In a recent post on the Exchange Blog entitled, “4 Necessary Mindsets for Developing Transformational Leadership,” Ed Stetzer of LifeWay stated this:
I am convinced that gifted and well-equipped leadership is absolutely essential for every church. Biblical leadership is taught clearly in the Scriptures but perhaps often lost in the application of the local church.
To read the full post, click here.
In GCI we baptize both believers and infants. When the person being baptized is a minor, certain approvals are necessary as noted in section 3.7 of the GCI-USA Church Administration Manual:
Minors (those under age 18) may be baptized and/or become members (including youth members) only with the approval of a parent or legal guardian. When a youth under age 12 is baptized, a parent or legal guardian must be present at the ceremony.
GCI’s various baptism ceremonies can be downloaded at http://www.gci.org/pastoral/ceremonies.
Here are other GCI resources on the topic:
GCI’s Church Administration and Development (CAD) team has multiple responsibilities in serving our U.S. churches. The team operates with a three-fold, forward-looking focus: starting new churches (church planting), helping raise up a new generation of leaders, and helping established churches revitalize. When it comes to church revitalization, though there is no “one-size-fits-all” approach, there are common, significant leadership challenges. Those challenges are helpfully addressed in a recent blog post from Ed Stetzer of LifeWay at www.christianitytoday.com/edstetzer/2015/april/leadership-challenges-in-church-revitalization.html.
If your congregation would like assistance (consulting and training) related to church revitalization, you are encouraged to contact your regional pastor. Also note the relevant services provided by CAD in the catalog at www.gci.org/CAD_Services. Those services include Transformational Church consulting, which utilizes the church revitalization process and principles illustrated in this diagram:
Social media are powerful tools for reaching existing members and people outside the congregation. To learn about using Facebook as a tool to help build your church, click here.
Many churches in North America report reduced church attendance among committed members. Some helpful thoughts about this trend are found in an article at http://careynieuwhof.com/2015/02/10-reasons-even-committed-church-attenders-attending-less-often/.
As stated in a recent post at ChurchLeaders.com, “No church can do everything. Not if we want to do any of it well. But every church can do something really well. Maybe a couple things. That’s what makes a church great…. especially in a small church.” To read the full post, click here.
Youth pastor Brad Turnage presented a “conver-session” at the recent GenMin Converge 2015 conference in Ohio. He helpfully presented an incarnational, Trinitarian approach to youth ministry that is applicable to ministry to and with all age groups. Here is a video of his presentation:
On YouTube at http://youtu.be/aNPGwRSwCQk. Additional videos of Converge 2015 presentations are posted at www.generationsministries.org/converge-2015-highlights.html.
Mental illness is an issue that affects us all. How do we as churches respond? For some helpful information, tune in April 14 to a free online summit on the topic. For more information, and to register, go to: http://leadnet.org/mentalhealth/.
Due to the demands of their calling, pastors often find it difficult to get time away to refresh and renew. Doing so is particularly difficult for bivocational pastors and often beyond the financial reach of all pastors. But help is available!
Thanks to the generosity of various individuals and organizations, there are several places in the United States where pastors and their spouses can find free lodging for times of rest and refreshment. See the Christianity Today article at www.christianitytoday.com/edstetzer/2014/march/free-or-discounted-getaways-for-pastors.html.
From time to time, in the “Church Development” section of GCI Weekly Update, we address the important topic of avoiding pastoral burnout. Here is the link to a ChurchLeaders.com post that pastors (and those who walk with them) may find helpful: http://www.churchleaders.com/pastors/pastor-how-to/247954-true-cause-pastoral-burnout.html.
