An Age Of Religious Complexity

Be familiar with the following content from The Preface, Introduction, Appendix, & Chapters 1-5 of “Living Out the Mind of Christ: Practical Keys to Discovering and Applying the Mind of Christ in Every Day Life” by Dr. Gutierrez

Advanced Strategic Planning is a book that provides critical information concerning various ways churches and leaders can interconnect their vision and develop

The mission of ministry should be “that we exist to know Christ, and to make Christ known.” This primarily is accomplished and becomes reality through creating healthy churches that also plant new churches and revitalize existing churches. As the Apostles were united together in ministry, so should God’s people be united in one purpose, vision, and mission! I believe in the essential function of Ministry Action Teams in the church, given that, a key element is found in the word “action.” The church exists so that something might be accomplished.

According to Ministry Is…, chapter 28, "Ministry is following the example of Jesus by practicing _____ _____ _____ _____ . (be able to fill in the blanks)

“You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the greatest and first commandment. And a second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.”

A church whose pastor and others in leadership have failed to put in place a proactive plan for discipleship for Believers is usually a “growing” church — growing stagnant, growing cold, growing spiritually immature Christians, and eventually, many growing closed. Patte said, “There is much at stake in accepting or rejecting the challenge of discipleship…” When a pastor or a church makes a conscious decision to make discipleship of Believers a primary focus in their

20- “Perhaps is we focused more on doing good than avoiding wrong, we would make more difference in our world.” This is so true! God does not want people to legalistically obey His commands, instead He wants them to go out into the world and live for Christ.

Each of these phases incorporated Jesus as leading by example and with each new phase, a higher level of commitment is necessary. The goal of this demonstration is that through your example, they will learn and use your tools to translate into being successful leaders themselves.

I joined the staff of the Carolina Missionary Baptist Church in March 2002 as a church administrator. My first major responsibility was to complete the development and construction of the Family Life Center. Although, I had worked on development projects in another County before, I had not actually managed the construction of a building and certainly did not know the process in Prince George’s County Maryland where the church is currently located. There was an enormous amount of knowledge for me to gain. My first assignment was to develop a detailed plan. The initial undertaking in the plan was to learn the Construction process.

Another commandment treat other people like we would want to be treated. If more people respect others around them by helping in caring ways; one way people could help is by picking up school supplies that has dropped to the floor from another person that

God expects individuals that call themselves “Christian” to grow spiritually. The Word of God encourages personal examination as a part of the growth process, as found in Psalm 139:23-24: “Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my concerns. See if there is any offensive way in me; lead me in the everlasting way.” Becoming more Christ-like focuses on how He works in us and not on our work for Him. The Cycle of Works demonstrates that regardless of work we complete, the acceptance of others, the sustainability of our works and the significance it brings, we cannot compete with God’s Cycle of Grace that show us that we are significant in His sight and that brings us sustenance and acceptance

A sentiment common to almost any organization is that the one fact that remains constant is change. As society changes, and human understanding grows, any organization that maintains a static posture, assures its demise. Churches and Christian organizations are no exception. The gospel may remain the same, but the method for communicating it must speak to the audience to assure understanding. The Christian leader must be prepared to meet this challenge by incorporating an effective model for change into his theology of leadership in order to keep the ministry relevant and effective. Searching for such a change agent can prove to be challenging as well. To aid in this search, four

As Albert Einstein said, “Everything should be made as simple as possible, but not simpler.”

The second is this: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself. There is no other commandment greater than these.” (Mark 12:30-31) God here clearly states that he wants his creation to be just as benevolent as he is. This is a very possible task that can be achieved if applied to our daily lives.

Furthermore, it is vitally crucial for the church leadership to clearly articulate its missional vision, which is to be embraced by the rest of the church’s community. The process of spiritual transformation starts from the invitation and continues through engagement and discipleship. This transformational process embodies the missional vision and the language for 'right now ' and 'here '. Surely, the church’s vision ought to be aligned with the missional attributes of the gospel itself, which are 'the good news is for everyone ' and 'belonging before believing '. Our witness should take place amidst relationship and listening. One principle that I consider to be exceptionally useful in my community is St. Patrick’s idea of Celtic Evangelism: establish community, engage in conversation, and invite commitment (2009, 101).