Ministry In Today’s Culture

1. Ministry In Today’s Culture Pastor Lee Washington Reid Temple AME Church

2. Introduction • If the typical church were to go to a hospital’s emergency room, the attending physician would likely admit it to the hospital and put it on life support. • Some churches have plateaued and others are in decline, while others are in the last stages of dying. Consequently, like other organizations, such as businesses, countries and even people’s relationships, church experiences if something doesn’t change the situation quickly, the life cycle will be no more. • Many church leaders feel—at least on some level—that virtually all the old answers about what it means to be and do church don’t work anymore.

3. Developing A Theology of Change • Change has become a constant in the 21st century, and it affects the church as well as the rest of society. • Presently, far too many churches are unsure about accepting change, which is no way to approach ministry. • The church’s view of change will have a major impact on its ability to minister in the present culture. Those that remain resistant to change will likely not survive. • Not only is change a constant, it is a constant whirling vortex that can swallow up a church as well as other organizations that don’t know how to deal with it. A majority of churches don’t know how to deal with the turbulent change that has taken place in our culture.

4. Culture Transformation • Currently we are experiencing a major transformation that is rearranging society as we have known it—its worldview, basic values, social and political structures, arts and key institutions. • A whole new world—the postmodern, post Christians world is emerging that is different from the world in which many of our churches grew up. • The tragedy is that too many churches don’t work to understand change, learn to live with it, and develop ways to use it to their advantage in ministry. • After all, change is what Christianity is all about—the transformation of one’s life to Christlikeness. 2 Cor. 3:18

5. The Church’s Five General Functions • Teaching: Just as Jesus taught his disciples the church is suppose to teach others. Acts 2:42 • Fellowship: Fellowship is much more then eating, it signifies strong human relationship or, better, a deep friendship, it involves doing life deeply together. • Worship: Prayer, communion, and praise are forms of worship, as well as giving, singing, and other expressions that attribute worth to God. • Evangelism: The Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved. Evangelism is a command of the church. • Service: Ministry involves believers in serving God in at least two ways—through the believer’s spiritual gifts and through the priesthood of the believer.

6. Ministry Paradigms in Today’s Culture • Technology and Building Ministry: Online Church • Multi-site Ministry: One Church various locations • Entrepreneurship Ministry: Development and Acquisition • Multi-Staff – Team Ministry: Pastors of Ministries

7. Developing A Theology of Culture • Since the church began on the Day of Pentecost, it has needed a theology of culture, and this need will continue as long as the church exists on earth. • How many churches do you know have articulated a clear, coherent theology of culture? • As the world changes we come in contact with more and different cultures as well as our own. What is culture? What does the bible say about culture? • Is culture a friend or enemy of the church? What does the bible say about the culture of our churches?

8. The Definition of Culture • Culture is the sum total of what people believe and how they act on their beliefs. • Culture involves the elements of people’s thoughts, values, speech, actions, culture is the sum of a people’s way of life, and it is largely through their culture that they make sense of the world they live in. • Culture is like an onion. Its beliefs are at the center of the onion and thus aren’t seen. We hold our beliefs at two levels. One is our operating beliefs. They are beliefs that we act on. These beliefs affect and influence our values and over all behavior. • Behavior makes up the outer peel of the onion. Our actions are affected by our beliefs and include what we way and do.

9. The Importance of Culture • Culture shapes and influences our life and all of our beliefs. We use culture to order our lives, interpret our experiences, and evaluate behavior. It is our resource for understanding our experiences and making sense of our lives. • Culture affects the development of our theology and what we believe about the bible. We are heavily influenced by European culture. • Culture affects the way we conduct our ministries in the church. For example European influence causes us to view the church as a building that looks like a church. (steeple, cross at the top) • Culture helps us understand better the different people we seek to reach for Christ. Generation X, Dot.com, Hip-hop, Boomers, Busters, ethnic groups.

10. Ministering in Today’s Culture • In order to minster effectively in today’s culture, you have to think differently about ministry in order to minister differently. • It takes more then just taking off your robe and clergy collar, it requires an ongoing consideration of what should remain at the bedrock of ministry and where change should occur. • It requires both pastor and congregation to struggle to discern what is working and what is not working, what needs to be added, and what has to be retired to make room for God’s new vision of ministry. • It requires moving outside the established norms to value the spiritual gifts new mature leaders will bring to the table

11. Effective Ministry in Today’s CulturePastoral laity requirements? • The ability to motivate and develop a congregation to reclaim the role in reaching new believers. Identify and equip all members to be evangelist. • The ability to develop and communicate a vision. Compelling vision means believing that our best days are ahead, and that God can perform remarkable acts in our midst. The Pastor must talk act as if the vision can and will be made real in the their midst. • The ability to interpret and lead change. A pastor’s ability to create an environment ready for change, to lead the change process successfully, and to anchor the change in the congregation’s culture is one of the most important skills sets needed for the 21st century.

12. Effective Ministry in Today’s Culture • The ability to promote and lead spiritual formation for church members. One of the characteristics of today’s culture is the freedom to explore the spiritual realm and to know God in a deeper and more meaningful way through bible study and prayer. • The ability to provide leadership for high-quality, relevant, worship experiences. Worship in the modern era often focused on learning about God when worship is a matter of the heart not the head. • The ability to manage conflict skillfully so that it leads to creative moments in the life of the church. • The ability to navigate successfully the world of technology. Effective pastors in today’s world must be technologically literate and know how to encourage their congregations to use technology for building up of Christ’s kingdom.

13. Ministry Paradigms For Today’s Culture • Multi-Site Ministry • Ministry of Technology • Ministry of Entrepreneurship • Ministry of Marketing • Ministry of Pastoral Teams

14. Resources • A New Kind of Church: Understanding Models of Ministry for the 21st Century, Malphurs, Aubrey • The Permanent Revolution: Apostolic Imagination and Practice for the 21st Century, Hirsch, Alan; Catchim, Tim • Sim Church: Being the Church in the Virtual World, Estes, Douglas • Multi-Site Churches: Guidance for the Movement’s Next Generation, McConnell, Scott • The Intentional Church: Moving from Church Success to Community Transformation, Pope, Randy

15. Questions