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Improving Your Ministry Skills

By April 7, 2020No Comments

MIKE’S PICKS: RESOURCES FOR MINISTRY
Mike Hess, GARBC national representative, suggests the following resources for your ministry toolbox.

DISCIPLESHIP IN THE HOME
In the United States’ efforts to mitigate the spread of the coronavirus, many churches’ families, especially kids, are holed up at home. Regular Baptist Ministries offers the following resources to help your church or family make the most of this time.

1. Use Strong Kids curriculum at home. As churches are closed or conducting online-only services, they can continue to build strong lives! Here are ideas for your church to keep in touch with students using Strong Kids curriculum.

  • Access digital resources using download codes. If your church purchased a Teacher Kit, we have already uploaded additional digital resources to your download code. While Strong Curriculum’s format is intended for use in a classroom setting, you can continue the momentum that you built earlier this quarter. By keeping up with the spring quarter’s scope and sequence, you will  provide continuity for the kids, including timely Easter lessons. Register for a free account for Strong Curriculum downloads.
  • Access take-home papers for Pre-Primary through Junior and the student book pages for 2s & 3s. Even if you didn’t purchase spring quarter take-home papers, these downloads are available free of charge to customers who have purchased the Teacher Kit.

2. Keep in touch with your church’s children. Encourage your Sunday School teachers to use their time wisely by connecting with their students.

  • Livestream or record a short video of the Bible study portion of the lesson. Since kids are away from school classrooms, parents may appreciate this added learning feature.
  • Call students. Teachers can let their students know they are thinking of them through a phone call. During the conversations, reassure students that you are praying for them and their families. Ask for any prayer requests, and pray with the student right then.
  • Send students free digital take-home papers. As the lessons continue, review what students learned from the video or take-home paper you sent them. It’s important to get the take-home papers into the hands of parents each week so they can build on previous lessons.

The discipleship process is a joint effort between parents and the church. Help parents in your church continue Biblical education so they can build up spiritually strong kids!

WOMEN’S STUDIES FOR ONLINE MEETINGS
RBP’s women’s Bible studies are perfect for individual study, but consider doing a study with friends, family, or neighbors, using an online meeting tool (e.g., FaceTime, Facebook Messenger, Google Duo, Zoom). While RBP offers more than 45 women’s Bible studies, here are five studies that may be timely for your group:

This may be the time for your church to develop new online ministries!

MARCH/APRIL BAPTIST BULLETIN: THE LIMITS OF SCIENCE
Too many Americans, including Christians, believe science is best suited over other disciplines to reveal truth. It is past time to reconsider the limits of science. Brett Williams begins with “The Limits of Science,” while Michael Dellaperute answers the “science” used in the gender war (“Saving James: Casualties in the War on Gender”). The modern creationism movement, which has for decades battled the scientific consensus on origins, lost one of its founders in February. Read “Remembering John C. Whitcomb, 1924–2020.” Meanwhile, originalism has been the subject of two articles by David Gunn; read the final installment, “Why Originalism?” Then Terry Thompson tells about an Indiana church, with “Pleasant View Baptist Church: A Story of Redemption and Revitalization.” And Regular Baptist Press introduces Strong Students®, the new Strong Curriculum® for teens, available this fall.

Bb Print

  • Open Mike: Restoring the Mindset of Joy in Ministry (by Mike Hess)
  • The Limits of Science (by Brett Williams)
  • Saving James: Casualties in the War on Gender (by Michael Dellaperute)
  • Remembering John C. Whitcomb, 1924–2020 (by Haley Seboe Cleveland and David Gunn)
  • Pleasant View Baptist Church: A Story of Redemption and Revitalization (by Terry Thompson)
  • Why Originalism? Part 2: Common Objections and Questions (by David Gunn)

Bb+ All the content of the print magazine, plus the following articles:

  • No Shame? (by Mark Snoeberger)
  • The Ten Commandments for Today? Part 4 (by Hermann J. Austel)
  • ‘Can We Really Take God Seriously?’ (by Kevin Mungons)
  • God’s People and the Future of Egypt (by John C. Whitcomb)

Ministry Toolkit

  • Pastors: Pastoral Ethics and Decorum, Part 2 (by Tim Jordan)
  • Worship Leaders: Starting Points for Revitalizing Corporate Worship (by Jim Vogel)

Journal Feature

  • The Two Witnesses of Revelation 11 (by John C. Whitcomb)

Subscribe to the Baptist Bulletin as an individual or in a group plan for members of your church. Questions? Contact Lynne Goemaat: 847.585.0833.

FREE AUDIO DEVOTIONS FOR THE FAMILY
Regular Baptist Press wants to help families grow spiritually each day of the week, so it provides Kids4Truth Clubs devotions that discuss the attributes of God. The daily devotions complement the Kids4Truth Clubs curriculum but can be used for standalone discipleship. Families can read or listen to the podcast on our website or stream these daily podcasts at home through their smart speaker, computer, or iOS or Android device.

Another listening option is the podcast Truth in Real Life, which conveys real historical figures who stood for and defended truth. These people are powerful reminders for kids to stand for truth when they’re tested. Just as God helped others, He can help today’s kids stand for truth too. Families can read or listen to the podcast on our website or stream these daily podcasts at home through their smart speaker, computer, or iOS or Android device.