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Study 13 of 13

Getting Started—Your First 90 Days as Personal Ministries Leader

Translating training into action: a practical, prayerful sequence for a newly elected Personal Ministries leader to begin well and build a sustainable outreach ministry.

Hands-free narration of this study — good for the car.

Synopsis

A newly elected Personal Ministries leader stands at the head of the most far-reaching lay ministry in the local church, yet effective leadership does not begin with a program but with relationships and prayer. The first steps are to meet with the pastor to seek counsel, share vision, and align expectations, and to form or reconstitute the Personal Ministries Council, which meets at least monthly and includes the pastor, an elder, the Personal Ministries secretary, and other departmental leaders. Early in the first ninety days the leader should survey the congregation's spiritual gifts and interests, since members follow plans they help create far more readily than plans imposed on them. From this survey a simple, achievable plan can be drafted together with the council, then reported to the church board for approval and later shared with the congregation through a Sabbath Personal Ministries report and a training class for interested members. Throughout, the leader must cultivate close cooperation with the conference Personal Ministries director, who is 'especially interested' in the local leader's work and offers counsel, materials, and training support; in the Illinois Conference this means contacting the Ministerial Department at the Illinois Conference office, 619 Plainfield Road, Willowbrook, IL 60527, phone (630) 716-3560, email info@ilcsda.org. A leader who begins with prayer, partnership with the pastor, an engaged council, and conference cooperation lays a foundation that can carry a congregation from training into sustained, fruitful outreach.

Key points

  • Begin by meeting the pastor for counsel and prayer, then form or activate the Personal Ministries Council, which should meet at least monthly.
  • Survey the congregation's gifts and interests before writing a plan, since members embrace plans they help shape more readily than imposed ones.
  • Draft a simple, achievable outreach plan with the council, present it to the church board, then report progress regularly to the congregation.
  • Maintain close cooperation with the conference Personal Ministries/Ministerial Department—in Illinois, the Illinois Conference office in Willowbrook—for counsel, materials, and training.

Key texts

  • Proverbs 15:22
  • Nehemiah 2:11-18
  • Ephesians 4:11-12

From the book

Session 13 · Personal Ministries Handbook & Personal Ministries Leader booklet, synthesis · Read the handbook

  • “The Personal Ministries leader is elected by the church to lead in training and directing the church in active outreach (missionary) service and is chairperson of the Personal Ministries Council.”
  • “The Personal Ministries Council guides the outreach (missionary) efforts of the local church and works under the direction of the church board. The council should meet at least once each month.”
  • “It is the leader's duty to present to the church, in the monthly Sabbath Personal Ministries service and in the church business meetings, a report on the total outreach (missionary) activities of the church.”

Put it into practice

  • Within your first two weeks, meet with the pastor to pray together and discuss vision and expectations.
  • Form or activate the Personal Ministries Council and schedule its first monthly meeting, including the pastor, an elder, and key department leaders.
  • Distribute a simple survey to discover members' spiritual gifts, interests, and willingness to serve, then draft a plan with the council and present it to the church board.
  • Contact the conference Personal Ministries/Ministerial Department early on—in Illinois, the Illinois Conference office, 619 Plainfield Road, Willowbrook, IL 60527, (630) 716-3560, info@ilcsda.org—to introduce yourself and request counsel and resources.
  1. Comprehension

    1. What is the very first relational step a new Personal Ministries leader should take, according to this synthesis?

  2. Comprehension

    2. Who chairs the Personal Ministries Council, and how often should it meet?

  3. Doctrinal Clarity

    3. Why does the Handbook material stress surveying members' gifts and interests before drafting a plan?

  4. Scripture

    4. What is the proper sequence for a new plan to move from idea to congregational action?

  5. Contrast

    5. Contrast a plan imposed by the leader with a plan built from a congregational survey.

  6. Doctrinal Clarity

    6. Why is cooperation with the conference Personal Ministries director important for a local leader?

  7. Comprehension

    7. How should a new Illinois Conference church contact conference support for Personal Ministries training?

  8. Application

    8. What is the first concrete action you will take this week to begin your first 90 days as Personal Ministries leader?