Tuesday Study – THE ROLE OF MINISTRY IN A HEALTHY CHURCH | ts20260908

INTRODUCTION   

A  Last week, we looked at what a healthy church is?  How would we/should we define “healthy church”?  … According to the GCI Equipper … A healthy church is focused on Jesus and is being led by him in the Great Commission of loving our neighbors, sharing the teachings of Jesus, and growing in  faith, hope and love.  

B.  That definition/understanding was based, in part, I believe, on some comments by some GCI pastors and church leaders, who were quoted in the same article. 

C.  Based on common themes in the comments of the pastors, the GCI Equipper concluded that … “A healthy church is … focused on making disciples (Faith Avenue) … loving neighbors (Love Avenue) … focused on helping members and guests focus on  Jesus as the center of the center (Hope Avenue).”  

D.  Notice the reference to Faith Avenue, Love Avenue and Hope Avenue.  What those avenues?  And what roles do they play in a healthy church?  

E.  In this session, we’ll talk about those three avenues and the role each plays in the health of a church.  

But, first, I want to bring your attention to something the Equipper said in the article …

Grace Communion International president, Greg Williams, has set a goal for GCI churches to be the healthiest expression of church we can be.  

Why do you think the GCI president would set a goal like that?   

Let’s talk about “avenues” … 

What does GCI use “avenue” to mean … in the context of church life?  

• Before we had avenues, we had venues 
  • venue — suggested a location  
  • avenue — suggested a pathway  …

If avenues are pathways … what are they pathways to?   

• a destination …

If avenues are pathways that lead to a destination … what is the destination?  

• a healthy church 

What happens on the pathways that we call avenues?  

• church ministry  
• “A healthy church is … focused on making disciples (Faith Avenue) … loving neighbors (Love Avenue) … focused on helping members and guests focus on  Jesus as the center of the center (Hope Avenue).”  

What is “Hope Avenue” all about?  

• ... focused on helping members and guests focus on  Jesus as the center of the center (Hope Avenue) 
• what used to be called UPward ministry   
• The purpose is to help members and guests look/focus upward.  

What is “Love Avenue” all about?  

• … loving neighbors (Love Avenue) 
• what used to be called OUTward ministry (or Outreach)  
• The purpose is to help members and guests look/focus outward.  

What is “Faith Avenue” all about?  

• … focused on making disciples (Faith Avenue) 
• what could be regarded as INreach ministry  
• The purpose is to help members help each other prepare for ministry.  
• Notice what Paul wrote to Christians in Ephesus … 
  • Ephesians 4:7-16
  • ⁷ But to each one of us grace was given according to the measure of Christ’s gift. ⁸ Therefore He says: “When He ascended on high, He led captivity captive, And gave gifts to men.”    ⁹ (Now this, “He ascended” — what does it mean but that He also first descended into the lower parts of the earth?  ¹⁰ He who descended is also the One who ascended far above all the heavens, that He might fill all things.)    ¹¹ And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, ¹² for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, ¹³ till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ; ¹⁴ that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting, ¹⁵ but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head — Christ —  ¹⁶ from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love.  
• Notice Ephesians 4:11 and 12 … God gave the pastors and teachers … as gifts to the Church … to equip the members of the Church for ministry.  
• Notice Ephesians 4:16 … As members grow, the Church grows … BUT … that growth depends on each (every) part doing its share … As each part does its share, the body grows.  

How do the avenues help a church become healthy or healthier?  

• Avenues help churches become healthier by helping members with ministry.  
• Avenues help members to use the gifts God has given them.  
• Members who are ministering (using the spiritual gifts God has given them) will become spiritually healthy members … and healthier members give rise to healthier churches.  

How do members know which avenue to go to in order to get “work experience” in ministry?   

I think the Spirit will eventually guide him/her to the ministry that he/she is best suited for … because that is the ministry that He (the Holy Spirit) has gifted that person for.  

It may also help, of course, persons who want to serve to find out … what their spiritual gifts are.  

Note the following … 

I did the Faith Avenue last because that is where the equipping of members takes place for ministry on the other two avenues.  

But I also wanted to share parts of a video …   

VIDEO high points  

• 16:16 … service starts  
  • 30:40 … sermon begins (soon after prayer for the message)  
  • 57:36 … sermon ends (after 26:56)  
    • 57:37 … transition to the communion ceremony  
    • 1:04:36 … partaking of the emblems   
    • 1:06:40 … end of communion ceremony  (elapsed time – 9min 03secs) 
      • 1:06:41 … transition to announcements re: prayer requests & giving (invitation to participate with GC Surrey Hills)  
  • 1:08:36 … intro to video promoting CONNECT groups  
  • 1:09:47 … video starts  
  • 1:11:28 … video ends (after 1:41)  
• 1:16:45 … service ends  (after 1:00:45)
  • NOTE:  The service ends here … the fellowship doesn’t end here
  • EVENTS THAT FOLLOWED …
    1. 1. Newcomers Lunch 
       2. Connect Groups Launch