Mentoring Others

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“Just as a nursing mother cares for her children, so we cared for you. Because we loved you so much, we were delighted to share with you not only the gospel of God but our lives as well.  (We are) encouraging, comforting and urging you to live lives worthy of God, who calls you into His kingdom and glory.”

1 Thessalonians 2:7-8, 12

Mentoring is a key aspect of the Great Commission, because we are to “make” disciples and not just “witness to” outsiders.  It also helps those we mentor to grow spiritually and learn to live a life of faith. Jesus was a teacher, counselor, and guide to all of His disciples. He also developed a mentoring relationship with them. He had a particularly close mentoring relationship with three of His disciples – Peter, James, and John. 

According to the dictionary, a mentor is a wise and trusted counselor or teacher. God created us to need mentors, including our parents, teachers, bosses and pastors. The Apostle Paul mentored young Timothy (1st Timothy Chapter 4). As Paul demonstrates, mentoring is a committed one-to-one discipleship relationship, an investment in another person’s life, a passing on of faith in Jesus, and an apprenticeship where both people respect and rely on each other. Mentoring also enables spiritual reproduction, so that the mentee can in turn mentor others and pass the Christian faith from one generation to another. As Paul also wrote to Timothy, “And the things you have heard me say in the presence of many witnesses entrust to reliable people who will also be qualified to teach others.” (2 Timothy 2:2)

There are some basic principles of mentoring that are very important if it is to be effective. First of all, there must be Commitment by both the mentor and mentee. This means taking on the responsibility to develop the one-to-one relationship, investing time in the process, and pledging to completely follow God’s Word and God’s Will. Second, there must be Accountability. There needs to be openness to each other, a willingness to be repentant, and an agreement to “answer to” the other person. Third, there should be Confidentiality. All personal information must be confidential unless specified otherwise. If mutually agreed upon, some information can be shared to build up the body of believers. Fourth, mentoring must be Voluntary. Each person must be willing to enter into the relationship and give it their time.  Either person can discontinue it if desired.

Additionally, mentoring should be person-to-person with the same gender to avoid any romantic temptations. It can be someone you know, or don’t know, and will often happen as a result of God’s call or prompting. Mentors should not mentor more than three people at a time and also must use the Bible as the primary tool.

Here are the key steps to mentoring:

1.Determine Who to Mentor

After prayer and discerning God’s guidance, select a person to mentor. Have an exploratory first meeting to discuss the mentoring process. Pray about it together.

2. Determine a mentoring process

Decide on when and where to meet and agree on the Bible as the guidebook for your meetings. Have a second meeting to discuss and take notes on life issues, topics, or needs. Plan with each other the schedule and topics. If the person is not a believer yet, work on evangelism first.

3. Meet regularly

Keep to the agreed upon schedule but remain flexible to adjust the schedule as needed. Have brief encounters to catch-up and provide encouragement.

4. Assess and work on the needs

Take notes and collect more information related to childhood, young adulthood, and current life situation.  Review and discuss your notes together. Then, determine their needs and encourage their spiritual growth. As Paul wrote, “But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have become convinced of, because you know those from whom you learned it, and how from infancy you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus.” (2 Timothy 3:14-15).  

5. Set goals

Goals should be worked on one at a time, or only a few at a time. All goals should be researched in the Scriptures for guidance and help.  Do this together and prepare some suggested goals for them ahead of time. Pray together about the goals and listen to the Holy Spirit for guidance. Agree on any “homework” due before the next meeting. Be testimonial by sharing the spiritual growth taking place with others and witnessing the work of the Holy Spirit in your lives.

When should the mentoring relationship end? It can end as God leads (and is agreed upon) or when the mentee is capable of mentoring another person.  We need to ‘make disciples’ who will ‘make other disciples’! It can also end when life situations change.

Every Christian should have a mentor and be a mentor all of their life! We are all called to make disciples (Matthew 28:19) so that God’s Kingdom grows!

(From Chapter 11 in our Discipleship for Church Leaders™ Training Manual, ©2015.)

Our Management for Church Leaders Training Reaches 100th Nation!

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“Many are the plans in a man’s heart, but it is the Lord’s purpose that prevails.“

Proverbs 19:21

We are thrilled to announce that our Management for Church Leaders™ training has reached it’s 100th Nation! Last Saturday, our MCL Trainer in Guatemala, Dr. Diego Cruz, held an MCL training on Facebook Live that was attended by 16 pastors and leaders from several nations, including Belize. That made Belize the 100th nation to receive our training! As you may recall, Diego and I had planned to take our training to Belize in May but the training conference had to be postponed due to the virus. Instead, our original host in Belize, Pastor Julio Quiroz from the Belize Church of God, attended the online training. Here are a couple of screenshot photos from the training. Diego is pictured on bottom photo:

God gave us the vision to reach 100 nations back in 2008 and this goal has been the focus of our ministry the past 11 years. It is what led us to publish a self-training manual in 2012 and create our Global Trainer Network in 2014 so that we could multiply and spread our training.

We recognize that it took many people, especially our global trainers, to reach this goal, and it was all by God’s Hand and not our own! We are also thankful to all of our ministry donors and supporters who helped provide the funding and prayers that God used to bring this about. We truly thank and praise the Lord for leading us, and using all of us, to reach this wonderful milestone in this ministry!

We will be releasing a video in the next several weeks to celebrate this accomplishment for the Lord, which will include a look back on how we got here. We will let you know when it is available for on-line viewing.

What Holds Us Captive?

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“But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves to God, the benefit you reap leads to holiness, and the result is eternal life.”

Romans 6:22

For most of us, we are living in unprecedented times. There are only a few people old enough who still remember the Spanish Flu pandemic of 1918. Today, we face the global COVID-19 virus pandemic with its restrictions, closures, lockdowns, and requirements. Millions of people have lost their jobs, some businesses have permanently closed, freedom of travel has been severely restricted, and churches have been unable to meet together. At this point in time, there appears to be no relief in the immediate future from the impact of the corona virus.

Consequently, there are many who feel as though their lives are being held captive by the virus. Some go so far as to claim we are losing our constitutional right to freedom. But are we really in captivity during this pandemic?

To answer that question, let’s first look as what it means to be a captive. The dictionary says that the word captive means “one who has been captured: one taken and held usually in confinement.” We can generally be considered captive, therefore, if we are confined against our will somewhere, such as in a prison cell, as a prisoner of war, or if we have been kidnapped and held for ransom. 

That hardly describes our situation today with the virus. There are certainly restrictions being placed upon all of us, but we still have some level of independence and movement. In some US States and in other countries, the restrictions can either be more or less severe depending upon local circumstances. But in reality, no one is completely confined or held captive to the virus (with the exception of those who have been hospitalized with severe life threatening symptoms).

The Bible describes many times that people were held captive. In the Old Testament, Joseph was put in prison by the Pharaoh in Egypt (Genesis), the Jews were in held captive as slaves in Egypt (Exodus), and the Israelites were taken into captivity to Babylon (2 Kings). In the New Testament, the early Christians were put in prison by Paul and even Paul himself was in prison for Christ (Acts). These are clear examples of confinement against one’s will.

Today, we are not confined against our will because of the virus, but simply restricted for a time in what we are allowed to do until the virus passes.

However, we are still being held captive to another, far more dangerous virus. It’s called sin. Since the fall of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden (Genesis 3), every human being is born with this virus. And no matter what we do, we cannot rid this virus from our lives. There is no medicine for it. There is no treatment for it. And no doctor can remove it. The Apostle Paul wrote that “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” (Romans 3:23). In our church’s corporate confession we say that “we are in bondage to sin and cannot free ourselves.” Another way to state that is that we are “captive” to our sin. Our sin holds us, confines us, and keeps us bound in it chains!

Yet, there is an antidote to counter this virus. An antidote is defined as something that relieves, prevents or counters. That antidote is faith in Jesus Christ, who went to the cross and sacrificed His life in our place to release us from the captivity of sin! His mercy and grace gives us freedom from the virus of sin. We no longer need to be slaves to it or in bondage to it. Jesus did not have this virus of sin, and His perfect life is the only antidote to the virus of sin that exists. There is no way to counter this virus in our lives other than through faith in Jesus Christ!

How do we get this antidote for the virus of sin in our lives? We receive the antidote in the form of the Holy Spirit when we are born again through faith in Christ. Paul said that “Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the sinful nature with its passions and desires.” (Galatians 5:24) The Holy Spirit gives us the ability to relieve, prevent and counter the harmful aspects of this virus of sin.

Now, it is important to note that this antidote does not remove the virus from our lives. We are still sinful by nature. But this antidote gives us the power to counter the evil effects of sin and to live lives free of its deathly grip. The virus of sin no longer has the power to take our life! When we place our faith and trust in Christ, the Holy Spirit works in our lives to counter our sinful nature and relieve us from its consequences. And that enables us to live lives that are holy, righteous and pleasing to God.

Our failure to take this antidote, which is provided free to us through Christ’s sacrifice, leaves us vulnerable to the ravages of sin that only leads to death (Romans 6:23). How sad it is that so many people in our world do not even know that there is an antidote for our sin. And worse yet, there are some people who don’t want the antidote and instead prefer to live with sin and its deathly consequences.

As Christians, we have the obligation to let others know that they don’t have to be held captive by the virus of sin and its damage to their lives. They can receive the antidote to sin by simply putting their faith and trust in Christ. It’s free and carries with it a lifetime guarantee!      

While we all wait for an antidote to the corona virus, let us not hesitate to remove our captivity to sin by putting our faith in Jesus. Let us also share the antidote to sin that Christ gives freely to everyone who calls upon His name!

Managing Small Groups

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“The body is a unit, though it is made up of many parts, and though all its parts are many, they form one body. So it is with Christ.”

1 Corinthians 12:12

One of the most effective ministry tools for discipleship is small groups. When people come together in a smaller community of believers, they are often more free to share their successes and failures and be willing to be held accountable. They are also often more willing to share their faith and seek a closer relationship with God as they build a close relationship with other believers. Typically, Bible study is at the core of a small group, and this enables believers to gain more knowledge of God and his Word that they can then apply in their own lives.  This is what discipleship is all about – studying and doing God’s Word! As a result, many people often grow more as followers of Christ when they participate in a small group.  

Small groups are an important tool for discipleship within a church. It enables members to do several things.

First, they can explore God’s Word with others to become better equipped. “All Scripture is God-breathed and useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting, and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.”  (2 Timothy 3:16-17) It enables believers to gain a greater understanding of God and how the Word applies to, and enhances, their life.

Second, it’s a place to make disciples. “Therefore, encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing.”  (1 Thessalonians 5:11) Personal testimonies and faith sharing can strengthen us so we can grow together in faith.

Third, it builds closer relationships. Small groups create stronger ties, allow for deeper levels of personal sharing, and create accountability to one another.

Fourth, they can provide ministry care to each other when needed. “Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.” (Galatians 6:2). Like a family, they support each other during difficult times.

Finally, they can be an outlet for church ministry. Small groups can have their own outreach ministry in their local community and even travel together to do mission work.

There are a few basic principles of managing small groups that can help you to make them more productive and fruitful.

  1. Limit the size. It’s often recommended to keep them to no more than 12 people because is difficult to build strong relationships if the group is too large.
  • Designate and train small group leaders. Selecting the right leader is critical to its success. They must be trained and willing to submit to church leadership and oversight.
  • Define the purpose. Small groups can have different purposes (e.g. – Bible Study, Fellowship, or Outreach), but they must always focus on Christ and faith development.
  • Chemistry of the group matters. All members must be committed to the group. There needs to be unity in purpose and they must care for, and about, each other.

There are also some ways that church leaders can manage small groups to make them a more effective tool for discipleship.

  1. Hold small group leaders accountable. Request annual plans and updates and ask for faith stories and group spiritual growth assessment. Also, meet with them regularly to assist them or get feedback.
  • Keep track of small group meetings and members. Know who is in the group and when and where they are meeting. Ask to attend a meeting occasionally.
  • Oversee small group study materials. Know and approve their Bible study materials and offer training or other assistance to Bible study leaders. Recommend church–wide studies or other resources that you know to be effective for discipleship.
  • Have regular meetings with small group leaders. Schedule regular meetings to review progress and activities or to provide ongoing training for leaders.
  • Encourage church members to participate in small groups. It will build community and create connections to other members. It will strengthen discipleship in your church and create an outlet for outreach.

Small groups can be one of the most effective tools a pastor or church leader has to disciple people in their church or community. It is a wonderful way for people to share their faith, experience encouragement and caring from others, and grow as a disciple of Christ.

(from chapter 7 of our Management for Church Leaders™ Volume #2 Training Manual, © 2010)

A New Vision for a New Decade

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“I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God made it grow.”

1 Corinthians 3:6

Our ministry vision the past 13 years has been to reach 100 nations with our Management for Church Leaders™ (MCL) training. As of today, our MCL training has been taught in 99 nations. We had envisioned reaching the 100th nation through a training that was scheduled for the Seychelles in March by Pastor Wilson Esambe from Cameroon. But this training did not happen because of the global virus pandemic. We are hopeful that training can take place soon. Consequently, we expect to reach our goal of 100 nations sometime in the next month or two.

Our original ministry intent was to “scatter the seed” of our MCL training. In other words, God directed us to spread it to as many nations as we could. As a result, the vision God gave us was to plant our training in 100 nations. With that vision nearing achievement, it became evident to us that we needed to ask God for a new vision.

Last year I began that process of prayer and meditation for a new vision from the Lord. I presented some ideas that the Lord had revealed to me at our annual board of directors meeting last November. We discussed them but decided to continue to pray for God’s direction and clarity. Earlier this year I presented the vision that I believed the Lord was calling us to achieve. Our board approved that new vision a few months ago, but we decided to wait to announce it until after we had accomplished our current vision. However, since we are so close to our goal of 100 nations, we believe that now is the time to let you know where we are headed in the future.

After much prayer, deliberation and discussion with our board, we believe that God now wants us to make sure that our training is more “firmly planted” where we have sown its seed. As a result, our new vision will be to establish an active global MCL trainer in 50 nations by the year 2025. An active global trainer is someone who conducts our training on a regular basis each year. Although we currently have 73 global trainers in 39 nations, only 20 nations currently have an active trainer providing regular, annual training. That means we need to establish an active trainer in 30 more nations over the next 5 years.

This vision is based on 1 Corinthians 3:6. The church in Corinth was praising Paul and Apollos for their work in establishing the gospel there. But Paul proclaimed that “I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God made it grow.” We have done what Paul did by planting our training in 99 nations. But now we need to do what Apollos did. We need to feed (“water”) the training seed we have planted by providing trainers and resources in those nations without an active trainer to help our training grow and develop there as well.

Our strategy for achieving this new vision is three-fold. First, we will begin with nations where we have a global trainer who is not active and work to have them become an active trainer. That may require funding training expenses or providing additional training tools. Second, we will look to establish our training in the curriculums of the Bible Colleges & Schools where we have taught our MCL in the past, or where we now have contacts. That could mean revising our training to fit school curriculum formats. It also might include some travel costs for us to introduce it or teach it ourselves. Finally, we will look to identify potential global trainers in nations where our MCL training has been planted but there is no global trainer. That may entail communication or travel costs.

By establishing an active global MCL trainer in 50 nations we will be strengthening our ministry, expanding our training within more nations, and ensuring the training of more pastors and church leaders in the future. We believe that this new vision is God’s will for this ministry. As we turn our attention to fulfilling the call that He is now giving to us, we look forward to seeing how God grows this ministry in the years ahead. Please pray for us as we embark on this new adventure!

Choose Faith Over Fear

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“Then he got into the boat and his disciples followed him. Without warning a furious storm came up on the lake, so that the waves swept over the boat. But Jesus was sleeping. The disciples went and woke him saying, ‘Lord save us! We’re going to drown!’ He replied, ‘You of little faith, why are you so afraid?’ Then he got up and rebuked the winds and the waves, and it was completely calm. The men were amazed and asked, ‘What kind of man is this? Even the winds and the waves obey him!’”

Matthew 8:23-27

The above Scripture is about faith and fear. The disciples (and Jesus) faced a dangerous situation in the form of a furious storm and they became afraid. What were the disciples afraid of? According to this passage they were afraid of death, specifically drowning! They had woken Jesus and said, “Lord save us! We are going to drown!” I suppose that we would have said the same thing if we were in that situation. However, notice what Jesus said to them. He said, “You of little faith, why are you so afraid?” For you and I the answer is obvious. They were afraid because they feared death. I’m certain that would have been our reaction as well.

But what was the faith Jesus was talking about? He was talking about faith in Him and His promise of eternal life that He had spoken to them about many times. I suppose the disciples didn’t make the connection at that time. They were still learning from Jesus and perhaps not as fully aware of what Jesus himself would provide to them through His sacrifice on the cross. In this circumstance, the disciples chose fear over faith.

But today, we have no such excuse. We know what Jesus did for us on Calvary. So, if our faith is based on Jesus and what He did on the cross to give us eternal life, why should we fear our earthly death? To fear our death would be to deny our faith in Christ.

We are currently faced with a worldwide pandemic from the spread of COVID-19, a new strain of the corona virus. So, how should we approach this new danger in our lives today? Should we, as Christians, be fearful of its consequences? Should we heed all of the governmental warnings to protect ourselves and stay away from others? Should we put our trust in medicine, doctors, medical equipment or hospitals to save our lives?

I’d like to share three points that can help us clarify what our response should be as followers of Christ.

First, Life is Dangerous!  The disciples faced a dangerous storm, but we also face dangers in our lives every day. We first faced danger when we were conceived. From the moment of conception we faced dangers in the womb from genetics, disease, or miscarriage. We also faced dangers in our delivery, such as being still born or having birth defects or abnormalities. Then as we began our lives outside the womb we faced additional dangers like cancer, poverty, unemployment, natural disasters, accidents and crime.

The fact is we face danger every minute of every day. There are dangers we see and dangers we do not see. According to the National Safety Council, here are a few of the odds of dying in America from various causes:

  • Heart disease & cancer    1 in 7
  • Motor vehicle accident    1 in 114
  • Assault by firearm            1 in 370
  • Drowning                          1 in 1,188
  • Airline accident                1 in 9,821
  • Cataclysmic storm            1 in 66,335

These statistics do vary by nation, but notice that from these numbers a storm is one of the least likely things to cause our death (although drowning is a greater possibility)! 

We know that danger is all around us, whether we see it or not. It is part of life and cannot always be avoided. And often the dangers can be random or sudden, not giving us time to react thoughtfully or carefully. We just don’t always think about these dangers unless we are staring one right in the face. The point is, no human being is free from danger or risk. We typically only react however when we can see it or are directly confronted by it. And this leads to my second point.

Secondly, Our Physical Response to Danger or Death is Fear. Fear for our physical lives is part of our human nature and has both positive and negative aspects. On the positive side, our fear can warn us of potentially dangerous situations and give us time to react. These are things like smoke from a fire, snow on the roadway, threatening clouds, or the sound of sirens. These get our attention and enable us to take precautions to protect ourselves. This is why we should heed the warnings and instructions from our government about the corona virus. It is for our protection and instituted under God’s authority (Romans 13:1-5).

On the negative side, however, fear can also cause us to run away, hide, act irrationally or not be able to function at all. These are fears such as confrontations, terror threats, political unrest, or epidemics. These are situations that we believe we need to avoid at all costs. We can see some Biblical examples of this, like Jonah running away from Nineveh (Jonah 1:3), the disciples hiding from the Jews after Jesus’ death (John 20:19), and Peter denying knowing Christ (Matthew 26:69-75).  It is natural to fear danger. It can protect us from harm. But it can also paralyze us or cause us to panic unnecessarily.

So, what should our response be to danger if not fear?  Point number three is that Our Spiritual Response to Danger Should Be Faith. Faith is trusting in God in all things. That means we should trust Him to see us through the dangers that we face. There are three reasons why we should trust Him. First, God is Love. He loves us unconditionally and He cares for us (1 Peter 5:7). Second, God is Truth and in Him there is no falsehood. He is trustworthy and He keeps His promises to us (Hebrew 10:23). Third, He sent His son Jesus to die in our place as a sacrifice for our sin. Jesus bore our sin on the cross and through His death and resurrection we have been given the gift of eternal life (John 3:16). He faced death and overcame it for our sake. Knowing what God did (and still does) for us, how can we not trust Him when we face danger or death?

I suppose there are those who might argue that we do not possess Christ’s courage. But that is not true! We have the same power that gave Jesus His courage – the Holy Spirit! His Holy Spirit will give us the power to trust in God and the courage to face the dangers of this world, even those that may lead to our death. And because of Jesus’ resurrection we also have hope, the hope that there is life after death and that death is not the end. When we put our faith in Jesus, we have hope, power and courage to face every danger, even death!

Should we trust the medical community to protect or help us when we face danger? Of course we should. They are God’s instruments to bring healing and recovery to our body (1 Corinthians 12:6). But they are not perfect and we should never trust them more than our Heavenly Father. They may be able to care for us between conception and death, but they do not determine either of them. God alone has power over life and death (Genesis 1:27, 3:19)!

We are all facing danger and death in our lives whether we realize it or not. Today it is the corona virus that is on the top of our minds. But tomorrow it might be something else. And there are also other daily dangers that we continue to face apart from the virus. So if we must inevitably face danger and death in this world, let us respond with faith and not fear. As Christians, we must trust God to protect us and see us through our trials through faith in Jesus. Let us not succumb to our fear of death but instead live in the hope of eternal life given to us by Jesus!! Let us choose faith over fear!

Testimonies From the Mission Field

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“And the things you have heard me say in the presence of many witnesses entrust to reliable men who will also be qualified to teach others.”

2 Timothy 2:2

God has given us the privilege and honor of training pastors and church leaders about leadership and management principles for almost 20 years now. And in 2014 we set up a global trainer network to extend our training through those we have trained. This is often called multiplication ministry. We now have a network of over 70 pastoral trainers who teach our Management for Church Leaders training to others each month around the globe. I often share the numerical results of these training conferences in our newsletters but don’t share some of the feedback and testimonies that I receive from them.

So I thought I would share a few of those that I have received recently to give you a little insight on the impact our ministry is having:
 

“We had a great training session last week in Chitwan and the next one will be in Delhi, India among Nepali Pastors and Leaders (expecting around 50 participants). I have a plan to conduct MCL training monthly in different parts of Nepal, at least 12 sessions this year on average.”      
– Pastor Dhan Thapa from Kathmandu, Nepal

“We have done a three day seminar with Missionary Blake Northam.  Attendance was 63. All in attendance were our college students. Blake is a very committed man of God blessed with explicit teachings and of sound doctrine. Looking forward to receive more teachings from FaithLife Ministries.”
– Pastor David Evans from Thika, Kenya

“I’m happy to report to you that MCL training took off today with an enrollment of 18 attendants. Praise the lord Jesus Christ for his grace. It was attended by two Bishops, 3 Pastors and 13 other Church leaders. They have really appreciated you for authorizing me to facilitate the training as a Pastoral Trainer. They have promised to mobilize more Pastors and Church leaders for the same course.”
– Bishop Chebon Eriama from Busia, Kenya

“I took much longer days than as usual because I was using chalk boards while they were copying, It was an exciting exercise but I finished well and the leaders send their appreciation to FaithLife Ministries for sending me to train them such practical materials. I was in a group that was discussing on how to handle people and finance management especially in the Church. I thank you for encouraging me and when I raised my faith God moved and here I testify of His grace. Be blessed.”
– Pastor Okumu Eryeza from Kampala, Uganda

“I greet you in the great name of our lord Jesus Christ. Thank you so much for all the great work you are doing. We thank God for His love and protection. The training started very well for the pastors and church leaders who managed to come. And God protected us from this virus. Thank you so much for all the support. May God bless you.”
– Pastor Kiyingi Emmy from Kampala, Uganda


As you can read, our global trainers are grateful for our training and having the opportunity to teach our training to others. And while most of our global training has been canceled due to the corona virus pandemic for April & May, these testimonies give us hope that our training will spread even further once we are able to resume.

Please pray for all of our global trainers, and that the Lord will keep them safe and healthy as well as provide for their families and financial needs during this global crisis.

Freedom and Responsibility

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“Live as free men, but do not use your freedom as a cover-up for evil; live as servants of God.”

1 Peter 2:16

For Americans, freedom is regarded as our most cherished and important right. Our nation was founded on the principle of freedom for the individual and is essential to our system of self-government. Our Declaration of Independence states, “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.” In other words, America claims that its citizens have the right and the freedom (liberty) to live our lives as we determine, to pursue what makes us individually happy, and to govern ourselves accordingly. That level of freedom is what makes our nation unique in the world. It is also the reason people from around the world are drawn to our country – to have the freedom and opportunity to speak their minds, practice their faith, and to pursue whatever dreams and aspirations they may have.  As the plaque inside the Statue of Liberty in New York Harbor proclaims, “Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free.” These freedoms are foundational to our culture and enable us to protect ourselves from the tyranny of our own government.

Freedom brings with it many great benefits. Having freedom means that as Americans we get to make our own choices and determine our own future free from societal norms or interference from others. We get to decide what career or work we want to do, what education to pursue, and where to live. We also get to decide who and what to vote for and what we choose to believe. We have the freedom to buy, drive, wear or do what we like. Our freedom as Americans is also the driving force behind our economy that has resulted in the development of many of the world’s new innovations, new businesses and even new industries. In America we have more choices of products and services than anywhere else in the world. If something is needed in our culture, somebody will recognize it and invent it!

But, are we truly free to do whatever we want to do? The answer of course is no. That’s because with freedom comes responsibility.  Like all nations we had to establish a set of laws that govern our behavior in order to restrain our citizens from infringing on the rights of other citizens. It starts with our Constitution and then continues with our state laws and local laws that further constrain what we are legally allowed to do with our freedom. We must use our freedom responsibly. If we don’t and break those laws we risk going to prison and ultimately losing that freedom. Only those who have been in prison truly understand what the loss of freedom means. I, for one, certainly don’t ever want to experience what that is like!

Unbridled freedom in any society leads to chaos and instability. That’s why laws exist. In order to protect and keep our freedom as a nation we must be responsible citizens and use it wisely. We must be careful not to take our freedoms for granted or abuse that privilege. Otherwise we risk having to pass more and more restrictive laws to govern our behavior that gradually takes away our freedom until it is completely gone!

This same principle of using our freedom responsibly is true for every human being regardless of their nationality. God has given every human the freedom to make their own choices in how they live. That is called free will. The consequences of those choices, however, will vary by nation depending upon its laws and culture. God also gave us free will to choose whether or not to believe in Him or follow His commands. Unfortunately, we were also born with a sinful nature that causes us to hurt ourselves and others. But our loving God has also freed us from our bondage to sin through the life, death and resurrection of his Son Jesus so that we could live in true freedom. It is a free gift to us if we simply put our faith in Jesus! Ephesians 2:8-9 tells us “For it is by grace that you have been saved, through faith – and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God – not by works, so that no one can boast.” But without faith in Christ, we are stuck in our sinful nature and unable to free ourselves from it by our own power.

The Apostle Paul wrote in Galatians 5:13, “You, my brothers, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge in the sinful nature; rather serve one another in love.” God is warning us that how we use our freedom matters and that we must use it responsibly. If we use our freedom to make bad choices or hurt others due to our sinful nature, then we will reap the consequences. But if we use our freedom to serve others as He calls us to do, then we will be blessed and avoid falling back into bondage to sin.

So how do we protect the freedom that Christ has won for us? Again, God uses Paul to show us the way. He wrote in Galatians 5:16, “So I say, live by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature.” In other words, the only way we can overcome our sinful nature is by taking on more of God’s spiritual nature!  We can’t fight our sinfulness by trying harder or using the latest self-help technique. We can only deny our sinful nature through the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. Once we recognize this simple principle we can stop trying to fix ourselves and instead submit to God (ref. James 4:7) and thereby allow His Holy Spirit to lead us to make decisions that honor Him and bless others!

So, we Americans must be careful to be responsible with our freedom so that we don’t lose it. It’s not just about passing more laws to prevent the abuse of our freedom, but to act responsibly on our own as citizens so that we don’t have to restrict our freedoms. But more importantly, as Christians, we must be careful not to use our freedom to sin or hurt others in our individual pursuits. We are called to submit to God, to obey His commands, and to use our freedom to serve others.

Let us remember the words of the Apostle Paul in Galatians 6:8-10: “The one who sows to please his sinful nature, from that nature will reap destruction; the one who sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life. Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of Believers.”

Strategic Planning

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“Suppose one of you wants to build a tower.  Will he not first sit down and estimate the cost to see if he has enough money to complete it?  For if he lays the foundation and is not able to finish it, everyone who sees it will ridicule him.”

Luke 14:28-29

Planning is an important element in church or ministry leadership.  Robert Schuller, author and former Pastor of the Crystal Cathedral in California, says, “those who fail to plan, plan to fail.”  Having a clearly defined plan helps a church or ministry organize its resources and apply them in such a way as to best achieve their vision.  Without a plan, churches and ministries waste limited resources and valuable time, and inevitably fall short of achieving what God has called them to do.  Having a plan does not restrict a church or ministry to a prescribed course of action, but rather lays the foundation upon which the church or ministry can strategically deploy its assets for maximum effectiveness. 

To begin with we must first define what is meant by strategic planning.  Strategic planning is the process of setting goals, organizing activities and deploying resources to achieve a Vision. A Strategic Plan tells you what resources you are going to use, when you are going to use them, and how you are going to apply them, in order to accomplish what God has called you to do.  All of your available resources are given to you by God (James 1:17) and His desire is that you invest and manage them wisely in order to produce fruit for the Kingdom.  A strategic plan helps the leader to do just that.

One of the questions many church and ministry leaders ask is why we should have a plan at all, since we are supposed to be led by the Holy Spirit who directs us as He desires.  But we must remember that even a strategic plan is directed by the Holy Spirit, and as we start to organize and decide how best to deploy the resources that God has given to us the Holy Spirit is right there with us guiding our decisions and plans.  The strategic plan is not for God’s benefit, but for ours.  It is a tool that helps us stay focused on the Vision that God has given us and to manage our resources wisely and effectively. 

It is also important to remember that our God is a God of planning.  Scripture includes references to God’s plan for salvation (John 3:16) and His plan for us (Jeremiah 29:11).  It also includes references to our use of planning (Psalm 20:4, Proverbs 15:22 & 16:3, and Isaiah 32:8).

Churches and ministries need a strategic plan for several reasons. First of all, it enables the church to chart a course for the future. A strategic plan helps us to build a foundation for future growth and development. Having a plan assures us that we have a strong ministry foundation that will not be swept away or collapse when difficulties arise (Luke 6:46-49). Second, a plan helps to avoid distractions. The strategic plan will help to keep the focus of the church or ministry on its vision and mission and avoid being distracted from its primary mission or goal.  Third, a plan enables a church or ministry to utilize its resources effectively and efficiently. One of the primary benefits of a strategic plan is to enable efficient resource deployment.  As part of the planning process the leader must choose how to maximize output from the available resources and to allocate them wisely and not waste the resources God has provided.  Finally, a strategic plan helps to prevent future conflicts. This is because the leadership team has already decided how best to use its resources to accomplish its goals and vision.  With a plan in place, the church or ministry can better evaluate the impact of conflicts against the current plan and determine the best way forward. 

What does a strategic plan involve? There are 7 elements to a strategic plan.  They are:

1. Statement of Vision. The statement of vision describes the desired outcome that you are attempting to accomplish.  It answers the question of what your ultimate goalis or where you are going.  It should be something you can measure so that you know when it is completed.  If you cannot measure it, it is not a goal or a vision.

2. Statement of Needs. The statement of needs defines what you need to accomplish the vision.  This is usually expressed in terms of the resources needed, such as people, money, time, equipment, etc. 

3. Activity Planning. Activity planning is the element that identifies the activities you are going to implement for each need.  It answers the question of how each need will be achieved and what you are specifically going to do to achieve them. 

4. Timing. Timing is the element of the plan that answers the question of when something needs to happen.  Timing specifies when you are going to do an activity, how long each activity will take, or when an activity must be completed. 

5. Resources. The element of Resources answers the question of what is needed in more detail. A good strategic plan first considers the existing resources that are available.  This usually includes people, equipment, or financial resources from your existing budget. Then the church or ministry can determine those resources that need to be acquired.

6. Tactics. The element of Tactics identifies specific opportunities that you have, either in terms of resources or timing, and answers the question of why you are including an activity in your plan. This includes things like the gifts & skills of your members or how to take advantage of available resources or cost savings on potential purchases. 

7. Organization. The final element is Organization, which answers the questions of who is responsible for completing a task. The element identifies who will have what authority for project decisions or financial decisions. It also determines what teams are needed, who will be on them, and who will lead them.

How do we develop a strategic plan? The development of a strategic plan is a process that should be done with attention to detail and with collaboration with others to assure that it is a comprehensive and well thought-out plan.  If it is done quickly or only by one person then there is a greater likelihood that there will be errors or things missing that could result in poor results or outright failure.  So it is important to take the time necessary to get it right and to involve others in its development so that all points of view and options are considered. 

Here are some basic steps to use when developing a strategic plan:

Step #1: Organize a strategic planning group. The first thing you want to do is to put a team together who will develop the plan. You should pick key people who have appropriate skills or background in what you are planning. 

Step #2: Outline your Plan. The starting point to any plan is a simple outline that defines your vision and key needs.  This is the foundation of the plan. Getting this step right guards against making a critical mistake that ends up invalidating the final plan.

Step #3: Add details to the Plan. Using the outline, determine the list of activities you are going to implement to meet each need that you have identified as necessary to achieve the vision.  Each activity should include their timing, resources, tactics, and organization.  This is where you focus on how each need is to be met. 

Step #4: Gather input from others in the church. Once you have a draft of your plan, ask others within the church or ministry for their thoughts, opinions and perspective.  This will enable you to adjust the plan or introduce new ideas that you had not thought of. 

Step #5: Prepare a written document. Writing a plan down helps to clarify it and uncover missing activities or ideas.  The plan can then also be distributed for others to comment on and provide a base point for discussions and reference.

Step #6: Finalize the Plan. Prepare the final written strategic plan that the team members can review for accuracy and completeness.  I suggest that you have each member of the planning team sign the document to acknowledge their agreement with it.. 

Step #7: Communicate the Plan. The last step in the planning process is to communicate the plan to team members and to the church or ministry.  The important thing here is to communicate to the church or ministry what the plan is and what your intentions are. 

Can a strategic plan change? Absolutely! A strategic plan is not meant to be carved in stone, meaning that it can never change.  A good strategic plan must change because our environment and situations are constantly changing.  And because things change, the plan must change and adapt to the changes that affect it as well.  Some of the assumptions included in the plan are no longer valid.  Some of the people you had counted on to implement the plan are no longer at your church.  Some of the costs you estimated have gone way up or way down since the plan was made.  All of these changes will impact the plan and must be taken into consideration if the plan is to be implemented effectively.  Without a plan in place you could make erroneous assumptions or inaccurate evaluations on the true impact of the change.  Taking the time needed to evaluate the impact and make adjustments to your plan will enable the church or ministry to better manage its resources and more effectively achieve its vision.

(taken from chapter 9 of our Management for Church Leaders™ Volume #1 Training Manual © 2010)

Wise Men Still Seek Him!

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“Seek the Lord while He may be found; call on Him while He is near.”

Isaiah 55:6

January 6th was Epiphany, the day that Christians traditionally celebrate the visit of the Wise Men (Magi) to Jesus the Christ child (Matthew 2:1-12). These “wise men from the East” knew the prophecies about Jesus, studied the stars, and were led to go and find him (the King of the Jews) so that they could worship him.

Today, there are many people who criticize Christianity as a “crutch” for those who lack intelligence. Their assumption is that the Christian faith is a myth and that any intelligent person would not believe in such nonsense. I find it very interesting, then, that perhaps the most intelligent people of Jesus’ day were these wise men from the East. Though they were wise and highly intelligent people, they understood not only who Jesus was (the Son of God) but also that He was worth seeking and worshiping. They also traveled a great distance and at some peril to go and find him.

For most of the world today, we do not have to travel far or risk danger to seek Jesus. As the prophet Isaiah foretold, we are to “call on him while he is near” (Isiah 55:6). Isaiah further commends us to “seek the Lord while He may be found.” In other words, we should do it now and not wait or put it off until another day.

The dictionary defines the word Seek as to “go in search of” or “to look for.” So exactly where are we supposed to look for Jesus or seek Him? According to Scripture, there are 3 places where we can find Jesus.

First, we should look for Him in the Word itself. John 1:1 says that “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” In John 1:14 it says that “The Word became flesh and made His dwelling among us.” In other words, Jesus is the Word! When we read the Bible, God speaks to us and points us to His Son Jesus. Jesus is present in both the Old Testament (as in Isaiah above) and the New Testament (as in the gospels). When Jesus walked the earth as a man He often quoted the Old Testament and thus confirmed its truth as God’s Holy Word (e.g. Luke 11:29-31). He also confirmed who He was when He read Isaiah 61:1-2 in the synagogue in Nazareth (Luke 4:16-22). So when we read the Scriptures we can’t help but find Jesus in its pages and in its purpose.

Second, we should look for Him in His creation. We know from Genesis 1:1 that “God created the heavens and the earth” and all that dwells therein, including people. There is absolutely nothing in our world that we can see with our own eyes that was not created by God! Since Jesus declared that “I and the Father are one” in John 10:30 and John 1:3 proclaims about Jesus that “Through Him all things were made; without Him nothing was made that has been made,” Jesus was therefore involved in the creation. All we have to do is look around and marvel at  what He created to see Him! Though some may deny this truth, Romans 1:20 says that “For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities – His eternal power and divine nature – have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse.” It does not require a PhD or a high IQ to see, understand and know God & Jesus!

Third, we should seek Him within our own spirit. God created all human beings “in His image” (Genesis 1:27) and has therefore put His spirit into every human being as well. And it is through this spirit that we can communicate with God, just as Jesus did. Jesus told the Samaritan woman at the well that “God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in spirit and in truth.” (John 4:28) And if we allow God into our lives and seek Him in spirit through prayer, He will speak to us through His Spirit and reveal His son Jesus to us! The prophet Jeremiah, speaking the words of God, said, “You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.” (Jeremiah 29:13) In other words, if we are not seeking God with our whole heart we cannot find Him and we cannot see Jesus. But if we do seek Him with our whole heart, He will make both Himself, and His Son Jesus, known to us.

It is sad and disappointing that so many people whom God created refuse to acknowledge Him. And if they can’t acknowledge God Himself, they will not seek Jesus nor ever find Him. Many of these people have great intelligence, many academic degrees, and are considered wise by the world’s standards. Yet they still cannot see the obvious even when it is in everything around them. The dictionary defines this condition as a scotoma. A scotoma is “a spot in the visual field in which vision is absent or deficient.” In other words, God is right there but they just can’t see Him. The Old Testament also frequently refers to this condition as a “hardened heart.”

But we should not despair. Instead, Jesus has given us as His followers the awesome privilege of sharing the gospel and leading others to Him, especially those who because of their scotoma cannot see Him! We must share God’s Word with them, show them our God in His creation, and pray with and for them to help remove the scotomas from their eyes that have prevented them from seeing Jesus!

Let us all be like the wise men and “seek first His Kingdom and His righteousness” (Matthew 6:33), so that we can then lead and encourage others to seek Him as well!