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 There is no doubt that God
intends for every Christian to be involved in the work of the
church. In other words, every one of us is a Christian minister in
his or her own right. Some are called to full time ministry and
follow that path as their life's work. There are many Christian
organizations that have been established for training full time
ministers. For example, Central Christian Church is closely
affiliated with one such institution;
William Jessup University. However, an overwhelming majority of
Christians work in full time jobs outside of the church and donate part of
their resources (money, time, talent) to the church. We receive our
greatest joy in life and in our Christian walk when we are serving
according to the gifts God has provided for us.
To copy an old, and somewhat
trite, analogy, getting involved at Central Christian Church is as easy as
1- 2- 3. A great deal of our planning, prayer, and physical time
goes into finding places for people to minister. We believe that God
created Christian ministry (or service) as a gift for His people. In other words, God created ministry to
give people a way to use their talents in service to Him and, thus, to be
able to enjoy the ultimate fulfillment in life. When we are not serving, we are, in
effect, not receiving one of God's greatest gifts to us. There are many things that need to be done in the church, but we believe
those tasks are really opportunities for each of us to use our God given
abilities to serve. In short: we are not truly experiencing Christian life
to the fullest until we are serving in a God honoring capacity through
ministry.
Step
1: Attend Growth Track Classes to Find Out Where God Has
Equipped You For Service
We use an acrostic,
S.H.A.P.E., to illustrate how we are each given gifts for
service. S.H.A.P.E. stands for Spiritual gifts, Heart,
Abilities, Personality, and Experiences.
We believe that God has uniquely prepared each individual for
service in an infinite number of tasks. We strongly encourage
our members, and soon to be members, to attend all four of our core Growth
Track Classes to help them find out more about their S.H.A.P.E.
The Growth Track Classes will help you learn how to have a personal
relationship with Jesus, how our church operates, and where you can
effectively fit on the team.
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Step
2: Get Plugged Into An I.M.P.A.C.T. Group
I.M.P.A.C.T.
Groups is the name of our home study group ministry.
I.M.P.A.C.T. stands for Instruction, Ministry, Prayer,
Accountability, Celebration, and Training.
We believe that it is incredibly important for each of us to fit
into a smaller circle of influence in the church. The people
in I.M.P.A.C.T.
Groups share Bible study, prayer, fellowship events, and are committed to being
available for each other in times of need.
Small groups are a great way to get to know other Christians in an
informal setting. They are also a great place to discuss
specific topics as you study together. I.M.P.A.C.T. Groups provide each
participant with consistent, continuing education, love and support,
and a trusted accountability structure.
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Step
3: Be Willing To Try Some Ministries Until You Find One That Suits
You
Many people are afraid to
try new things for fear of failing. At Central Christian
Church we don't believe in failure. We've built our entire Ministry
Model structure around giving people a way to try
different areas of service until they find one that suits
them. Knowing something about your S.H.A.P.E will help point
you in the right direction, but you will never really know if a
particular ministry is right for you until you try it out.
Knowing more about your S.H.A.P.E. will also help you decide what
"not" to try. For example, if you have no desire to sing, being part of the choir is obviously not
a good choice. However, even if you try a
ministry that you think you will like and, ultimately, decide it's
not for you, all you've really done is succeed at finding something
that "is not" your area. You've effectively
eliminated one area of ministry and are now free to move on to try something
else. This is not a failure. It is simply a step forward
in the process of growing. Our prayer and goal is that you will
quickly find the area of service that you know is your God given
place in the church. We also hope that you will eventually
become a Ministry Team Leader in that area of service. The joy
of serving can not be adequately expressed in words, but we know
from experience that Christians who are serving are the most fulfilled of all.
We work very hard at providing opportunities for everyone.
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