Spiritual parenting requires deliberate, intentional implementation in a local church. Some call “spiritual parenting” having spiritual fathers, mentoring or discipling. Paul said it this way: “For though you might have ten thousand instructors in Christ, yet you do not have many fathers; for in Christ Jesus I have begotten you through the gospel. Therefore I urge you, imitate me” (1 Cor. 4:15-16, NKJV, emphasis added).

Too many are seeking to be elders, deacons, presbyters or bishops before they first bear the fruit of spiritual offspring. Church offices are empty positions unless they are occupied by experienced, mature, spiritual parents in Christ.

Spiritual parents are fathers and mothers to less mature believers who are growing in the Lord. Like natural parenting, spiritual parenting requires a devoted, committed measure of time and attention, which in the 21st-century church might embody the following traits:

1. A focus on relationship beyond rules. Law is important, but rules that stifle relationships reduce churches to being legalistic organizations instead of living organisms. Paul writes, “For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision avails anything, but faith working through love” (Gal. 5:6).

2. A relationship built on friendship, not simply formality. Discipleship and mentoring have too often been stiff and formalized. Friendship involves more than just relating in groups, cells, classes and services. Christian parenting in friendship includes mentoring marriages, holding parent “sharing” times for learning and accountability and working together in the community and workplace (see John 15:15).

3. A friendship producing fruit, not just good feelings. We often spend too much time trying to please people instead of equipping, maturing and raising up children in the faith to become mature parents of the faith (see John 15:5).

Recently, a close friend in the Lord many years younger than me taught me a valuable lesson in marketplace ethics. How thankful I was that he took the time to be a spiritual parent to me. His insight, counsel, discernment and confrontation helped me mature another step in spiritual growth. In truth, his Spirit-led guidance parented me.

The goal of Christian parenting is equipping the saints (see Eph. 4:12). Equipping requires time, accountability, honesty, purity, integrity, transparency and intimacy. If the hearts of spiritual parents are turned to the spiritual children in our churches, then their hearts will turn toward loving the Father and others. Larry Keefauver serves as a teaching pastor at The Gathering Place Worship Center in Lake Mary, Florida, and has recently authored, Lord, I Wish My Teenager Would Talk With Me (Creation House).

Source: Ministry Today (By Larry Keefauver)

When my children were growing up, their lack of judgment often disappointed me. I would have to tell them repeatedly that they are to serve others with joy. I taught them that tithing is a privilege. And I showed them that intimacy with God is cultivated by hours spent in prayer and bible study.

When they made mistakes I would remind them of their privileged upbringing in a Christian home. It was a home where their parents truly were committed to the Lord and each other. I was quick to tell them that their father and I had prayed for them since before they were conceived and every day after throughout their lives.

We faithfully took them to church, Vacation Bible School, we home educated, and ended each day in family devotions. So, I would ask myself, why aren’t they more godly, less selfish, and much wiser? Why don’t they have a passion for God, like I do?

It was in my quiet times with the Lord that the answer came:

The issue is not about my doing it “right.”
The issue is the heart, which is always a work of God’s grace.

Growing in grace and in Christ is a process that takes time. Our impatience with our children’s spiritual growth shows our own immaturity and lack of dependence on God.

In studying the Word of God, my own soul was freed from the disappointment that I felt in childrearing. The Lord had shown me my own heart as I pointed out my children’s faults. We love to receive grace, yet we are often stingy in giving grace to others.

Once I pulled the log out of my own eye, I was then free to wait on God to finish the work He had begun. After all, He’s the only one who can complete the work in my children’s lives. Oh, I was still doing all the good things I had done before, but now the burden was lifted off my shoulders and placed at the feet of Christ. It truly is amazing grace!!!!!! Unless the Lord builds the house, they labor in vain who build it. (Ps 127:1)

Source: WisdomsEdge.com

One way to become a witness is to take a more proactive stance in helping people. Several years ago I was sitting in my Strategy Coordinator training for the International Mission Board. I don’t recall who was speaking or if they actually said the line, but I wrote down in my notes “If you can help people succeed, they will be more open to you.”

Since that time I have tried to learn as much as I can about the needs of the community I serve, in order to identify ways I can help others succeed. In fact my entire marketing strategy is based on the idea of identifying needs before you start developing outreach. Get to know the people. Learn their needs. Link your message to a solution to their needs.

Knowing your audiences and their needs also helps you complete the marketing circle: Match the media to the people. Share the good news with a written marketing plan. Close the loop with follow-up, get feedback, and evaluate your outreach. I could talk about this for hours.

Is there anyone you know you can help succeed?

A Christian should never help someone succeed at something that is wrong (Phil. 4:8). But anything that is wholesome and good for people; anything that would help them, is something a Christian can help others accomplish. This leaves the door open for all kinds of great service. When you serve others they become more open to you. The contact you have with them is positive and as you help them, you develop a relationship that naturally leads to openings for sharing the gospel.

So how can you help someone who is in need? It doesn’t always have to be people who are down-and-out. There are people who need all kinds of help. Where can you lend a hand? Go back to your prayer list of people who need to know about Jesus, is there any way you can be a help to them?

Please no more “relevant ministry” that is irrelevant to the community!

I have been in several situations where the cool pastor of a church plant told me, “Our church is for the radically unchurched” only later to interview their members (who transfered in mostly from other less-cool churches in the area) in a focus group who told me, “I don’t really know any non-Christians”.

Sometimes pastors tell themselves their church is more outreach oriented that it actually is. I think this phenomenon comes from the tendencies of some pastors to read mostly books about reaching the “radically” unchurched, but to spend little time actually engaging in outreach to them.

I am tired of seeing “relevant ministry” that is irrelevant to the community. Relevance has nothing to do with the style of your hair, the type of sound system your church has, or what edgy conferences you attend each year!

Pastor, please lead your church members to get outside the walls of their church building and into their community. Instead of beefing up your building with a new coffee shop nook, or getting that “knock-your-socks-off” image magnification system, spend money on outreach!

Infiltrate with the gospel!

Get involved in your community! If your church becomes a servant of the community, you will also find many open doors for evangelistic outreach. Create opportunities for your church members to start relationships with people who don’t know Jesus.

Your church doesn’t always have to start the ministries that are needed. In fact, if you can, don’t start a ministry in your community if a “secular” version already exists—join the existing organization. Infiltrate with the gospel!

* For example, your church could provide volunteers for the local food pantry. Just by working side-by-side with people who don’t know Jesus, relational evangelism “little opportunities” will abound! As your members work with the other people who also volunteer, they may meet a person who needs Jesus. Besides all the people you can reach who use the services of the pantry!

* Instead of building a gym only members of your church would take advantage of. Use the money to pay for your members to get involved in the local gyms in your community as missionaries. They will be able to share their faith with people they meet there. Also, your members will be healthier and more active in other ways in your church.

* One church wanted to start a motor cycle club in a community where there were very active motor cycle clubs. Rather than starting a Christian biker’s club, members of the church joined the clubs that already existed. They developed a prayer and encouragement support group for Christians who joined the clubs.

* By not starting their own club, the church would not siphon all the Christians out of the existing clubs — but instead, they could be “salt and light” in among the total community of bikers. The church members have more evangelistic opportunity and credibility with bikers when they are members of the standard clubs everyone has heard of. Now that is thinking strategically!

When you do join other groups be sure to set an example through hard work and commitment. Don’t be a half-hearted member, you won’t have the credibility and influence that leads to evangelistic opportunity.

If you crossover take the cross over!

Also, don’t forget the gospel! When your church takes an active stance in getting involved in the community, you need to make sure all your efforts are not just doing good—you need to tell people about the good news!

Some have become enamored so much with social work and have taken on working side-by-side with nonbelieving social progressives that they have lost their zeal to be a witness for Jesus Christ. You need to keep your agenda of proclaiming the gospel. As Paul says, “I make myself a slave to everyone, to win as many as possible.”

Become a servant, help others succeed!

Source: Chris Forbes, Founder, Ministry Marketing Coach

Even people who reject riches, such as Mother Teresa, want success. She wanted success in helping people. She forsook riches, but she still wanted success.

Unfortunately, too many Christians have a skewed view of success. It’s almost like we’re afraid of it. That’s because we typically think of success in terms of finances. And we know that the “love of money is the root of all kinds of evil.” Fearing that evil, we’d rather run away from success than embrace it.

Last week, we discussed the real standard for success — righteousness. You can fail in everything you do in this life and still be a success in God’s eyes. The best part about this standard for success is that there’s nothing to fear (except God). You can embrace it wholeheartedly, without reservation. You can pursue it without hesitation.

The problem is we like to measure success by earthly measurements. That’s why numbers are so important for churches. If we get enough people to pray a prayer, join the church, get baptized, or go on the mission field, we think we’ve succeeded.

However, when we try to measure our righteousness this way, we set our sights on the wrong goal. And that sets us up for failure … in God’s eyes.

You see, we can have very noble goals in life, even reach them, and still fail. When we have any standard for success other than righteousness, we set ourselves up for compromise. And we’re all susceptible, even pastors.

I know the pastor of a very large church who knows he’s compromised his teaching. But he won’t admit it publicly because he has a huge debt to pay off on his church building. On the outside, he looks like an enormous success. But he’s failing by the “righteousness standard.”

So how can you know if you’re successful in God’s eyes? Just answer two questions:
“Am I willing to sin in order to get what I want?”
“Do I respond sinfully when I don’t get what I want?”

Those two questions cover the two areas where we always fail. We either fail by sinning to reach our goals. Or we fail when we respond in the flesh. If you really want to succeed for the long term (eternity), embrace righteousness. Answer these question honestly for every goal you establish and every decision you make to reach those goals.

Source: WisdomsEdge.com

“There’s a whole industry seeking to help clergy reach the unchurched, with seminars, books, videos, training centers, and consultants,” says Ron Sellers, president of the Ellison Research group. “However, many people don’t really have a basic notion even of just what it means to be ‘unchurched.’ There’s often an assumption that people either do attend worship services, or they don’t.”

According to the findings of the Phoenix-based research firm, people who attend worship service at least once a month or on a regular basis have been considered as “churched,” while those who don’t attend frequently enough have often been labeled “unchurched.”

“But what we find in this study,” says Sellers, “that up to one out of every five Americans is attending worship services at least occasionally during the year, even though they are not regularly involved. That has huge implications for local congregations who are trying to attract new people.”

The newly performed study by the Ellison Research Group, which was released on Monday, helps divide the American population into a more accurate picture of church attendance.

Their study concludes that those Americans many have labeled as “unchurched” do in fact visit attend church or worship services occasionally, just not regularly. Only 60 percent of those labeled as “unchurched” do not attend worship services at all, according to the Ellison study.

Overall, 29 percent of Americans do not attend a church or worship service at all.

The study linked worship attendance to a number of factors, such as family history of attendance and parental religious involvement. Also, for those parents who have committed to attend worship services occasionally, there is a 62 percent chance that their children are now regularly attending services as an adult.

The odds for children to regularly attend worship services dramatically decrease to 21 percent if they never attended prior to turning 18.

With these new survey results, Sellers wonders if churches are really paying attention to newcomers.

“We estimate that up to 43 million adults who do not regularly attend worship services will visit a church or place of worship at some point during the year, to say nothing of children and teens who visit with their family or on their own,” Sellers said. “Are those congregations and clergy members ready for them?”

Source: Streaming faith 

TopVerses.com ranked every Bible verse by popularity and published the results on its website, which launched this month. Instead of starting in Genesis, the ranked search shows popular verses first. It found that 87 of the top 100 verses are from the New Testament.“Putting the most popular verses first makes the Bible much more accessible. (more…)