Every Member Ministry...People are Stepping up and Stepping out!

Can I be honest with you for a minute? It used to be that the same people seemed to do everything at CCF. I want to tell you that is changing! Last night there were 5 new people at Worship Team practice! Tricia informed me that there are more new people pitching in with the launch of Capi’s Kids than we have ever had before. New people are stepping up to the plate at CCF. I love the words of Ephesians 4:11-13 that speak to the importance of every member ministry:

He is the one who gave these gifts to the church: the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, and the pastors and teachers. Their responsibility is to equip God's people to do his work and build up the church, the body of Christ, until we come to such unity in our faith and knowledge of God's Son that we will be mature and full grown in the Lord, measuring up to the full stature of Christ.

I love this passage and its focus on the importance of everyone being gifted by God to contribute something to the body of Christ! Whenever Ephesians 4 is followed…when we do it God’s way—amazing things happen that are way bigger than any of us!

Here is why this works so well…check this out…It is an all around WIN:

1. The equippers (pastors) win each time they see God greatly use the volunteers they have recruited, loved, trained and empowered.
2. The volunteers win because they get the thrill of moving from the spectator sport to the playing field. They become instruments in the hands of God and oftentimes lock in and buy in to the ministry!
3. The community wins because they receive the service of a loving, unified and powerful force of ministry.
4. And of course the architect of the whole plan wins because God has the pleasure of seeing his children carry forth his grand focus of his kids working together to fix a broken world.

Chew on these thoughts today.