Christian Stronghold Baptist Church: Mobilizing Keanggotaan untuk Kementerian

Christian Stronghold Baptist Church: Mobilizing Keanggotaan untuk Kementerian

Bagaimana Christian Stronghold Baptist Church menahan janjinya ke holistis kementerian? Tiga faktor pokok: tekanan atas tanggung jawab setiap anggota gereja untuk memenuhi Firman luar biasa dan Komisi luar biasa, latihan seksama untuk melakukan panggilan itu, dan fokus kuat di alkitabiah discipleship.

Evangelism, discipleship, dan sosial kementerian dihubungkan di dugaan yang sebagai anggota tumbuh secara spiritual, mereka akan melayani keluar himpunan. "We melayani church," memperkokoh koordinator Kementerian Anggota Baru. "We di sini untuk melayani, tidak hanya untuk mendapat saved." lewat kelas anggota baru, khotbah, Minggu Sekolah, dan kelompok-kelompok kecil, Christian Stronghold menelpon orang yang percaya untuk mengambil bagian di kementerian ke badan Kristus dan ke masyarakat. Satu orang wanita menggambarkan apa yang menyebabkannya menjadi seorang anggota gereja: "When anda masuk di sana, ke anda menemui Kristus. Ketika anda berjalan keluar, anda diperlengkapi ke serve."

Anggota diperlengkapi lewat latihan teliti dan setepat-tepatnya. Sewaktu seorang pemimpin kementerian menerangkan, latihan esensial karena "most orang tidak menghubungkan gereja karena menteri, mereka menghubungkan gereja karena people." tahunan "Concentrated Weekend" menawarkan latihan intensif dan jendela untuk meloncat ke dalam evangelistic outreach. Banyak anggota menindaklanjuti dengan evangelism jalan dari Institut Alkitab Gereja Kubu Kristen. Pemimpin kementerian mengalami latihan ekstra di evangelism, discipleship, dan ketrampilan pimpinan. Evangelism juga ditegangkan tepat sejak semula di kelas Anggota Baru. Rev Richardson mengatakan, "Nothing membandingkan kegembiraan muallaf baru yang secara antusias mengalami kegembiraan Tuhan dan saling berbagi kepercayaan mereka dengan lain people!"

The Church Bible Institute evangelism course blends classroom learning, hands-on involvement, and personal spiritual growth. One member signed up for the course to learn to share her faith with her family. To meet a class requirement, she became a trainee in the Block Evangelism ministry, in which volunteers share the gospel door-to-door in a chosen neighborhood. As a trainee she was given the role of prayer partner, working alongside another church member who had already completed the training. She was grateful just to be able to watch and pray at first! As she practiced her skills and slowly overcame her fears, she also saw first-hand how the program nurtures volunteers' spiritual and personal growth. The ministry gave her transportation to the evangelism site when necessary, and served a light breakfast. Volunteers shared a Bible study and prayed for one another before, during, and after the ministry. This member appreciated that the group took time to debrief after each evangelism excursion, discussing the difficulties and joys they encountered, or any other aspect of their lives. She formed friendships with the other trainees and volunteers. Gradually she lost the feeling of entering new and hostile territory. Instead, her focus shifted to the benefits of the ministry to herself, to the church, and to the recipients. After completing the class she decided to continue participating in the Block Evangelism ministry.

The goal of evangelism, Rev. Richardson teaches, is active discipleship. Christian Stronghold stresses the necessity of living in accordance with biblical teachings in order to participate in God's design for a wholesome life. The Community Action Council coordinator describes coming to a new understanding of salvation after attending Christian Stronghold: "I called myself a Christian, but I wasn't saved. There's a complete difference in being saved . . . not just going to church on Sunday but living your life as a Christian every day." Most altar calls in the church include an invitation to rededication for people whose faith in Christ or church membership have lapsed. Those who make a profession of faith are given Christian literature, matched with a mature "spiritual sister or brother" from the congregation, and channeled into an extensive discipleship process.

This emphasis on personal spiritual growth fuels members' commitment to holistic ministry. Bible study and prayer are cornerstones for the church's outreach. Believing that prayer is a powerful influencer of people and events, many ministry activities-even routine staff meetings-incorporate intercessory prayer. Volunteers gain confidence by drawing on a power source beyond themselves, as one of the counselors testified:

I don't have to walk away [from a counseling session] thinking, "Did I say the right thing?" . . . No, I know I gave them the Word, and I know that the Word is not going to go out void. . . . I'm not so wrapped up in my own skills and my own ability to counsel. I'm more wrapped in the power of the Word and how the Holy Spirit will be used in the life of that person.

With this combination of consistent calling, training, and discipling for ministry, Christian Stronghold has had stunning success in engaging members in holistic outreach. About half of the congregation is involved in a church outreach ministry. But members go beyond involvement in programs to make sharing the Good News a way of life. According to our member survey, 90% of respondents said they often or sometimes talked about their Christian beliefs or testimony with non-Christians in the last year, and 70% invited people to church. And 82% of respondents said they helped lead someone to Christ!

Christian Stronghold members are equally committed to demonstrating God's love with caring actions in their daily lives: 95% of respondents reported providing someone in need with food, clothing, or money in the last year, 83% helped someone find a job, and 82% took care of someone who was sick or handicapped. In word and deed, members demonstrate their personal commitment to the church's holistic ministry vision.

[Adapted from Churches That Make a Difference, chapter 5].