David Alan Black: A Marathon Plan

by Dr. David Alan Black, professor, marathon runner, mountain climber and author of Seven Marks of a New Testament Church, Running My Race: Reflections on Life, Loss, Aging, and Forty Years of Teaching, The Jesus Paradigm, and more!
 
Is your church up to doing a marathon? A marathon is 26.2 miles. It’s a slugfest. But you finish by taking one step at a time. So here are 26.2 ideas to get you started and maybe even keep you going to the end.
1) If you are a pastor, I might suggest that you stop training for “chief ministry provider” and start training for “chief ministry developer.”
2) Let us rid ourselves of the “consumerism” mentality once and for all. It stands opposite to the “body ministry” as described in the New Testament.
3) As leaders, let’s commit ourselves to discovering and employing the untapped potential that exists in our churches.
4) The shift from the “ministry of the clergy” to the “ministry of the laity” is one of the most important decisions facing the church today. Let’s make it.
5) Let’s self-identify first and foremost as a servant. Only one class of people exists within the church, servants of the Lord Jesus Christ. Within that class there will always be different functions, but servanthood is incumbent upon all of us.
6) (Read More)
 
 
 
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