What have you noticed or learned are the most pressing concerns and issues that church or ministry members seek counsel on or ask for from your church or organization in your specific context? / How might you and the rest of your church’s or organization’s leadership team respond to these changing needs effectively as redemptive leaders? What actions are required to respond suitably? / What further reading or resources have helped you in your leadership development, especially to meet the changing needs of your community?

[Austin]

Most people in the church today says that the church lacks substance. If you were to ask a pastor, deacon, or minister a very well-known biblical question, “Why do people attend church?” In many churches you would be accursed of harassment and asked to leave. This is the same with other doctrine questions and concerns. Interested church attendees are attending church today because they want to attend not because God requires us to meet His demands for repentance, redemption, and salvation. The world is vastly changing, and modern technology today appears to be the God of the world. Everyone is running around trying to pay Apple Inc. and Samsung Technologies thousands of dollars annually for communication services and devices. More people are investing is brand new forms of transportation instead of investing wisely in used automobiles. After the 2006 – 2008 real estate market crash many should have learned to stay away from over investing in condo, resident mortgages, and commercial properties, but the opposite today stands true. Most of us are plagued with the need to feel relevant, superior, and powerful behind all of the bling and glamor associated with New Age Technology.

The church needs to revisit the original vision of the Christian church. What does church mean? Why was church instituted? And, why we must attend and why should the elders of the church care? Most churches do not commune with communities nor any other outside affiliates, they are only concerned with the ones who made it in “today.” Yes, Christian faith should reflect on the need of community residents and not some drawn out agenda proposed by the pastors.

[Austin]

Note that I hold no specific position and only a lay minister at this time. The church that I attend is very small but has a dynamic impact on the intellectually disabled in our community. We had a special needs egg hunt and meal on the Saturday before easter and involved the local Miracle League kids, their families, and their support staff. God supplied generous sponsors, so the event could be specifically tailored to their special needs. We had observed that the seriously disabled children in our area were not very well serviced and had few social or spiritual outlets available to them. We have only a single special child at our church right now and he inspired us to do this outreach. We have since been able to establish a rapport. with these families now and hope to see some of them visit with us soon. By showing love and compassion to them, we personified the love of Christ. We were told that there are not too many places they can go and just be themselves (without being judged). Since this time, we have also connected with the local WHIP group (Women Helping Those in Pink), a cancer survivor group. Our first lady has cancer, and this group can help encourage her while we help them. We try to have the heart of Christ and love like he did. We are currently planning more outreach events to the underserved and sadly often overlooked or unaccepted in our local area. Meeting them where they are and accepting them just as they are are essential and a necessity for the local church and community.

[Austin]

In today’s church, the church leadership needs to listen to the needs of the people who attend weekly. Church leaders need to walk their talk.
I serve in the urban missions of my church body. It is so important to come around the people we serve and give to the community. This means to serve the needs of the people now. I believe that church leadership should focus on people not programs. For example, my urban mission group came around an individual that wanted to get off the streets. He was having issues with drinking. Our group was able to get him in the Recovery House St. Louis. A transitional housing program that focused on the 12 steps recovery. Also, church leadership needs to focus on being honest, open mindedness, and willingness to reach others by discipline making. In Robert Rohr book Breathing Under Water, he states: “It seems we are not that free to be honest, or even aware, because most of our garbage is buried in the unconscious. So, it is essential that we find a spirituality that reaches that hidden level. If not, nothing really changes.”
Next, it is important that the church have small groups that have no more than six to twelve members. These groups need to grow together in knowing Jesus and each member needs to grow in their faith. Having these small groups focus on prayer is so important. According to Robert Rohr: “We ask not to change God, but to change ourselves. Prayer is a symbiotic relationship moving and growing.”
“Prayer is not a way to control God, or even to get what we want. God gives us power more than answers.”
Also, the modern church needs to address the elderly care, addiction, teen issues, and prayer walking. The church needs to grow by attraction rather than promotion. Finally, the church should always be open to serve the community and each member should be involved in some kind of ministry.

Furthering reading:
John Maxwell
21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership
Robert Rohr
Breathing Under Water

[Austin]

Thank you for the book recommendations and the quotes. I am especially interested in reading “Breathing Under Water.”

I agree that we need to reach out and address the needs of the elderly, those struggling with addiction, and issues our young men and women face. I also love that you mentioned prayer walking. I feel (at least where I grew up) that this was completely overlooked, but I am so happy that people are making a point to get out in communities to pray for and with the people in the community.

[Austin]

I am not in a ‘leadership’ position. I serve more in a supportive capacity both to staff and parishioners , especially the seniors. We are blessed to have a Pastor to the Seniors at our community church . At seventy five years of age, I am also a senior.

We respond to many pressing issues; financial, illnesses, disabilities, housing, food shortages, loneliness , etc. There are a multitude of ever changing challenges to deal with.

I wanted to take <b style=”font-style: italic;”>This Course so that I would be better equipped to be supportive to Spiritual needs as well. Sometimes hope is lost and despair sets in. I want to continuously help others to reflect on all we do have. PERSONAL SALVATION…nothing is better than that. So, let’s rejoice and keep our focus on GOD. I have the deepest appreciation and sense of gratitude for all GOD has done for me. I want desperately for others to share this. I want others to have hope and not despair because, ultimately, we are truly blessed.