A Missional
Church in
3 Phases
EQUIPPING
A Magazine For Oklahoma’s Pastors, Staff & Lay Leadership
The Vision
Decision
1
How are you
really doing?
25
CHURCH
& FAMILY
¿Habla Español? Paginas 5
Missional Ministy
Evaluation
23
AUGUST 2007
Implementing an Acts 1:8
Worship Ministry
9
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Featuring articles
by Ed Stetzer
Back to top
and D. Scott Phillips
VISION
IMPLEMENTATION
EVALUATION
ii
Equipping The Church & Family / August 2007
E
Q
U
I
P
P
3800 North May Avenue, Oklahoma City, OK 73112
Phone 405.942.3800 • Fax 405.942.6859
www.bgco.org
EQUIPPING
CHURCH
& FAMILY
A Magazine For Oklahoma’s
Pastors, Staff & Lay Leadership
August 2007 / Volume 6 / Number 2
CONTRIBUTING WRITERS
D. D. Scott Phillips, Ramón Alemán, Sheri Babb, Randy Davis, Andy
Harrison, Keith Haygood, Bob Mayfield, Brett Selby and Ed Stetzer
CHURCH & FAMILY EQUIPPING MINISTRIES
D. D. Scott Phillips, CAFE Team Leader, Ext. 4654,
E-mail: sphillips@bgco.org
Jodi Gonzales, Administrative Assistant, Ext. 4668,
E-mail: jgonzales@bgco.org
SUNDAY SCHOOL/ADULT DISCIPLESHIP MINISTRIES
Bob Mayfield, Sunday School and Adult Discipleship Specialist,
Ext. 4661, E-mail: bmayfield@bgco.org
Canaan Sanders, Sunday School and Adult Discipleship Ministry
Assistant, Ext. 4656, E-mail: csanders@bgco.org
FAMILY AND MEN’S MINISTRIES
Katie Null, Student Education/Family and Men’s Ministry Assistant,
Ext. 4645, E-mail: knull@bgco.org
LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT
Brett Selby, Leadership Development Specialist,
Ext. 4400, E-mail: bselby@bgco.org
Lori Warren, Leadership Development Associate, Ext. 4401,
E-mail: lwarren@bgco.org
Brenda Jaye, Demographics Assistant, Ext. 4410,
E-mail: bjaye@bgco.org
PRESCHOOL MINISTRIES
Sheri Babb, Preschool Ministry Specialist, Ext. 4642,
E-mail: sbabb@bgco.org
Marcia Clifton, Preschool and Children’s Ministry Assistant,
Ext. 4648, E-mail: mclifton@bgco.org
CHILDREN’S MINISTRIES
Mark Jones, Children’s Ministry Specialist, Ext. 4633,
E-mail: mjones@bgco.org
Marcia Clifton, Preschool and Children’s Ministry Assistant,
Ext. 4648, E-mail: mclifton@bgco.org
ROBERT HASKINS SCHOOL OF LEADERSHIP
Ramón Alemán, Director, Ext. 4667,
E-mail: raleman@bgco.org
Grecia Obregón, part-time Ministry Assistant,
Ext. 4667, E-mail: gobregon@bgco.org
SENIOR ADULT MINISTRIES
Greg McNeece, Consultant, E-mail: gmcneece@bgco.org
SINGLE ADULT MINISTRIES
Randy Davis, Consultant, E-mail: rdavis@bgco.org
STUDENT EDUCATION MINISTRIES
Andy Harrison, Student Ministry and Education Specialist
Ext. 4643, E-mail: aharrison@bgco.org
Katie Null, Student Education/Family and Men’s Ministry Assistant,
Ext. 4645, E-mail: knull@bgco.org
WORSHIP AND MUSIC MINISTRIES
Keith Haygood, Worship and Music Ministry Specialist
Ext. 4647, E-mail: khaygood@bgco.org
Jana VanderTook, Worship and Music Ministry Assistant
Ext. 4644, E-mail: jvandertook@bgco.org
CONTENTS
1
The Vision Decision: Key Elements
to a Missional Vision
4
Dreams with Open Eyes
God has a missional plan for missions in your life.
7
Implementation: The Proving
Ground of Vision
Ideas to help your church become more effective
in executing your church’s strategy.
9
Implementing an Acts 1:8
Worship Ministry
Are you discovering new and
fresh ways to worship Him?
10
Painting the Target: What does
Success look like?
14
Impacting Preschoolers for Christ
Taking the message of Christ to preschoolers
and their parents.
19
Fall in Love with the Kids
Is it possible to do children’s ministry
and miss the kids?
21
Watch the Game Films
Is evaluation one of your operational values?
23
Evaluating the “Missional” Quality
of your Ministry
Steps to evaluating your ministry goals and
determining success.
24
What’s the Bottom Line?
How are you at evaluating your ministry?
25
How Are You Really Doing?
Churches that refuse to evaluate are choosing to
minister in mediocrity.
26
Help make us better!
Participate in our on-line evaluation.
26
Shelf Life:
What we are reading to stay connected
28
Upcoming Events
The Church & Family Equipping Team is supported by your
generous gifts through the Cooperative Program.
VISION
IMPLEMENTATION
EVALUATION
A Magazine For Oklahoma’s Pastors, Staff & Lay Leadership
1
VISION
The Vision Decision:
Key Elements
to a Missional Vision
Most likely you’ve been there.
Staring at the screen, looking at
“Document1”. You haven’t even
saved it under a title yet because
there is nothing to save. Where
do you start? Stacks of books and
magazines surround you, just to
get you going… just a nudge of
an idea… a spark… is all you
need and you’ll be on your way.
It’s pretty tough to sit down with
a blank sheet of paper and create
anything from scratch. Since only
God can create something from
nothing, where do leaders begin
when developing a missional vision
for the church?
The best starting place is to see
God, ourselves, and the world in
the way God sees them. Therefore,
the starting place for vision is very
basic. As a minimum, there are
three things we must understand
if we hope to gain a redemptive
vision, which in essence is what a
missional vision is all about. The
key elements of missional vision can
be described this way:
Understanding who
God is –
a missionary
God whose work is
in the world.
Effective leaders understand that
the church is the product of God’s
transforming work in men and
women. It is simply the sum total
of a group of changed lives, their
stories, and the gifts and calling He
has placed on those lives. God leads
His church to accomplish the task
of reaching the world. But many
churches have forgotten that the real
task is to be ‘out there’ in the world.
Therefore it is essential to understand
the missionary nature of God and that
He has called us to take the Gospel to
the world.
God did not command us to create
sanctified spaces that the world would
come to on their own initiative.
The words “mission” and
“missile” are close cousins,
sharing a common root with the
idea of being sent. We cannot
possibly read the Gospels without
seeing the profound “sent-ness” of
Jesus. In the Gospel of John, He
calls himself “sent” 40 times.
He lived sent! Day in and day
out Jesus was intermingling with
people of all cultural classes, many
of them of the lower order. At the
heart of what is commonly known
as the High Priestly Prayer of Jesus,
we hear Him pray, “As you sent me
into the world, I am sending them
INTO THE WORLD”
(John 17:18).
At the core of this is
understanding that God is
missional himself. Jesus was the
embodiment of missional, and
as the church began to form, it
was missional by immersing itself
within cultures and people groups
throughout the known land. Jesus
commanded us to pray for workers
in the fields, not workers
for the barns.
If you know even the least bit
about farmers you know that
they spend very little time in the
barns, this is in stark contrast to
most church work that happens
today. Most of it is spent in the
barns and silos. We must grasp the
foundational fact that God is in the
fields, He is in the world and that is
where He wants His church.
Continued on page 2
By D. Scott Phillips, CAFE Team Leader
and Ed Stetzer, Director of Research and Missiologist in Residence, LifeWay
2
Equipping The Church & Family / August 2007
VISION
Understanding who
we are – created in
His image
to make Him visible
to a lost world.
Before the days of borders and
visible boundaries it was difficult
for travelers to know when they
were leaving one kingdom and
entering another. Kings would
solve this problem by having
their ‘image’ or a symbol of their
kingdom placed in strategic
locations. These images would
identify where one ruler’s influence
ended and another began.
The Bible tells us that God has
created us in His image. In modern
society where virtual worlds have
unclear boundaries, the people
of God must realize that they are
called to be the image of the King.
This strikes at the very core of
Jesus’ proclamation that we are to
be the “light of the world,”
“a city set on a hill.” He was talking
about us as people, not buildings
and monuments. The challenge
for leaders lies in helping believers
grasp their calling and the way in
which they can make an impact
in their world. The promise to
Abraham was that he would be the
father of the nation of people that
would change the world and give
glory to God’s name.
I will bless you…and you
will be a blessing… and
in you all the families of
the earth will be blessed.
Genesis 12:2,3
We, as God’s people, are not
to draw our identity from ethnic
nor patriotic sources, but as a
Holy Nation of ambassadors, sent
to serve people in redemptive
relationships as a result of God’s
redemptive purpose and call on our
lives.
Over 40 years ago Martin Luther
King wrote from the Birmingham
jail, “If the church of today does
not recapture the sacrificial spirit
of the early church, it will lose its
authentic ring, forfeit the loyalty
of millions, and be dismissed as
an irrelevant social club with no
meaning for the twentieth century.”
These words could not have
possibly been more prophetically
accurate. In most cases, today’s
church has lost its very notion of
being sent into the world.
It is ironic that now God is
using rock stars, such as Bono,
to challenge the church to get on
mission, into the world—the place
God has sent us long before a guy
with cool glasses had to tell us.
Understanding
where He has placed
us – understanding
cultural context and how to
engage the world where
we are.
The final aspect of a missional
vision is to understand the most
effective means of connecting
with our culture. We must seek
to understand before we will be
understood. This is the greatest
challenge because we are called to
be ‘in,’ but not ‘of’ the world.
A Magazine For Oklahoma’s Pastors, Staff & Lay Leadership
3
VISION
We must build relationship
bridges into our com-
munities. By doing this we
can demonstrate that we
care about the people of our
community because they
have a loving God who cares
about them.
Jesus prayed that the Father
would not take His disciples out
of the world (we’ve done that on
our own), but that they would be
protected from the power of the evil
that is in the world (John 17:15).
Many of us struggle to imagine
how we can reach people who are
entrenched in the ways and means
of worldly living. The way Jesus did
it was through relationship.
Jesus’ encounter with the
Samaritan women at the well is a
101 Class on missional engagement
with someone who is living in the
depths of an ungodly lifestyle.
Reading the Apostle John’s account
of the story (John 4) we can
see that Jesus accepted her fully
without approving of her lifestyle.
It was this drawing close to her,
demonstrating to her that He was
not afraid of losing His reputation
nor afraid that her “uncleanness”
would get on Him, that began to
open her heart.
The very same thing happened as
Jesus encountered Zaccheus. Again,
here is a person that is despised and
counted as a crook—a modern day
Mafia goon.
To go to this man’s home,
much less to break bread with
him, was scandalous at best. Jesus
was confident that the God in
Him was greater than the evil in
those He was sent to. This is the
understanding and confidence we
must grasp to truly be the missional
people God has created us to be.
The same Jesus that drank
from the Samaritan women’s
cup and ate at Zaccheus’ table
is the same Jesus living in us.
Jesus simply sought a relationship
with him and that single act of
unconditional acceptance initiated
a deep brokenness in a previously
hardened heart. Jesus preached and
demonstrated that love for God and
love for our neighbors fulfills what
God expects of us.
By engaging with others
in understanding these
three things, you will find
that making the vision
decision is not difficult.
The key is to begin to
see God, ourselves, and
the world in the way that
God sees them.
4
Por Ramón Alemán
¿Cuál es la visión misionera de
Dios para su vida? La visión de
Dios es el regalo que el Señor nos
da para visualizar una imagen
mental de una realidad antes de que
se materialice. Como en Hebreos
11:1, “Es pues la fe la sustancia
de las cosas que se esperan, la
demostración de las cosas que no se
ven” (RV, 1865).
Ejecutivos de Walt Disney
estaban sentados alrededor de una
mesa poco después de su muerte.
“Es una pena”, dijo uno de los
ejecutivos, “que Walt nunca viera
Disney World”. “Oh, pero él lo
vio”, respondió el otro ejecutivo.
“Por eso está el parque a punto de
terminarse”.
¿Cuál es el sueño de mi vida? ¿Por
qué cosa estoy dispuesto a morir?
¿Cuál es mi pasión? ¿Qué me hace
llorar o golpear con fuerza sobre
la mesa? ¿Cuál es mi principal
fortaleza? Al final de mi vida, que
espero ver al mirar hacia atrás y
decir: “Esto es lo que he realizado
con mi vida a favor de Cristo” ¿Qué
espero que se lea en mi epitafio? Si
yo tuviera recursos ilimitados de
tiempo, gente y dinero y además
una garantía divina de éxito: ¿Qué
haría con el resto de mi vida? ¿Ha
pensado usted sobre misiones
recientemente?
Me encanta la descripción bíblica
del llamado de Jeremías porque
nos ofrece ver el propósito eterno
de Dios para cada uno de nosotros.
“Antes que te formase en el vientre,
te conocí; y antes que salieses de la
matriz, te santifiqué: a las naciones
te di por profeta” (Jeremías 1:5, RV,
1865). Dios tiene un plan misionero
para usted de la misma manera.
Nuestra tarea es discernir el plan.
¿Cuál es la visión de Dios
para su vida?
Veamos algunas preguntas que
usted puede hacerse mientras trata
de discernir la visión de Dios:
SOÑANDO CON LOS OJOS ABIERTOS
Preparing Ethnic Baptists in Oklahoma
Leaders at VBS Training
Rosario Luna giving instruction at VBS Training
Leaders at VBS Training
• Contact us at: raleman@bgco.org or call (405) 942.3800 x4667
Equipping The Church & Family / August 2007
VISION
VISION
What is God’s missional vision
for your life? His vision is the gift
that He gives us to visualize a
mental picture of reality before it
materializes, as in Hebrews 11:1,
“Now faith is the substance of
things hoped for, the evidence of
things not seen.”
Executives of Walt Disney were
sitting around visiting shortly after
the death of Walt Disney. “It is a
shame,” said one of the executives,
“that Walt will never be able to see
Disney World.” “Oh, but he did,”
replied the other executive. “That is
why it is about to be completed.”
I love the description of
Jeremiah’s call to ministry because
it provides insight into God’s
eternal purpose for each of us.
“Before I formed thee in the belly I
knew thee; and before thou camest
forth out of the womb I sanctified
thee, and I ordained thee a prophet
unto the nations.” (Jeremiah 1:5)
God has a missional plan for
missions in your life as well. Our
role is to understand God’s plan.
What is His vision for your life?
Some of the questions that you
can ask yourself while discerning
God´s vision are the following:
What is my life’s dream? What
is my passion? What makes me
weep? What is it that I am truly
willing to die for? What is my
single greatest strength? At the end
of my life, what do I hope to be
able to look back and say: “This is
what I accomplished with my life
for Christ.” What do I want my
epitaph to say? If I were to have
unlimited resources of time, people
and money, plus a divine guarantee
of success, what would I do with
the rest of my life? Have I thought
about missions lately?
By Ramón Alemán, Robert Haskins School of Leadership Director
A Magazine For Oklahoma’s Pastors, Staff & Lay Leadership
5
To order PowerUP materials: Contact BGCO Sunday School Office, 405.942.3800 or csanders@bgco.org
YOUR
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Implementing the PowerUP principles
s0OWEROF0RAYER
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PowerUP Your Life engages the church in the four
0OWER0RINCIPLES BUTEMPHASIZESTHE0OWEROF/NE
By following the PowerUP Your Life class
leadership model, your church will call new
leaders into ministry and missions.
ENCIENDA
SU ESCUELA DOMINICAL
A Magazine For Oklahoma’s Pastors, Staff & Lay Leadership
7
IMPLEMENTATION
Most churches have a desire to be
evangelistic, missional lighthouses
in their communities and they
usually have adopted some type
of strategy to help them impact
lostness. Sadly, the strategy is in
place but what is missing is the
implementation. In other words,
the execution of strategy is not
happening. Big visions need to be
translated into concrete actions.
When it comes right down to it,
implementation is the “proving out
of an idea” and to be honest, some
of us don’t like having our ideas put
to the test.
Here are five rock-solid ideas to
help your church become more
effective in executing your strategy.
Clearly define how you are
executing your church’s vision.
I have found that many churches
can not clearly explain exactly
how they are implementing their
church’s vision. Implementation of
vision is usually voiced in general
terminology, such as “We’re going
to reach our community by having
contemporary worship or an
evangelistic small group’s ministry.”
Although these are excellent
methods, implementation specifics
are lacking. How, for instance,
is anyone in the community
going to know what style of
worship you have, and exactly
how does that impact lostness?
Change your vocabulary.
Stop using the language of
inactivity. Words speak volumes
about our attitude. For example,
“I’ll try to get back to you on
that today” only promotes
procrastination and inactivity.
“I will get an answer for you
today” promotes action and
accountability, which are necessary
ingredients of implementation.
Implementation means that
leaders must lead, not preside,
over their responsibilities.
The difference between leading
and presiding can be summed up in
one word – involvement! Leading
means getting involved by asking
the right questions, holding other
leaders accountable, and listening
to the people in the church and
community. Leaders initiate action!
Involve the people responsible
for implementing vision in
fleshing out of the action plan.
Ownership of the process is
crucial to its success. Engaging
the doers will inspire them to
execute with more passion.
Reward what you want done.
People respond to what gets
rewarded. When someone in
your church does something
that specifically involves the
implementation of the church’s
vision, call attention to them and
reward their effort. There’s a reason
why most churches have many great
cooks and very few soulwinners—
the cooks get rewarded and the
soulwinners starve!
Dreaming is only the first step
in becoming missional: churches
act their way into being missional.
Implementation is action!
IMPLEMENTATION:
THE PROVING GROUND
OF VISION
By Bob Mayfield, Sunday School and Adult
Discipleship Specialist
A Magazine For Oklahoma’s Pastors, Staff & Lay Leadership
9
IMPLEMENTATION
Implementing an Acts 1:8
Worship Ministry
By Keith Haygood, Worship and Music Ministry Specialist
Tell me the story of Jesus,
Write on my heart every word.
Tell me the story most precious,
Sweetest that ever was heard.
How do we go about
implementing an Acts 1:8 worship
ministry? The God whom we serve
is the God of all time. He never
changes. However, the way in
which we deliver that story can and
should change. Throughout the
ages, God’s people have discovered
new and fresh ways to worship Him
and to be witnesses to the uttermost
parts of the earth (Acts 1:8b).
Begin by evaluating your
audience. What works in one
place may not necessarily work
in another. As you begin the
evaluation process, shape your
ministry around those things that
are relevant to your ministry. There
are many musical styles from which
to choose and many opinions on
which style is best. Finding ways to
help a diversified church connect
with Him in worship can be
challenging, but it’s worth it. Try
not to settle on one particular style
of music, but offer a variety. In the
process, ask yourself
these questions:
Is the text Christ-centered?
Will it enable Christians to
focus on God and His Word?
Does the music help or hinder
the delivery of the story?
Will it encourage people to
become Acts 1:8 Christians,
sharing their faith and compelling
the lost to faith in Christ?
Will it speak to the lost,
fostering a hunger to know more?
Oftentimes, the lost are drawn to
God as they see the church drawn
to Him. They want “what we have.”
While this is important to consider,
don’t forget the Holy Spirit is who
draws them.
