How an idea becomes reality
October 7, 2009
Mark Driscoll, Preaching Pastor at Mars Hill Church, recently wrote an article on turning an idea into reality. Below is a summary of his process in some areas with quotations. Thanks, McKay Caston (church planter, Creekstone Church in Dahlonega, Georgia), for making me aware of this.
1. Begin with Vision
What do we want to accomplish? What is our dream?
2. Develop a Plan
What are the practical steps to seeing the vision a reality? What is my role in the process? What do I need to delegate? What other key leaders will be required to see the plan implemented?
3. Implement the Plan
“The idea has been justified, planned, and approved; it now needs to be launched as a reality. The plan needs to be executed and at this phase, the hard work begins in an effort to build momentum and make the idea a reality.”
4. Manage the Plan
“At this phase, the idea has become a new reality but shortly thereafter the ministry will likely lose momentum as the work becomes routine, the systems that were planned need to be upgraded for efficiency, and faithful people need to ensure the ministry continues forward and that the devoted people serving do not grow weary or lose heart.”
5. Review
“At the six-month and one-year marks of each ministry (as well as other designated times), the leader of that ministry must ensure that accurate and meaningful reviews are conducted to answer the following questions and determine if the ministry should continue, be changed, or cease.”
- Have you met your objectives?
- Why or why not?
- Should this ministry continue?
- How can you improve?
- What changes must be made?
World missions and good eats
October 6, 2009
FPC Kosciusko’s 54th World Mission Conference, “Bless the Nations,” begins Friday, October 9 and runs through Sunday, October 11. Dr. Richard Pratt is the main speaker. Rev. Bill Bradford of Peru Mission and Rev. Chad Smith, RUF campus minister at Belhaven College are special guests. Join us if you can.
We always display the flags of nations where we send and support church planters. I found four of the twenty-two flags on a site which displays the work of the advertising agency WHYBIN/TBWA. They were hired for the Sydney International Food Festival to promote the festival by creating food flags for the various countries represented. Each food flag contains a food that is generally identified with that country, and the color of the food corresponds with the color of the flag. (Click here to see the entire collection).
BRAZIL (banana leaf, lime, pineapple and passion fruit)
CHINA: pittaya, dragonfruit and starfruit
FRANCE (cheeses and grapes)
JAPAN (tuna and rice)
Sweet counsel 09.30.09
October 1, 2009
REMIND
Would you like some Sunday School with your coffee? Coffee is available in the Fellowship Hall from 9:00-9:30 am and from 10:30-10:45 am each Sunday morning. We want to encourage friendliness and visiting. We will have people there who can help visitors find classes for themselves or for their children. Maybe, just maybe, a cup of coffee might help you be a bit more alert for worship as well.
NOTE: Jesus Unplugged study guides: Each Monday a new weekly study guide for the Jesus Unplugged sermon series is posted. Go to fpckosciusko.org and read or download the pdf formatted document. Each guide contains individual and group study questions to prepare you for the upcoming sermon text, along with a daily suggestion of how to incorporate the material into family worship times.
Wanted: men who will fight: Men need to know their sin, fight their sin, and trust their Savior. Men’s groups are starting up again. The old groups will remain intact, and a new group is forming as well. If you are interested in joining the fight, let me, Grant, or Thomas Pound know. Men’s groups offer a practical way to apply the gospel to everyday life: small, simple, biblical, reproducible groups who meet regularly to help one another keep the gospel at the center of their discipleship. It’s time to start fighting…with the church, in the gospel, for the glory of Christ.
REVISIT
World Mission Conference prayer: Last Wednesday night we had a great international dinner put together by Women in the Church. We brought the whole church family together in the sanctuary for a review of the flags, and then the youth and adults had a pre-conference prayer meeting. We structured our prayer time around the fourfold objectives of the World Mission Conference:
- To glorify God through worship and praise.
- To provide spiritual nourishment by the preaching of the Word of God.
- To instill a keen awareness of our responsibility of spreading the Gospel to all parts of the world.
- To make firm commitments to support our mission effort by both prayer and financial giving through Faith Promise.
It would be contrary to whole analogy of our religion…to suppose that those whose great business is to die, should remitted to indolence and ease. They are called to sacrifice. Hence, it does not stagger my faith to be told of the magnitude of the enterprise and the comparative inefficiency of the means…of the obstinate and bitter prejudices which must be subdued…the cruel persecutions which must be endured…All these and a thousand more such obstructions are only proofs that the Church must tread in the footsteps of her Master, and bless the nations by the sacrifice of her own ease and life.–James Henley Thornwell, “The Sacrifice of Christ the Type and Model of Missionary Effort,”
Collected Writings, II.437-38
REFLECT
Faith Promise: World Mission Conference is a time when we seek commitment for Faith Promise, the primary vehicle for supporting world missions. FPC’s Faith Promise disbursements grew from $79,000 in 2002 to $112,515 in 2008. Faith Promise commitments for 2009 dropped to $97,552. As of August 31, Faith Promise giving is 24% behind commitments. When Faith Promise drops, then our Mission Committee must make recommendations to end support for missionaries and/or reduce support for all our missionaries. Your participation in this “missions mutual fund” is an important investment. What is Faith Promise?
It’s a promise. Faith Promise is a commitment to give a specific amount to FPC missions over and beyond your regular budget giving.
It’s a promise that requires faith. People without Jesus Christ are lost (John 14:6; Acts 4:12). We are responsible for sharing the message about Jesus Christ (Matthew 28:18-20). God will supply all we need to carry out the Great Commission (Zechariah 4:6). In Faith Promise giving, you take a step of faith in looking and waiting for God to provide what you pledge to give toward missions.
It’s a personal commitment between you and the Lord. No one but the Lord will know what you have promised to give. No names are required. No statement will be issued to you.
It’s a blessing. Accepting the challenge to reach the lost will lead you to a closer walk with the Lord as you trust him to do more through your life (Acts 20:35).
How does it work? A promise card will be given to you, and we ask that you prayerfully determine what you, with God’s blessing, can commit to missions. This is a promise made annually of what you will give for the coming year (January to December), whether given weekly, monthly, or yearly. This is a commitment made in addition to what you are giving to the church through the general fund, benevolence, etc. Each time you give your offering, mark either on the check or on the offering envelope how you’re dividing your gifts between general fund, Faith Promise, etc.
ANTICIPATE
Morning Worship: Luke 10:25-47 will be in front of us. This is one of Jesus’ most famous stories–”The One with the Neighbor.” “The Good Samaritan” has passed into folklore and along the way has imparted a new meaning to the word “Samaritan” in modern English. When Jesus used the word, it carried a truckload of religious and ethnic baggage. By contrast, think about how we automatically understand the purpose of an organization such as Samaritan’s Purse from its name. Check out their work at their website (www.samaritanspurse.org). It’s Communion Sunday. In the morning liturgy we will sing John Newton’s Let Us Love and Sing and Wonder and The Power of the Cross.
Evening Worship: Grant will preach from Ephesians 4.
