Posts Tagged ‘Working as a Team’

Add some fertilizer to your marriage!

Thursday, July 19th, 2012

A great marriage doesn’t just happen.  Becoming a better husband or wife takes continual work and a willingness to change.  Marriage is like a garden.  It needs to regularly have the weeds removed; it needs water; and it will really grow if you use fertilizer.  If you’ve ever seen a “Miracle-Gro” commercial, you know what I mean.

In our local Church, as Cyndi and I regularly offered small group studies on growing a biblical marriage relationship, not only did it increase the number of healthy marriages in our church but it also kept our marriage growing stronger.  We found that each time we taught it, we learned something new and were reminded of what we had learned before.

I would like to recommend a great resource for you to use in your own marriage and then possibly use to invest into the marriages of those under your care.  The resource is a book titled “Marriage on the Rock”.  There is also a DVD teaching series and study guide that can be used to accompany it.  You can check it out more at www.marriagetoday.com but here is some information…

“Marriage on The Rock: God’s Design for Your Dream Marriage”    by Jimmy Evans  (Marriage Today 1994; Update 2009)

Society requires years of preparation for almost any significant career endeavor, but demands no real preparation for one of the most crucial undertakings in life: marriage. In an age of disposable marriage and information overload, where can couples turn for real answers that will make their relationships work? Only to God. Marriage on the Rock clearly details God’s principles that will turn disillusioned, unfulfilled marriages into satisfying dream relationships.

Chapters in this Book:

  1. Finding the Rock
  2. The Secret of a Solid Marriage
  3. The Law of Priority
  4. The Law of Pursuit
  5. The Law of Possession
  6. The Law of Purity
  7. God’s Blueprint for Marital Bliss
  8. The Destructive Husband
  9. Four Kinds of Destructive Husbands
  10. How to Understand and Meet Your Wife’s Needs
  11. The Destructive Wife
  12. Four Kinds of Destructive Wives
  13. How to Understand and Meet Your Husband’s Needs
  14. When You Are Building Alone
  15. Four Principles for Building Alone
  16. Sweet and Sour Pleasure
  17. Skills for Communication
  18. Skills for Financial Success
  19. Skills for Successful Parenting
  20. Skills for Sexual Pleasure
  21. Skills for In-law Relations

7th Annual Rural Ministry Conference: Ministry to the Rural Family

Tuesday, February 28th, 2012

Check out the website for the Centre for Rural Community Leadership and Ministry (CiRCLe M) – www.circle-m.ca .  They provide excellent resources and encouragement.  

CiRCLe M ‘s website say… 

…we care a lot about rural churches and communities!  And we think that they ought to be more closely connected.  With the Lord’s help and guidance, our mission is to equip clergy and lay leaders in rural and remote places to help their churches be catalysts for the development of healthy Canadian communities.

Here is information for a great local conference for those ministering in a rural area.

7th Annual Rural Ministry Conference: Ministry to the Rural Family

March 8 – 10, 2012      Cypress Hills, SK

This conference grew out of the frustration of going to seminars and being shoved into the ‘small church’ dialogues with little understanding of the ‘rural’ perspective.

 We love horses and tractors, egg salad sandwiches at funerals and everybody knowing our business! We were called here and we choose to live here!

 If your heart is for rural life and ministry, you will love the instant connection of people who understand each other! 

 We’re looking forward to meeting you!

 (organized by the Cypress Hills Rural Ministry Conference Committee)

 For more information visit: http://www.circle-m.ca/pdfs/Events/cypress_hills_flyer_2012.pdf

 

An annual reminder for a Church Leadership Team about being “a team”.

Thursday, February 23rd, 2012

I find that reminders are a valuable part of life.  Whether it is in marriage, as a parent, in the work place or as a leader in a ministry setting, many of us need a regular check up of what is vital for serving in that role.

In the local church, an annual reminder for those serving on the leadership team (Church Board, Pastor’s Council) can go a long way to prevent personal agendas and disunity.  What can erode the unity of the team?  What can each member do to value and honor the others on the team?  What does “team” look like?  An annual check up for leadership can strengthen the team to make better decisions and to persevere in the challenges of ministry.

A great time for an annual reminder can be right after new members have been added to the leadership team.  For many churches, that is after an Annual General Meeting.  Even if new members have not been put in place, this can still be a great time for a yearly re-commitment to being a team of leaders in the church.

Attached are two documents:

  • Portion of the PAOC Local Church Constitution that addresses accountibility of a Church leadership team member.
  • Suggestions of what to talk about for an annual reminder.

 Accountibility as a Church Leadership Member

 Church Leadership Team-Annual Reminder for a New Season