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Learning
how to start a Christian ministry requires
the study even of matters not normally
associated with the pastoral ministry. This is
not a new concept, just newly revived. Church
leaders ought to carefully map out a church
planting strategy for any new Christian ministry
they contemplate. This is not necessarily easy
to do because many leaders are not extensively
trained in ministry and its collateral and
necessary tasks. There is a need to understand
the totality of what encompasses the starting of
a new Christian ministry. It begins with an open
mind and heart.
The spiritual, ministry or outreach aspects of a
Christian ministry are the primary concern for
most church leaders, as well they should be. No
new church will be successful without effective
ministry training and goal-setting by its
ministry leadership. Some leaders use a "model"
of church planting, while others simply read the
Word of God and seek to follow its examples.
Both are valid... though some may argue that
each will return varying degrees of fruit. But
beyond the ministry and outreach are a vast
network of built-in issues that clergy don't
usually concern themselves with. This is where
some ministries shine, while others experience
hard times, stress, and unnecessary distraction.
Some of the issues we are talking about are
ecclesiastical--or uniquely church-related--in
nature. They encompass both, matters of religion
and of law. And although they are uniquely
church-related, let's not confuse that with
being irrelevant to the world, or legal system,
around us. Let us consider an example from the
context of group-affiliated fellowships. Most
such fellowships (or "denominations" to some)
utilize an "affiliation" or "association"
agreement that serves as the "constitution" or
"understanding" between their members.
Although most of the provisions of such
agreements relate to spiritual and biblical
matters, it is after all, an agreement. And
that by its very nature is a legal document.
Which means that unless a church leader has
some knowledge or expertise in the law of
religion and churches, that leader has no
business attempting to tackle that agreement
without the assistance of a uniquely
qualified professional.
These are
the kinds of issues that church leaders should
contemplate when learning
how to start a Christian ministry. They
don't need to take on a new profession, or
attempt to quickly gather sufficient knowledge
of their own to handle these matters. Although
they also may not need to spend frivolously to
hire often expensive "consultants," they should
carefully consider the need for resources to
complement their ministry training. While many
new churches are started by those whom God has
uniquely inspired and called into the full-time
ministry despite their lack of extensive
training, that does not have to translate into
ministries that look more like a pre-school than
God's solution to everything that ails this
world.
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