Join the discussions below, or start a new post about church ministry.
It's too late to share ideas for Advent but as my Christmas gift to anyone who will take it (and in hopes of getting some fresh ideas back in the process) here are a few Lenten series I've done in the past.
I was reading through my Christian Reformed Church Order Commentary and ran across something in the section on membership transfers.
The schedule for Synod 2013 tells us that the Diakonia Remixed report will be discussed on Wednesday evening. Synod will be discussing, among other things, the role of deacons in the broader assemblies of the church.
Mission isn't optional — it's the proper lens through which to see stewardship. The annual budget is the most missional document in the church. How can we clearly communicate that to the people that we serve?
Deacons are ordained as leaders — first and foremost as spiritual leaders. That means that their task is not first and foremost about developing better techniques, but first and foremost about seeking to develop transformed souls — within themselves and within those whom they serve.
The Chalmers Center for Economic Development at Covenant College has as its stated purpose to "Help the Church Help the Poor Help Themselves". As well as several options for those outside the US, it also offers two web-based training modules which are available either in a distance learning format or a self-study format.
Within our history there is a countering truth, that membership is the responsibility of the individual, and they should be encouraged to take an active role in the process. What do you think? Are our current practices adequate?
The elders rule and the deacons serve. Do you think it is biblical? Can we make such a neat distinction between ruling and serving?
Just a heads up on some very well thought out community assessment materials, designed both for established churches and also for new church plants.
Is financial administration the best "big picture" through which to understand what this office is all about? An idea from John Calvin can be really helpful here.
Looking at the "deacon chapter" of Acts 6 is interesting, in that I find it to be a place where my cultural assumptions about the diaconate can easily smother what the chapter actually says.