Serving

This page is about serving in and running churches. We'll start with what God's Word says about every believer, specific offices, and spiritual gifts. Then, we'll look at specific offices in depth. We'll also look at examples of loving others.

God's Word lists the Offices and spiritual gifts. Now, let's learn how to apply them.

Every Believer

• Worship
• Evangelism
• Helping others: verses, deeper article, and prioritize believers
  Note: When Helping Hurts (group) and Toxic Charity help you know when to say no.
• Examples of helping ministries further down on the page

Teaching and Preaching

• Learn to read God's Word properly
• Learn to use and teach an easy method (example) of applying it
• Study how Jesus teaches, preaches, and exhorts. Imitate Him, not church preachers.
• Study how the Apostles did that in Acts to Revelation. Imitate them as they imitate Christ.
• Small groups: a model, a guide (pdf), another guide (pdf), and a class.
• Presentation styles best for teaching and preaching:
• Expository: Gaines
• Expository and Exhortation: Knepshield
• Topical: Spurgeon; Graham; Rogers
• Conversational: Alan Parr (about porn); T.G.C.
  Note: This style is common in groups and online videos.
• Exhortation: Graham (full); Washer (full)
  
• Narrative: Lowry (Methodist)
• Topical, Testimony, Exhortation, and Narrative: Hyles
• Testimony with God's Word: ex-Mormon (uses music, too)
• (Disclaimer: Linked preachers above aren't affiliated with this site. They're just good at that style.)
• Expository teaching/preaching: free course; another; little book; bigger book; other books.

Biblical Counseling

You can get value out of this without being a counselor. The first thing it teaches you is to rely on God and His Word for struggles in life. Then, learning more about specific topics helps you better empathize with people in their suffering. The resources might give you helpful advice for them. These techniques can be used for outreach purposes via one-on-one's or support groups.

You might also feel called to become a counselor. You'll have to choose between secular, Christian, and Biblical counseling. I don't have resources up for those decisions yet. For now, I'm sharing links on Biblical counseling since (a) it's definitely Biblical and (b) God gave me more resources on it. Also, pastors or deacons might want to get full training in counseling because their jobs mostly involve caring for others.

Here's a bunch of resources:

• Free resources by IBCD on many topics
• Topical studies + Discipleship Groups = Biblical, Support Group :)
• ACBC has certification, books for it (pdf), and free articles
  Note: ACBC certification is much cheaper than seminary or college.
• Training for that certification: IBCD and MABTS
• For Christian counseling, RTS has a degree. Course lectures might be free.
• If doing secular counseling, my recommendation as a non-counselor and evangelist:
  
  • Goal is to evangelize non-believers and build up believers (esp unchurched or fallen).
  • Study and start practicing both of those immediately.
  • If your faith is strong, go to a secular college to both learn and evangelize. God might change it over time.
  • If not as strong, go to a Christian college (example). Grow with other believers.
  • In or outside college, take courses in the Bible, Biblical counseling, and defense (Ex: 1 2 3)
    Note: For the Bible, take Old/New Testament Overview, Hermeneutics, and Systematic Theology.
  • Optionally, start teaching counseling or psychology at a secular college. :)

Pastors

• What the Bible says: 1 Tim. 3:1-7 and Titus 1:5-9
• Supplements: deep article and great book
• Gender and Women Pastors: What Does the Word Say?
  
• Know the dangers of this job
• Select Elders From Within
• Pastoral counseling courses: BiblicalTraining.org; Masters
  (Note: Full training in counseling is even more helpful.)
• Leadership courses. More courses here.
• Extras: book on pastoral ministry; Crossway's global training

Deacons

• Deacons in the New Testament: Questions and Answers
• Great article on their importance
• The New Testament Deacon: The Church's Minister of Mercy (book)

Planting Churches

Church-Planting Tools

Sometimes, a unchurched group will keep growing, bonding, and serving together. They may consider becoming a church. The Biblical route is elders of an existing church planting one with qualified people. This provides the aspiring church with support, accountability, and help fighting threats (esp false teaching). Example of ups and downs of independent church-planting.

Pray on it, talk to established churches, and see if God provides a route. If He doesn't, that often means it's not His will for you to do that. You can continue sharing the Gospel and forming discipleship groups wherever you're at, though.

Let's say you choose to start a church. Missionaries in South Asia developed the model above to focus on the fundamentals. They've been using it for over a decade. My missionary friends said the churches over there had the most committed believers they've ever seen. They regularly shared the Gospel, too, despite persecution. The model works. Since it's open source, you can modify it as needed for use in your churches. 

Other Ministries

General service, specific types, and good examples:

• Common needs: food, clothing, homes, cars, jobs, counseling, and just listening
• In-church counseling: sins, mentors, mental health, divorce, deaths
• Food pantries: Heartland Hands
• Protecting babies and helping new mothers: Life Choices
• Helping children in your own neighborhood: Together Ministry Center
• Mentoring new mothers: One by One Ministries
• Homeless: Memphis Union Mission
• Orphanage: Baptist Children's Village
• Special needs: Four Friends
• Turning men's lives around (addictions): John 3:16 Ministries (video)
  
• Turning women's lives around: Warriors Center for Women (video)
• Prisons

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