The symbols of salvation. 1) Baptism 2). Communion Our Statements: a. Our Mission Statement. Why we exist? b.- Our Vision Statement. What we intend to do? ¢. Our Faith Statement. What we believe? d. Our Values Statement. What we practice? / ‘Our Strategy a, Abrief history of The United Methodist Church b. Who we are trying to reach out. ¢. Our life development process to heip you grow. 4. Our local church's strategy. Our Structure60 How our church is organized Our affiliation What it means to be a member 4d. What is my next step after joining membership? 5. Ashort exercise or quiz 20.7 Develop a Membership Covenan\ Today, many local churches have so many people in their membership record books, who give little oF no evidence of Christian commitment or even conversion. Many churches find it difficult to motivate members to give, serve, pray and share their faith One of the reason could be that the members were allowed to join with no expectations placed ‘on them. The other reason could be that they were received into membership before they have given themselves to the Lord. {In second Corinthians chapter eight, Paul mentions two different types of commitment. (1) He said the Christians in Macedonia gave themselves first to the Lord; (2) and then by God’s will, they gave themselves to the apostles as well This is the first-base commitment. You commit yourself to Christ for salvation and then you commit yourself to other Christians for membership in your local church Family. Jesus, in John 13:34-35 remarked that our tove for each other is to be the mark of discipleship. 1 John 3:16, “This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ‘ought to lay down our lives for our brothers.” Most churches ignore this. God commands us to love each other, pray for each other, encourage each other, admonish each other, greet each other, serve each other, teach each other, accept each other, honour each other, bear each other's burdens, forgive each other, sing to each ‘other, submit to each other and be devoted to each other. All these commands are what membership in a local church or body of believers is all about They are responsibility of membership. These expectations must-be taught in the membership class because they summarize the expectations in our membership covenants, When we confirm people to church membership, they make vows. But these pledges are not taken seriously, because many people make promises which they do not fulfill. See The United Methodist Church Ngoma page 431. The pastor asks the question: Munozotendeke here kune chechi yeUnited Methodist, neminamato yenyu, nekuvapo kwenyu, nezvino 2venyu nemobasa enyu? Translated, “Do you pledge or promise to be faithful to The United Methodist Church by praying for it, your presence, gifts and service?” The response of the applicant will be, “Mdinazvita.” Translated, “Ido.” Although in practice many members do not keep their word. 20.8 A Membership Covenant Statement For received members to further commit themselves to their membership a membership covenant statement is proper. Below is a suggested example, that can be used by a local church, Having received Jesus Christ as my personal Lord and Saviour and have been baptized, and being in agreement with my church's structure, vision, mission and strategy, { now feel led61 by the Holy Spirit to unite with eg. Hilltop UMC family. In doing so, | commit myself to God and to other members to do the following: ‘Commitment number 1: will protect the unity of my church by acting in love towards other members sa by refusing to gossip. .. by following the leaders Scriptures references to this commitment; In Romans 14:19, Paul encouraged believers to stay in harmony by avoiding things that will ‘cause others to fall away from Christ’s way. “So then, we must always aim at those things that bring peace and that help strengthen one another.” Other examples of scriptures that encourage believers to live In harmony with each other ‘are as follows: 1 Peter 1:22 tells us that our love for one another must be sincere and we must love one another eamestly with all our heart. in Ephesians 4:29, we are told nat to use harmful words, but only helpful words, the kind that build up and provide what is needed, so that what we say will do good to those who hear us. ‘The writer of Hebrews 13:17, encourages members, “Obey your leaders and follow their orders, They watch over your souls without resting, since they must give an account of their service. if you obey them they will do their work gladly, if not they will do it with sadness, and that will be of no help to you.” Commitment number 2: {will share the responsibility of my church ~ by praying for its growth _ by inviting the unchurched to attend _ by warmly welcoming visitors Scriptures references to this commitment; 1 Thessalonians 1:1-2, Paul says, “To the church .. We always thank God for you all and always mention you in our prayers.” Luke 14:23, "So the master said to the servant, ‘Go out to the country roads and lanes and make people come in, so that my house will be full.” Romans 15: 7, "Accept one another, then, for the glory of God, as Christ has accepted you.” : ‘Commitment number 3: {will serve the ministry of my church _» by discovering my gifts and talents by being equipped to serve by my pastor (s) «« by developing a servant's heart Scriptures references to this commitment: {Peter 4:10, “Each one, as a good manager of God’s different gifts, must use for the good of others the special gift he has received from God.” Ephesians 4:11-12, "It is God who gave gifts to people; He appointed some to be apostles, | others to be prophets, others to be evangelists, athers to be pastors and teachers. He did all this to prepare all God's people for the work of Christian service, in order to build up the body of Christ.”62 Philippians 2:3-4,7, “Do not do anything from selfish ambition or from a cheap desire to boast, but be humble toward one another, always considering others better than yourselves, And look out for another's interests, not just for your own. .. Instead of this, of his.own free. will he gave up all he had, and took the nature of g servant, He became ‘ike a human being and appeared in human likeness. Commitment number 4: I will support the testimony of my church 20.9 20.10 .. by attending faithfully ». by living a godly life .. by giving regularly Scriptures references to this commitment: Hebrews 10:25, “Let us not give up the habit of meeting together, as some are doing.” Philippians 1:27, “Whatever happens, make sure that your everyday life is worthy of the gospel of Christ” 1 Corinthians 16:2, “Every Sunday each of you must put aside some money for offering, in proportion to what you have earned, and save it up, ..” Leviticus 27:30, “One tenth (tithe) of all the produce of the land, whether grain or fruit, belongs to the Lord.” Responsibilities of a Membership Care Coordinator and council or team 1) Develop a plan to assimilate members 2) Communicate the values of membership to the people at their local church 3) Establish a required Membership class 4) Develop a Membership covenant and engage the members in it 5) Create an environment for members to feel special 6) Create opportunities to build relationships within your local church or congregation 7) Encourage every member to join a small group. 8). Keep communication lines open DEVELOPING MATURE MEMBERS Churches today are filled with people who have attended services for their entire lives, yet they are still spiritual babies. Millions of Christians have grown older without ever growing up. The reason is that many local churches lack an organized plan for following up on new members and they have no comprehensive strategy for developing members to maturity They assume that Christians will automatically grow to maturity if they attend church services. The truth is that spiritual growth does not just happen once one is saved, even the individual attends services regularly. The writer of Hebrews sadly noted, “In fact, though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you elementary truths of God’s word all over again” (Hebrews 5:22) ‘The word of God is very clear that the will of God for each believer is spiritual maturity. God wants.us to grow up. Paul's greatest wish and prayer was that each member becomes a ‘mature Christian (2 Corinthians 13:9). Paul in Ephesians 4:14ff, emphasizes that we must grow. ‘We must not remain infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of men in their deceitful scheming. Instead specking the truth in love, we will in all things grow up into20.11 20.12 63 him who ts the head, that is Christ. From Christ the whole body joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and build itself up In love, as its part does its work.” ‘The ultimate goal of spiritual growth is to become like Jesus. God's plan for us since the beginning has been for us to be like His Son, Jesus Christ (Romans 8:29), We can then ask, how spiritual growth happens and how we can become mature in Christ? Becoming like Christ is the result of commitment. Spiritual growth is intentional. It requires commitment. We become whatever we are committed to, Spiritual growth that leads to maturity begins with the kind of commitment described in Romans 6:13, which encourages Us to give ourselves completely to God. “Do not offer the parts of your body to sin, as instruments of wickedness, but rather offer yourselves to God, as those who have been brought from death to life; and offer the parts of your body to him as instruments of righteousness.” The Truths About Spiritual Growth/ Maturity: Itis a matter of cornmitment. Its intentional. Itis very practical Itisa process that takes time Itis demonstrated more by behaviour than beliefs Christians need relationships to grow. We do not grow in isolation. We develop in the context of fellowship. It takes a variety of spiritual experiences with God to produce spiritual maturity. Genuine spiritual maturity includes having a heart that worships and praises God, building and enjoying loving relationships, using your gifts and talents in service to others, and sharing your faith with lost people. ‘Any church strategy to bring people to spiritual maturity must include all of the experiences of: worship. Fellowship, Bible study, evangelism and ministry. in other words spiritual growth occurs by participating in all five purposes of the church. Measurements of Spiritual Maturity or Growth. There are five levels. 1) Knowledge, 2) Perspective, 3) Conviction, 4) Skills and 5) Character. Any strategy your church develops to build up believers must help people not only learn the Word, but also love it and live it Christian Education programs at your church must be build around these five levels of learning (knowledge, perspective, conviction, skills and character). 1) Knowledge of the Word of God is crucial. in Hosea 4:6, the Lord God says, “My people are perishing because of lack of knowledge”. To begin building 3 spiritual growth curriculum20.13 ay) 2) 3) 4) 5) 6) 6a you need to ask two questions: ‘What do people already know?" and "What do they need to know?" At the knowledge level, your church needs to regularly offer “new believers’ Bible studies and surveys of the Old Testament and New Testament. The acronym of WORD will guide you, W- wonder it (ask questions about the text), O- observe it, R - reflect on it and 0 = doit. 2) Perspective is understanding something because you are seeing it from a larger frame of Feference. It is the ability to perceive how things are interrelated and then judge their comparative importance. In a spiritual sense it implies, seeing life from God's point of view tn the Bible, the words, understanding, wisdom and discernment all have to do with perspective. The opposite of perspective is hardness of heart, blindness, and duliness, 3) Conviction is usually described as a fixed or strong belief, but it is more than that. Your conviction includes your beliefs, values, commitments, and motivations. Conviction is something you will die for. Knowing what to do (knowledge), why to do it (perspective) and how to do it (skill) is all worthless if you do not have the conviction to motivate you to actually do it. When you become a Christian you could do things because others are doing them or you have been compelled to do so. You may go to church, pray, read the Bible, tithe, etc. just because it is the routine, Without convictions about growth, people become discouraged and give up. 4) Skills. A skill is the ability to do something with ease and accuracy. A skill is developed, not by listening to a lecture, but by practice and experience. in the Christian context you must develop such skills tike; Bible study skills, witnessing skills, time management skills, and many other skills. Skills are the ‘how to steps’ of spiritual growth, Many believers today are frustrated because they know what to do but they have never been taught how to do it (skill 5) Character. Christ-like character is the ultimate goal of all Christian Education. Developing the character of Christ is life's most important task because it is the only thing we will take with us into eternity. Character is never built in a classroom; it is built in the circumstances of life. in Galatians 5:22-23, Paul enumerated nine character qualities. He said, “The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self. control.” The character qualities of Spiritually Mature Members They have a daily time with God in their homes, - meeting God during Bible study, prayer sessions and meditation times. Regularly, they give their tithes and offerings to God, - they are ready to part with their resources without any reservations. They rejoice in their giving, They participate in their weekly section meetings/class_—_-meetings/small groups/seminars/meetings, etc., They are ready to serve in any committee and ministry they are placed. They are prepared to learn new things They do good to all people and no harm. They respects their church leadership65 20.14. in the process of developing mature members our local churches should have to dream dreams, e.g. 1) Dream of members who have committed themselves to the maturity covenant: having ‘daily time with God, rendering tithe and offerings to God, and participating in weekly team small group for God. 2) Dream of a network of small groups within your local church providing support, encouragement, and accountability to your members as they seek to grow in Christ-likeness, These groups will continue to be led and by trained people who lovingly lead, feed and care for those in their groups, 3) Dream of your local church's life development institute for your members, offering a balanced program of Bible studies, classes, topical seminars, leadership retreats, etc., for building knowladge, perspective, conviction, skills, and character. 4) Dream of midweek.believers’ service involving _ adults, children, and youths and young adults, who are not involved in small group fellowship. 5) Dream of a faculty of, gifted teachers, lay speakers and preachers, equipped with vision, character, knowledge, and expertise to feed our flock. Dream of teacher training, lay speaking and local preachers training programs, that produce experts in individual Bible books, Christian doctrine, apologetics, preaching, witnessing and Christian growth. 6) Dream of and age appropriate life Development process that leads your children, youth and young adults to love Jesus and His Church, grow spiritually, discover their shape for ministry, and understand their life mission in the wortd 7) Dream of your local church as a model of Christian education that focuses on life change, not Just comprehension. Your intention must be to make available resources, tools and training to many other local churches. 8) Dream of working closely with your district and conference Board on Discipleship and Connectional Ministries to establish a local church based training program for Sunday school teachers, local preachers, lay speakers and church leaders. 9) Oream of engagement of disciples in-small-groups-and the number of ministries for children, youth and young adults. 10) Dream of a vital congregation that focuses on. increasing the effectiveness of lay leaders (understand their role and carrying these roles out effectively) 11) Dream of a vital congregation which has inviting and inspiring worship; engaged disciples in mission and outreach; gifted, equipped and empowered lay leadership; effective, equipped and inspired clergy leadership, small groups and strong children’s programs, youth and young adult ministries, and family ministries. 20.14 TURNING MEMBERS INTO MINISTERS: Our local churches are filled with members who are doing nothing with their faith. Most of the members referred to as active members are those who attend services regularly, ‘those whose financial obligations are up to date. Not much is expected. But God has far much greater expectations for every Christian. God expects every Christian to use his/her gifts and talents in ministry. At your local church there is massive talent, resources, creativity and energy lying dormant, which need to be unleashed,2 3) 66 The greatest need in our church is the release of members for ministry. It is sad to note that the majority of our members have no interest in serving in any church ministry. No matter how much a local church promotes involvement in tay ministry, half of the members will rernain spectators The task of Connectional Ministries is to equip, empower and release our members for ministry. This we can do by teaching every member, biblical basis for ministry. In Matthew 28;18-20, Jesus gave us the Great Commission, “... Therefore, go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you, And surely !am with you always, to the very end of the age.” To fulfil this Great Commission we need to use our different gifts. People need to know why they should go and make disciples and how they should do that. ‘The members should then be taught on the importance of every Christian having a ministry. this should be taught in Sunday school, section meetings, home Bible studies, sermons, seminars, ‘and any other way the message can be made audible. Roman 12:1-8, especially verses 6-8, “We have different gifts, according to the grace given us. if « man’s gift is prophesying, let him use it in proportion to his faith. if it is serving, let him serve; it it teaching, fet him teach; if itis encouraging, let him encourage; if it is contributing to the needs of others, let him give generously; if it is leadership, let him govern diligently; it is showing mercy, fet him do it cheerfully.” This text provides the four pillars of lay ministry that: Every believer is a minister. Every believer is not a pastor, but every believer is called into ‘ministry. Teach that every Christian is created for ministry. Ephesians 2:10 “For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.”) God called all Christians to minister to the world and the Church, So, service in the body is not optional for Christians. To be a Christian is to be like Jesus Christ. Jesus said, “For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” (Mark 10:45). Service and giving are the defining characteristics of the Christ-like lifestyle expected of every believer, The scriptures clearly. tells us that we are saved for ministry (2 Timothy 1:19), called into ministry (1 Peter 2:9-10}, gifted for ministry (1 Peter 4:10}, authorized for ministry (Matthew 28;18-20), commanded to minister (Matthew 20:26-28), to be prepared for ministry (Ephesians 4:14-42), needed. for ministry. (2. Corinthians 12:27), accountable for ministry and will be rewarded according to his ministry (Colossians 3;23-24) Every ministry is important. tn the body of Christ every ministry is important, like every part of your body is important (1 Corinthians 12:18-22). Some ministries are visible and some are behind the scenes, but all are equally valuable. Smal ministries often make greatest difference. We are dependent on each other. Not only is every ministry important, every ministry is also intertwined with all others. No ministry Is independent of the others. Since no single ministry ‘can accomplish all church is called to do, we must depend on and cooperate with each other. in a connected church we must work together. Our culture of independence must be replaced with the biblical concept of interdependence and mutuality; 4 20.15 67 Ministry fs the expression of my SHAPE. Shape is an acronym developed by Rick Warren, to explain five elements (spiritual gifts, heart, abilities, personality and experiences) that determine what a person’s ministry should be. When God created animais he gave them different shapes and each animal has @ particular role to play based on the way they were shaped by God. the same is true with humans. Each of us was uniquely designed, or shaped, by God to do certain things. Wise stewardship of your life begins by understanding your shape. God has been molding and shaping you for ministry since you were born. ( Psalm 139:13-16. §- Spiritual Gifts, Scriptures clearly state that God glves each believer certain spiritual gifts to be used in ministry (1. Corinthians 12; Romans 8; Ephesians 4) H = Heart. The Bible uses the term heart to represent the center of your motivation, desires, interests and inclinations, Your heart determines why you say the things you do (Matthew 34). Why you feel the way you do (Psalm 37:4), and why you act the way you act (Proverbs A Abilities, Are the natural talents that you were born with. Some people have a natural ability with words: they come out of the womb talking. Others have the natural athletic abilities. They excel in the physical coordination. Exodus 31:3, gives an example of how God gives people “skills, ability and knowledge in all kinds of crafts” in order to accomplish His purposes. P— Personality. The Bible gives us proof that Ged uses all types of personalities. Jesus chose disciples with different personalities. This is the reason why at times they sometimes had interpersonal conflict. There is no ‘right’ or ‘wrong’ ternperament for ministry, We need all kinds of personalities to balance the church and give it flavor. Your personality affects how and where you use your spiritual gifts and abilities. When you minister with the personality God gave you, you will experience fulfillment, satisfaction and fruitfulness. It feels good when you do exactly what God made you to do, £- Experiences, God never waste an experience. Roman 8:28 reminds us, “We know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.” There are five areas of experience that influence the kind of ministry you are best shaped for: a, Educational experiences: (your favorite subjects in school) b. Vocational experiences: (what jobs have you enjoined and achieved results while doing?) ¢. Spiritual experiences : what have been the meaningful decisive moment with God in your life? d. Ministry experiences: How have you served God in the past? And fe. Painful experience: What are the problems, hurts, and trials that you have learned from? Teach your members that they will be effective ministers or disciples when they use their spiritual gifts and abilities in the area of their hearts’ desire in ways that best expresses their different personalities and experiences. Fruitfulness is the result of a good ministry fit. ‘Steps in Building Your Local Church Ministry Step number one:- Teach your members the biblical basis of ministry.