won’t you be my neighbor? - sharing ministry with other congregations in your community
DESCRIPTION
Presentation by Pam Vig at the 2012 Southeastern Minnesota Synod Assembly as part of a workshop on communication. More on the workshops and the synod at http://semnsynod.org/assembly/workshops/TRANSCRIPT
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Won’t You Be My Neighbor
Pam VigDirector of Children’s
MinistriesBethel Lutheran Church
Northfield, MN
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Won’t You Be My Neighbor
Matthew 22:37-40
And Jesus said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it, You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments depend all the law and the prophets.”
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Who is my neighbor?…working with other congregations in the same locale, whether or not those other congregations embody the same or similar heritage to one’s own is an opportunity often missed by congregations. It is time to recognize that various Christian traditions working together have much to offer the local community in both service and witness on behalf of Christ.
Vibrant Faith in the Congregation, Anderson, p. 27
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The Gift of Neighbor
The church is more authentic in the eyes of the young when it presents a common face to the world. To be one in Christ, Christians don’t have to speak the exact same language or use the same symbols and gestures. To say, “Jesus is Lord” is to acknowledge that the Spirit of Christ has gifted everyone.
Vibrant Faith in the Congregation, Anderson, p. 27
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Gifts of the Spirit…a key ingredient for the gifts of the Spirit is to serve larger efforts “for building up the body of Christ,” or as Paul puts it in 1 Corinthians 12:7, “for the common good.” These gifts are meant not to shine a light on the gifted individual but on the larger needs of the community both within and beyond the church.
Vibrant Faith in the Congregation, Anderson, p.27
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9 Basic Youth Ministry Practices
Trusted Relationships Engaging Worship Focused Prayer Life Care Groups Experiential Bible Study Service Projects Pilgrimages and Retreats Vocation and Leadership Partnership with Household
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Being a Healthy Neighbor Trusted Relationships Engaging Worship Focused Prayer Life Care Groups Experiential Bible Study Service Projects Pilgrimages and Retreats Vocation and Leadership Partnership with Household
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Identity What is our congregation’s identity?
Are most members in agreement on our identity and are they comfortable with it?
If not, what would our congregation like to look like and what might we need to do to get there?
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Perceived Drawbacks of Shared Ministry
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Perceived Drawbacks of Shared Ministry
Competition Theological differences Others…
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Overcoming ObstaclesLove is patient and kind; love is not jealous or boastful; it is not arrogant or rude. Love does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrong but rejoices in the right. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.
1 Corinthians 13:4-7
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A short list of How To’s in overcoming obstacles
Follow 1 Corinthians Don’t negatively compare your
congregation to another – one way or the other
Acknowledge the good qualities in each congregation
Ask for advice Coexist
• Support rather than compete• Speak well of and defend• Share ministries and resources
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Goals Share God’s love with the greater
world through our words and actions• Share our time, talent and resources • Support and rely on each other in our
joys and in our struggles
Help people in our communities find the church home that works best for them
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Don’t undermine them Don’t try to mimic them Look in the mirror
What if they like anothercongregation better?
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Getting Started Get together Host events together Pray for each other’s congregations
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Share What collaborations are already
taking place in our community?
What are the challenges?
What are the blessings?
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Benefits Share the work and the expense Share the resources and the wealth Community building Fellowship Members become aware of the larger
scope of the church
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Idea Sharing and Brainstorming
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Closing Prayer
Blessing – May God bless you and your congregation as you seek to be a good neighbor in His world.
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Mission and Vision Resources
The Church of Irresistible Influence by Robert Lewis
Once and Future Church By Loren Mead Purpose Driven Church by Rick Warren The New Paradigm Church by Donald Miller American Church in Crisis by David Olson Doing Church As A Team by Wayne Cordeiro
Pastor Merv Thompson – Lutheran Church of Hope, West Des Moines, IA