Kay Kotan's Blog

In this season of Thanksgiving, consider how your church thanks their lay servant leaders for serving.  How does your congregation show gratitude and appreciation and offer a time of celebration?  

There is typically a group of leaders who will end their time of serving at the end of the calendar year when a new group of leaders begin their time of service.  Now is a great time to begin planning a time of celebration for this transition at a worship service in early January. 

Here are some valuable ways to make this a special time for both those who have been serving and whose time is coming to an end as well as those who will begin a new season of service.

Send out special invitations to those who will be honored detailing why, when, the time, and what to expect during this special worship service.Consider having either a special message centered on lay servant ministry and/or a gifted lay speaker offering the message for this special worship service.Call the leaders forward during the worship service whose terms have expired.  Introduce these leaders and remind the congregation of the roles for which these leaders have served. Present the leaders with a certificate of appreciation noting the term and position served.  If there was something noteworthy about the person or group during their tenure, lift this up for a time of celebration and thanksgiving. If possible and appropriate, offer a small gift of appreciation for each person’s service.Call the new leaders forward during the worship service. Introduce these new leaders and the roles for which they have been elected to serve. Offering a special commissioning for the new leaders who will be taking new roles of leadership.  Ask the congregation for their prayers and support for these leaders.Consider a fellowship dinner for the congregation to celebrate lay servant leaders.During the dinner, consider playing some intergenerational games to lift up lay servant ministries (i.e. Bingo identifying all the areas of lay servant ministries in your church and as they are called out, people can cover it if they’ve served in that ministry.)  Ask people to tally up the number of years they have served in leadership roles in their church. Give away small prizes for such things as the longest serving leader, the youngest leader, the oldest leader still serving, the person who has mentored the most new leaders, or the person who has served in the most different roles. Have fun and be creative!

Why is it important to show appreciation to our lay servant leaders?  According to Forbes.com, showing appreciation to others improves people’s moods, people will engage at a higher level, appreciation will increase trust in relationships, it improves innovation and effectiveness, and creates a story for the future.

The Apostle Paul also reminds us about the importance of appreciation in 1 Thessalonians, “And now, friends, we ask you to honor those leaders who work so hard for you, who have been given the responsibility of urging and guiding you along in your obedience. Overwhelm them with appreciation and love!”  1 Thessalonians 5:12-13, The Message

The post Valuable Ways to Appreciate and Celebrate Lay Servant Leaders appeared first on Kay Kotan.

As the end of the year approaches, plans may already be made for next year’s ministries. Or perhaps the planning is in process. Regardless of where your church is in the planning process, year-end is the perfect time for some ministry assessment. Most churches plan for the calendar year to coincide with their calendar year budget, so now is the perfect time to assess your current ministries before anything is planned or placed on the calendar.

Why is ministry assessment so important?  There are multiple reasons that assessments are important!  Here are some top reasons why every church would want to prioritize the assessment of their ministries regardless of their size or budget: 

Ministries launch with the best of intentions and aspirations.  However, without consistent assessment and course correction, they can become misaligned with the church’s mission and vision. We call this missional shift.Ministries are the tools, methods, and resources we use and deploy to make and develop disciples. Ministries need to change from time to time.  Too often, churches get too tied to an obligation for particular events or ministries and lose focus on why they even exist.When ministry assessments are conducted, it can be determined whether the ministry is effective in its missional purpose. Assessing helps ministry teams become intentional and have great clarity on the purpose and intended outcome of the ministry.  Without an annual assessment, individual team members may develop different ideas on the purpose and intended outcome for their ministry team. We refer to this process as the Accountable Leadership Cycle that you will find outlined in Mission Possible .Annual ministry assessments keep churches from playing favorites (people, memories, and ministries) and hold leaders accountable.  If we continue ineffective, missionally misaligned ministries, people will experience burnout, frustration, and the church will likely decline due to the ineffectiveness. When a church holds an event or conducts a ministry simply because we don’t want to hurt someone’s feelings if the ministry were stopped, the church is not being good stewards of people’s time, energy, or resources.  Ultimately, the church leaders must be good stewards and leverage all the church’s assets towards the mission of making and maturing disciples. People want to be a part of something that is vital, thriving, and where they can make a difference.Assessing ministries allows the church to celebrate the life of a ministry and give it a good funeral.  When a ministry has lived its life span and its time has come to an end, it is a wonderful time to celebrate the fruits of the ministry, give it an appropriate burial, and move on to another ministry that will better serve the church’s mission and vision.If a church is doing strategic ministry planning, the ministry is really one of the last pieces of the planning.  Instead, churches often start with planning the ministries first.  First, the church leaders need to determine a vision that reflects the unique way their church is being called to live out the mission of making disciples in this current season within the boundaries of the church’s core values.  The church board/council then sets overall church goals that will identify the faithful steps needed in the coming year to live into the vision.  Those goals are then used to set objectives – otherwise known as the ministries, programs, and events in the coming year, so the church lives into their mission and vision using the core values as guard rails.  The ministry budget comes from the objectives.  For more information on strategic ministry planning, check out Strategy Matters .Assessing the overall collection of church’s ministries allows leaders to ensure there is a proper mix of ministries offered within the four categories that determine a well-balanced ministry and optimal discipleship growth: Internal Entertainment/Edification, External Entertainment/Edification, Internal Equipping/Evangelism, and External Equipping/Evangelism.

 

As you can see, there are many reasons to assess your ministries.  Before one ministry, event, or program is planned, is placed on next year’s calendar, or is granted dollars in next year’s budget, take the time to assess each and every ministry of your church. It is not only a best practice of accountable and faithful leadership, but it is assurance of the best usage, stewardship, and alignment of God’s resources.  Shouldn’t ministry assessments be a fundamental obligation and requirement as a church leader?

The post Why Year End Is the Perfect Time to Assess Your Church’s Ministries appeared first on Kay Kotan.

The beginning of Advent is just over a month away.  The season of Advent is a time of preparation. We remember the longing for the Messiah the Jews had so very long ago and our very own longing and need for forgiveness, salvation, and a new beginning.  It is a time to prepare our hearts and minds for the celebration of the birth of Jesus and the anticipation of Christ’s second coming. Advent and Christmas are one of the most celebrated times in the life of the church. 

Besides weekly worship, how are you preparing your heart, mind, and church for Advent and the new year?  How are you preparing and anticipating encountering something new and meaningful in this season?  Not only must we be alert and watchful, but we must also be intentional in finding and noticing something new and meaningful during this Advent season.  Otherwise, as often happens in this fast-paced world, we might once again rush through this season full of busy-ness and miss all God has for us to notice and discover.  With that intention of the season, you are invited into two unique opportunities of preparing for something new and meaningful.

First, we invite you to consider gathering a small group and use Voices of Christmas to journey through this Advent season.  This unique resource allows us to hear the voices of John the Baptist, Mary, Joseph, the Shepherds, and the Wisemen reflect on the miracle of the birth of Jesus through the lens of hope, love, peace, and joy.  Through daily devotions and weekly reflections and questions for individuals and small groups, this resource offers a deeper insight into one of the four elements of H.O.P.E. – Healing, Opportunities (to give and receive love), Peace, and Experiences (of joy).  On day one each week you’ll be introduced to the theme and scripture.  Days two through six will offer a dive into the theme through the voices of the six characters.  Day seven is a time of reflection.  We invite you to slow down and explore the voices and experiences of these six characters during this Advent season that will lead you into creating your own new and meaningful plan of H.O.P.E. moving into the new year.

Second, we invite you to consider exploring a new and meaningful ministry for your church in the new year.  Were you aware of the economic impact the U.S. is experiencing due to the childcare crisis?  The lack of adequate childcare for infants and toddlers is estimated to cost the U.S. $122 billion annually in lost earnings, productivity, and revenue according to ReadyNation.  In addition, Christian parents are struggling to find the support and resources they need and desire to help in forming their children’s faith.  As the church struggles to reach and connect with this very baby-bearing generation, there is an opportunity to step up to meet a dire need they have for childcare and faith formation for their children while also creating a positive impact for the church.  However, we must rethink the models the church once used for preschools and childcare centers that simply no longer work.  Join us for this important topic and webinar, Re-Thinking Childcares & Preschools as Christian Social Entrepreneurships with Integration Pathways, on November 1st to prepare your church for something new and meaningful.

Take the intentional steps this Advent season to prepare, celebrate, and usher in something new and meaningful.

You direct me on the path that leads to a beautiful life.

     As I walk with You, the pleasures are never-ending,

     and I know true joy and contentment.

Psalm 16:11 VOICE

The post Two Unique Methods to Prepare for Something New and Meaningful Approaching Advent appeared first on Kay Kotan.

Many congregations are struggling to connect (or stay connected) with young families and their children as 34% of Gen Z and 29% of Millennials are religiously unaffiliated. 1 While there is a strong desire to have young families as a part of churches, there is often a disconnect between what families are looking for and what congregations offer as indicated in a 2015 Vibrant Faith survey of 926 parents and grandparents from across the United States. The study found that common congregational models for the Christian education of children, which often utilize school-based educational approaches, were losing their effectiveness. In particular, the study noted declining enthusiasm from parents and children for participating in traditional Christian education activities, such as Sunday schools.2

The National Study of Youth and Religion found that parents are the single most important influence in shaping religious beliefs, values, and practices of their children as well as the importance for churches to provide support and guidance to interested parents as they navigate the challenges of raising children today.  Other research confirms that children “learn what they live” and that one of the most critical windows for faith formation may be between birth and age 3.3

For all of these reasons and more, it is important to rethink how the church approaches faith formation for families, children, and youth.  Here are some thoughts for your consideration:

Go out.  Rather than the expectation of the families gathering at the church facility at a given time on a given day for a specific program, consider going out to the families where they are already gathering offering an experience that would be meaningful for them.Don’t assume.  Ask families what type of learning experience they would like to see offered and how they would like them offered.Offer a different experience. Consider more experiential learning opportunities and perhaps even inter-generational given your context.Equip parents, too. Provide opportunities, tools, resources, and encouragement to equip parents to be a part of their children’s faith formation.  The church and the parents are partners together to nurture the faith of the children.Assume nothing.  Some parents have a solid faith foundation while others are new in their faith as they are simultaneously nurturing their children’s faith at the same time.  These parents may need some different or additional support or resourcing.Don’t be afraid to ask.  Hold focus groups with parents who are earnestly interested in nurturing the faith formation of their children.  Be open to hearing what’s working, what’s not, and what could be helpful going forward to better equip parents to participate in their children’s faith formation and what the church could do to provide a stronger faith formation journey for children.Be flexible.  What works one year or season may not work for another.  What works for the church down the street may not work for your church.Evaluate.  Have a clear understanding of what steps and outcomes towards faith formation look like and how to measure them.  Evaluate often to know if what you’re doing is working and to stay on track.  Make course corrections as needed. 

There is one thing the church must be very clear about – nurturing the faith formation of children is NOT about growing the Sunday morning attendance or keeping the church doors open.  Instead, helping children build a relationship with Jesus is at the very essence of what the church is about.  It is our purpose!  It is our why!  When the reason we want to see children in church shifts from discipleship to survival, we have lost our way as followers of Jesus Christ.  When discipleship of children is the driver, mature believers let go of their preferred methods, traditions, and favorite hymns and instead do whatever they can to introduce and nurture the faith of children and their families.

If your church is interested in reaching young families and helping them grow their faith through spiritual communities beyond the Sunday morning experience, join us on November 1, 2023, at 1:00 pm central.  During this webinar, we will explore integrating children and young families into spiritual communities while creating additional revenue streams for the church. Click here for more information and registration.

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https://www.americansurveycenter.org/... The post Solid Steps for Closing the Gap on Children’s Faith Formation appeared first on Kay Kotan.

One of the most common struggles heard from church leaders post-Covid is the lack of laity engagement and commitment.  Leaders report laity not returning to the church at all, returning but not volunteering, volunteering but not desiring to lead, or not engaging at the same level as they did pre-pandemic. While there are a variety of personal reasons that can cause these changes, some reasons can be overcome by what is happening inside the church.

We have all heard it by now – the pandemic didn’t cause most of the woes the church is experiencing.  It only exacerbated what was already occurring.  Some would say it catapulted the church into the future by a decade or more.  Or maybe another lens to place on the circumstances would be that the pandemic forced many churches to face their reality that they otherwise had been ignoring or at least delaying facing.

There are at least three key drivers that promote laity engagement and commitment that leaders must know and understand if they are to have an effective and impactful laity-driven ministry.

Laity-Centered

A vital and healthy congregation is one that is laity-centered rather than pastor-centered or staff-centered.  When laity are given authority and encouragement to engage in ministry or even lead ministry, they are much more likely to do so.  On the flip side, when a pastor or paid staff member has to be involved or give permission in every aspect of ministry, it cripples the ministry and retards the maturation of disciples.  Laity are left with the impression that it requires a seminary degree or specialized training to do ministry and therefore leave the ministry up to the professionals.  They become spectators rather than participants in ministry as Jesus intended.  A key power driver to laity being engaged and committed is to have a laity-centered church culture where clergy and staff are equippers and encouragers.

Mission and Vision Driven

Laity don’t want to waste their time coming to meetings that don’t matter or create some sort of action, impact, or next steps.  We all know not a single new person has ever become a follower of Jesus in a church meeting!  However, laity are more engaged when they understand the purpose (mission) of the church (the Great Commission – to make disciple-making disciples who transform the world) and the church’s vision (God’s preferred future for the church for the unique way they make disciples in this given season in their current context).  Mission keeps everyone grounded and prioritizes making decisions that align with purpose.  The vision provides energy, excitement, momentum, focus, increases generosity, and legitimizes leadership. Without the church having a clear and compelling vision, laity often have difficulty connecting what they are doing at the church to making any real difference.  There are simply too many choices in today’s culture for people to engage in places and do things where they feel they don’t have an impact.  One key power driver for committed and engaged laity is for a church to be mission and vision-driven.

Intentional Equipping and Development

How often do we place laity in areas of ministry to serve where they have no passion or equipping?  With the best of intentions, we sell them on taking a position on a committee by promising it won’t take up much of their time or the committee hardly ever meets or doesn’t really do much. Yet, we are then disappointed when committee members have a low engagement or commitment level.  Go figure!  One of the key power drivers to high engagement and commitment is to have intentional methods to develop disciples and leaders.  Staff and ministry team leaders identify, recruit, equip, and deploy disciples for ministry.  They don’t do the ministry!  The Committee on Nominations has an intentional leadership development pathway and discernment process for nominating leaders (way beyond the normal review of the pictorial directory or membership roster).  The church has an intentional discipleship pathway for congregants to engage in to mature in their faith.  With intentional equipping and development, laity are empowered, encouraged, equipped, feel more confident, and are ready to engage and committ to ministry.

When these three key power drivers are in effect in a church, laity are much more likely to be engaged and committed.  They understand the purpose, see where the church is headed, how the church is impacting the community, where their gifts and talents can be engaged to move the mission and vision along, and are excited and energized to be a part of it and invite their friends, family, and neighbors to journey alongside them. To make the shifts into placing these three key power drivers into action in your church, check out the resources you’ll need to heighten the engagement and commitment of laity in your church:

Leadership Development Process

Launching Leaders:  Taking Leadership Development to New Heights  

On-Demand Webinar  Book  Small Group Kit

Accountable Leadership

On-Demand Webinar

Equipping the Nominations for a New Day

On Demand Webinar

Vision

Overview of Congregational Visioning

On-Demand Webinar

Discipleship Pathway

Three-Part Series on Creating a Discipleship Pathway

On-Demand Webinar

The post Three Must-Know Key Power Drivers Behind Laity Engagement and Commitment appeared first on Kay Kotan.

Some may use the words manage and develop interchangeably.  When it comes to empowering people, those words are quite distinctive.  Developing people actually gives them authority, rights, and power.  On the other hand, a person handles, directs, leads, guides, supervises, or uses one’s power to dominate another when managing people.  Managers maintain systems, processes, and procedures and resolve conflicts that interfere while developers advance the purpose and forge new pathways as they bring out the very best in their people.

As you think about your leadership style, do you have more of a tendency to manage or develop people?  As you consider your church’s leadership culture, is it one of giving away authority and power or one of tight reigns on processes, procedures, and the ”way we’ve always done it?”  Healthy boundaries, accountability, processes, and procedures are all necessary and needed elements of good organizational health and vitality.  Yet, being too management-focused can lead to becoming a bottleneck, disempower volunteers, curb creativity and imagination, and cause some to sit on the sidelines.

When pastors, staff, and ministry team leaders become more people developers than managers, the whole organization will be healthier.  The development approach will keep a church from being pastor-centric, staff-centric, and encourage laity to grow into mature disciple-making disciples as Jesus intended.  Through a development approach, people are identified, recruited, equipped, and deployed for ministry.  Every disciple is deployed for ministry given their gifts, experience, talents, and season of life.  Sitting on the sidelines reporting that “I’ve served my time” or “It’s someone else’s turn” doesn’t even cross the mind of a person who has been developed as a mature disciple.  Churches will no longer hire (or expect) staff to do their ministry for them; they hire disciple developers and equippers.

Yet, when insecure or immature leaders manage people, they tend to feel they have to touch everything and make every decision.  Their need to be needed or their sense of power comes from having full control of the ship.  Nothing happens without going through her/him first.  Not only is this an unhealthy leadership style, but it stunts the growth of disciples and detours the mission of the church. 

Giving power and authority away is scary for leaders.  What if the person doesn’t do it as well as the leader would or drops the ball completely?  Yes, that’s a risk a leader must be willing to take because what if they do an even better job?  When we develop others, the impact of the ministry can be three, ten or a hundred times what it can be as one solo leader.  As a disciple, we are in the multiplication business and to do so we must become developers who empower people rather than managers of people.

If you and your leaders would like to learn more about developing and empowering people, check out IMPACT! Reclaiming the Call of Lay Ministry resources: the book, the small group study, or the webinar.  

The post How to Actually Empower People by Developing Rather than Managing appeared first on Kay Kotan.

If there is one thing I am known for in my work with congregations and church leaders, it would be truth telling.  Truth telling is not always a popular activity, but I have found it to be quite necessary in the church world.  Naming and claiming our current reality is a must if we are to move forward with clarity, purpose, and intention.  Another topic that seems to be touchy for church people is to mention the word profit or entrepreneurship.  While some may embrace the concept, others are offended, and yet others might believe it has no place in the church.

 

As a fourth generation United Methodist and serial entrepreneur, I have been fascinated to learn about our Wesleyan roots in social entrepreneurship.  Here are some interesting facts to consider as we wrestle with how our faith and social entrepreneurship intersect in the postmodern world:

“Wesley and his followers did not stand aside from that economy (18th century Britain): they engaged actively with it, in many different ways. Wesley created social enterprises to meet the needs of the poor and sick; he established a highly profitable publishing company; he found a range of ways to encourage businessmen and businesswomen to become financial supporters of Methodism; and in some ways, his whole movement can be seen as a large and successful religious enterprise, competing in a religious marketplace.”Moon, Cho, & Bettis “argue that Wesley should be viewed as a compassionate entrepreneur—with the compassion of a liberator and the practice of an entrepreneur, as he encouraged believers to actively participate in economic activities, and recognized entrepreneurship as a sustainable and significant way to empower the poor.”Methodists were once known to build and operate schools, orphanages, and hospitals because they were needed in the community, and the profits could be reinvested into the ministry.  Notice that social entrepreneurship is rooted in solving a community problem, bridging a community gap, meeting a community need, or making the community a better place to live.  Too often, the church has a passion for a ministry, but it is not rooted in meeting a community’s need or desire. 

Wesley laid a path for us long ago for how our faith and entrepreneurship can intersect with the community in ways that are non-threatening, build up the community, solve problems or close gaps, empower citizens, lift the community as a whole, and provide revenue to reinvest in ministry.  It can be a powerful and cyclical method that benefits all involved.

 

Rather than resist the thought that our faith and social entrepreneurship must remain exclusive to one another, let’s begin to explore them together as both a historical and a futuristic way to be the church in ways that are practical, impactful, life-giving, and transformational.

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https://www.researchgate.net/publicat... Inside Out: Everting Ministry Models for the Postmodern Culture, Kotan and Scott, Market Square Books

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If your church would like to begin the exploration of the intersection of faith and social entrepreneurship, join us for a webinar on Wednesday, November 1, 2023 at 1:00 pm central.  Click here to register.

The post Crossing Faith and Social Entrepreneurship – It’s Grounded in Our Roots appeared first on Kay Kotan.

In our final installment of the “freshness” series, we are examining fresh expectations on the value of ministry evaluation.  When we evaluate ministries not for their longevity (43rd annual), their legacy (the beloved matriarch Dorothy Smith started this ministry), or it is an influential congregant’s personal passion (but not aligned with the church’s vision or gifts), we make different decisions about how to use our resources of time, energy, commitment, money, and facilities.

It is my firm belief that the majority of people engaged in ministry have the best of intentions.  They are doing their best and hoping for the best possible outcome.  They certainly would not be exerting energy and effort only to desire a poor or even less than desirable outcome.  So why are so many of the ministries of our churches missing the mark?  Why are ministries not effective in reaching desired outcomes?  Why are ministries still limping along that were once vibrant but are no longer?

The answer is quite simple!  There is a lack of an effective ministry evaluation process in the majority of churches.  Again, people have the best of intentions. but too often we engage in ministries because “we’ve always done it.” Or the church down the road is doing it.  Or the megachurch where all the young people go is doing it so we should do it, too.  Or because so and so thought it was a good idea. Or my cousin’s church in another state did it and it “worked” for them.

In our book, Mission Possible: A Simple Structure for Missional Effectiveness, co-author Blake Bradford, and I introduced the Accountable Leadership Cycle. In this cycle, there are five phases: Discern, Plan, Implement, Evaluate, and Reflect which are all first grounded in Mission and Vision.  By working through this cycle for each and every ongoing ministry at least once or twice a year and one-off ministries each time, ministry leaders find themselves engaging in much more purposeful, effective, targeted, and impactful ministries which in turn are encouraging and life-giving for those involved in the ministries.

Here are the valuable benefits of evaluating the effectiveness of ministries:

There is a clear alignment of how the ministry will help the church live into its mission and vision.There is a clear understanding of what the ministry is trying to accomplish, the desired outcomes, who the ministry is trying to reach, and what an effective and measurable outcome would be.The ministry is planned and implemented with all this criteria in mind for the best possible ministry impact.The ministry is fully evaluated.  Did it reach the people intended?  Did the ministry accomplish what was desired?  Did the ministry have the desired outcomes?  Did the ministry reach the measurable impact?  For the amount of resources invested, is this the best use of God’s assets for the outcome delivered? Should the ministry be repeated again?  Why or why not?  If so, what modifications would need to be made for greater impact and effectiveness?

Once a church begins to practice the Accountable Leadership Cycle, it will become second nature over time.  People will not want to engage in ministry unless they have a clear understanding of its connectedness to the mission and vision, the desired outcomes, who the ministry is for, impact measures, etc. Using this model circumvents volunteer burnout, ministry fatigue, and people sidelining themselves because they don’t want to waste their time on things that don’t have an impact.

If your church is considering the value of a fresh expectation on ministry effectiveness, check out the Accountable Leadership Cycle detailed in Mission Possible 3 or Mission Possible for Small Churches.  When put into practice, this tool can truly be a game-changer for churches!

The post The Valuable Benefits of Evaluating Effectiveness with Its Fresh Expectation appeared first on Kay Kotan.

In the two previous blog posts, we reviewed how to see your neighborhood with fresh eyes and how to reach out to your neighbors with a fresh perspective.  We now move on in our “fresh” series to explore how to build new and authentic relationships through fresh ministries.  Fresh ministries may mean something brand new.  It could also mean freshening up an existing ministry with a fresh approach or perhaps a more focused approach for our neighbors rather than our existing congregants.

Before we go too far in thinking about new ministries or freshening up existing ministries, it is a good time to remind ourselves about ministry shelf lives.  Remember, every ministry has an expiration date!  The end goal is not to see how long a ministry can last.  Rather, it’s important to determine how effective a ministry is.  The purpose of any ministry is to mature our existing disciples or to introduce new people to Christ.  If it is not doing one of those two things effectively, we need to celebrate the life of the ministry and give it a funeral.  So rather than adding another new ministry to your already busy church calendar, what do you need to stop before starting something new?  The evaluation of these ministries may also lead you to a ministry that if it were freshened up a bit could be more effective.

As we explore fresh ministry options, be sure to circle back to the two previous blog posts on seeing with fresh eyes and reaching out with fresh perspectives.  In order to build new and authentic relationships, we have to be sure we are “seeing” clearly with a fresh lens and reach out with an open and curious fresh perspective.  If we don’t first employ these two vital strategies first, we will likely not launch a fresh ministry that will build authentic new relationships with our neighbors.

Next, we must be willing to experiment.  The fresh ministry may need to be tweaked along the way or perhaps even ditched and something new tried in its place.  The idea is to be willing to try new things with an emphasis on the relational ministries with the neighbors.  Be clear on what the ministry’s purpose is and what you are trying to accomplish upfront so you can clearly identify if the ministry is indeed fulfilling that outcome effectively, building new relationships with your neighbors, and making any necessary adjustments.

We must let go of the expectation of people showing up on Sunday.  For some, showing up for worship on Sunday will never be a reality.  For others, it may come eventually.  For a very few, it may come sooner rather than later.  Instead, we must be focused on openly, graciously, lovingly, and courageously investing in getting to know our neighbors and engaging in doing life alongside them in authentic ways that can build relationships over time.  One-and-done types of events are usually not effective.  Instead, choose a group of people with a shared affinity who you can continue to connect with repeatedly over an extended period of time.

If you and your church leaders are ready to explore new terrains and check out new ministry tools needed to journey through uncharted ministry possibilities, consider taking a journey on the Greatest Expedition.  The purpose of The Greatest Expedition is to provide a pioneering experience for your church leaders to explore your local context in new ways to develop new MAPS (ministry action plans) so you can become more relevant and contextual to reach new people in your neighborhood. Whether you are just getting started as an explorer and need an Essentials Pack or are more advanced and ready for the Expansion Pack, the Greatest Expedition will provide the tools for building new, authentic relationships through fresh ministries with your neighbors.

The post Keys for Building New and Authentic Relationships Through Fresh Ministries appeared first on Kay Kotan.

In last week’s blog, we outlined how to see our neighbors with fresh eyes. In continuing our theme of neighboring, this week we will be exploring how to reach out to our neighbors with a fresh perspective.  

When you think of a fresh perspective, what comes to mind?  The very definition of perspective is a particular viewpoint, outlook, position, standpoint, lens, stance, approach, or frame of reference.  Therefore, when it comes to freshening our perspective, we could perhaps look at an opportunity to refresh, revive, or strengthen our frame of reference or approach to neighboring.

How does one go about gaining a fresh perspective?  Just like we suggested when seeing with new eyes, we must first be open to the idea and approach it with a sense of curiosity and without judgment or preconceived notions.  

Next, let’s define neighboring in relation to this content.  Neighboring is being present in your neighborhood with intentional steps toward building relationships with your neighbors for the overall good.  For the church and its disciples, it is building relationships with neighbors so that you might have the opportunity to eventually share your faith.

Now that we are all working from common definitions, here are three tips for reaching out to neighbors with a fresh perspective:

Tip One

Make no assumptions.  We sometimes think we know what our neighbors need or where the gaps are in the community.  However, often our ideas are based on outdated information,  information not connected to our direct neighborhood, or simply based on our assumptions.  Additionally, too often the way we think of reaching out to our neighbors ends up being only transactional – providing a product or service only.  Reaching out is not just about providing products,  serving neighbors, or serving with neighbors.  It must also include building relationships.

Tip Two

Think relationships over programs.  Churches spent a considerable amount of time planning ministries and investing a great deal of time and energy into the details of pulling off a great event along with recruiting volunteers for specific jobs.  Yet, oftentimes we forget to be intentional about the relational aspect of the ministry.  Begin with the question of how will we best build relationships with our neighbors?  Then, plan the ministry around that relationship-building intentionality.  For existing ministries, evaluate relationship-building effectiveness and opportunities with new people throughout this ministry. Make any modifications needed to place a fresh perspective on relationships with new people.

Tip Three

Consider handoffs and what’s next.  Churches can have some incredible events, programs, and ministries that may indeed have a fresh, neighborly perspective. But, they miss the next step.  All the energy and focus is placed on that one event or program leaving nothing for what’s next.   For example, a church may have a well-attended community fall festival in their church parking lot and collect names when people register for a door prize.  Yet, nothing is ever done with those names.  No follow up.  No next event.  No invitation to what follows.  No handoff to another activity or event.  It’s like you had a blind date with someone you kinda liked, you gave them your number, and they never called you back for a second date!  In this example, consider who is your likely attender at the fall festival and what would be a likely next step for them.  Have that planned and ready to advertise before the fall festival commences so you can begin follow up immediately following the fall festival.

For everything we know about God’s Word is summed up in a single sentence: 

Love others as you love yourself.  Galatians 5:14 MSG

We sometimes make neighboring more difficult and complicated than it needs to be.  It really is about authentically desiring to know, serve, and love our neighbors.  If our primary focus is on our neighbors first, it’s not difficult! And, if we keep relationship intentionality as our focus, we will be much more likely to build those authentic relationships with our neighbors as Jesus intended us to do.  Click here to receive a free step-by-step guide on planning community bridge events to build new neighborhood relationships.

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