Ministry Preparation Checklist

Ministry Preparation Checklist

July is the time to start preparing for your fall Bible study. Are you overwhelmed by the details or don’t know where to start? Assuming your study starts in September, here’s my summer ministry preparation checklist.

What is saving faith?

What is saving faith?

Saving faith is the permanent, ongoing trust in God that one day He will free me completely from all the consequences and effects of sin because of the blood of Jesus Christ. Saving faith itself is a gift from God and it involves 4 things.

What is justification?

What is justification?

There are 2 consequences to our sin: 1) We experience death and futility. 2) Our rebellion is wrong and we now owe a debt to justice that must be paid. Justification is the payment of that debt.

What is the Gospel?

What is the Gospel?

A friend once asked me if I was on an airplane that was about to crash and had only a couple minutes to use my cell phone to call my family, what would I say? What would I tell them if I knew this would be our last conversation on earth? At first my mind when blank, but then the answer seemed obvious: Hang on to your faith. But to understand why saving faith is that important, you have to really understand the gospel.

24 Romans 16 Paul’s Roman Yearbook

24 Romans 16 Paul’s Roman Yearbook

Compare Romans 16, Paul’s conclusion of his letter to the Christians in Rome, to a high school yearbook. During the high school years, we are supposed to learn skills, knowledge, and an approach to life that will get us launched into adulthood. The book of Romans also records truths that should be foundational building blocks for life, the essentials upon which we ought to build our lives. The high school yearbook is the history of the events, ideas, and accomplishments that took place during the year, but it also contains a collection of handwritten names, greetings, memories, and thoughts about life. We find at the end of the book of Romans some very personal words, too.

Women’s Ministry Evaluation Sample

Women’s Ministry Evaluation Sample

It’s always helpful to get feedback from your students at the end of a Bible study year. But evaluations can be a problem. If they are too short, your leaders don’t gain any useful information. If they are too long, few students will not fill them out. Here’s an example we’ve used at Wednesday in the Word that seems to find the right balance.

23 Romans 15:14-33 Paul’s Reflections

23 Romans 15:14-33 Paul’s Reflections

Paul closes Romans as he began, with a personal word about himself and the church in Rome. Reflecting on his life so far and where God will take him next, Paul discusses two themes: 1) the situation of church at Rome, and 2) the future of his ministry. As you study Romans 15, you might want to compare what Paul says to your own church and ministry.

22 Romans 14:19-15:13 Handling Disagreement

22 Romans 14:19-15:13 Handling Disagreement

Have you ever noticed, how much easier it is much easier to destroy something beautiful and worthy than to build it? Building up and tearing down is at the heart of Romans 14-15. Paul’s going to encourage us to build each other up and remind us that this building takes a lot longer to accomplish, than does tearing down.