Synergy

Synergy, a GARBC newsletter, contains practical ideas, helps, and encouragement–written for those in ministry by those in ministry. Though Synergy is out of print, it still lives on through the…

GARBC Newsletter for Your Ministry SEPTEMBER 2011 BALANCE—what does that word mean to you? The teeter-totter of life presents us with work vs. rest, patience vs. action, silence vs. words….

Accomplishing More by Slowing Down Slowing down is difficult. For me, it actually seems counterintuitive because I often get praised for thinking well on my feet and accomplishing much in…

Give Me a Break! Facing a fall schedule that is jam-packed with activities and responsibilities? As the wife of a pastor who is also a Indiana state representative for Baptist…

8 Mistakes in Recruiting and Keeping Volunteers Where would we be without those faithful workers who regularly give of their time to serve in our churches? I think we all…

Bringing the Church to Your Community “If your church closed down today, would your town know that you were gone? Would they miss you?” When my older brother posed these…

Preparing Teens for an International Missions Trip Youth leaders Nikolai and Kristi Payne recently returned from taking a team of 14 teens on an ambitious 10-day trip to Guatemala. As…

Books for Internationals Do you have Bible study references books or other books in your library that you really don’t use? Has a loved one in ministry died, and now…

How do you define synergy? According to the Encarta dictionary, synergy is the working together of two or more people, organizations, or things, especially when the result is greater than…

Handling a Crisis Pastors, along with chaplains, are called to respond to crisis situations. When leaving to handle a crisis, you don’t have time to pack heavy. Based on my…

“It’s a Kick!” Community Soccer Camp We decided to begin using a community soccer camp in the summer when our pastor, Jon Jenks, observed the large number of children and…

Internet Missions Conference Over the past year our church has experimented with conversing during occasional morning worship services with individual missionaries via Skype. This software application allows users to make…

Cardboard Testimonies Cardboard testimonies is a powerful tool that churches across the country are using to present and illustrate the power of the gospel. The following explanation of cardboard testimonies is…

It’s spring! Chicks, calves, colts, kids, lambs, and bunnies–they’re all born in the spring. As you observe new life in the natural world, set your sights on producing new life…

Would you like to jump-start your church’s evangelism efforts? Pastor Robert Cowman shares outreach ideas in which your church people can easily participate. Plan now for your church’s spring outreach!…

15 Summer Outreach Ideas That Any Church Can Implement! Webinar will be presented by Jim Vogel, GARBC associate national representative, on June 3. Drawing from his pastoral experience, Jim offers…

God Space: Naturally Creating Room for Spiritual Conversations, a book by Doug Pollock, offers suggestions for everyday opportunities to open conversations. The following conversation idea has been a great tool…

Our church studied the book One Thing You Can’t Do in Heaven by Mark Cahill. In the chapter “If They’re Breathing, They Need Jesus,” the author lists questions he uses…

Did you know you can access a multitude of evangelism ideas from past issues of the Synergy newsletter? Electronic issues of the Reach Out category are available from June 2005….

Teamwork– hard to live with it, but impossible to live without it! Our Resource Center staff is nearing the completion of a five-year RBP revision of children’s curriculum. It has…

Healthy churches recognize the need to welcome guests effectively as they arrive for Sunday services and special events.  Many enlist and train a group of greeters who serve with the…

The Manhattan Declaration drafted recently by “Orthodox, Catholics,  and Evangelical Christians” and signed by many has attracted considerable attention. Many notable leaders have weighed in with their opinion on this…

Do you have Sunday School students who delight in causing mischief? If so, think for a moment about your practices as a teacher. You might be able to help your…

Our church connects with our community by calling residents listed in our local phone book. During our conversations, we ask how we can pray for families. Prayer teams take the…

Our church became interested in helping people with addictions in 2005, when former Pastor Greg Stine became burdened for our county. At that time Barron County had one of the…

As part of the church’s installation service for their new pastor, Faith Baptist of Salem, Oregon, read their church covenant, affirming their intent to live harmoniously and compassionately with one…

The Birth of Jesus was Right, written by Pastor Stan Lightfoot of Rustic Hills Baptist in Colorado Springs, CO, is a good devotional thought that you might like to include…

As a pastor, I have the responsibility of training and equipping our people with fresh ideas and utilizing technology that God has given to us. Our church isn’t unique –…

“Together We Can Accomplish More” is the  mantra of the GARBC. John Wooden, pastor of First Baptist in New Berlin, WI, shares the story of a horse-pull in Canada. One…

Recently I realized a couple of our elderly attendees could not read the bulletin, prayer notes, or other handouts.   For the next printing of the bulletin, I included a large…

“What material do you and John use as a couple for devotions?” I received this email question from a young husband/pastor who was seeking suggestions for he and his wife’s…

Our little church is placed in the middle of an aging community. The local economy is worse than most, and the incident of single parents is escalating. Following two weeks…

Recently our bathroom flooring gave way, requiring repair. Actually it became one of those projects that grew in scope beyond our imagination. Soon we realized that we needed to purchase…

This year our women’s events are revolving around the theme, “Once upon a time….” Every six weeks we plan an event for women, which involves someone telling a Faith Tale….

As a pastor I sought to affirm a commitment annually among our leadership team of pastors and deacons  to our mutual ministry. This practice encouraged us to hold each other…

Christ taught that children are important and that they need to be protected (Matt. 18:1-6). A church can never be too careful when it comes to protecting children from harm….

In Praise of Little Places and Humble People Ever been to Omer, Michigan? It’s a town along Lake Huron not far from Tawas. I drove through it on my way…

Pastor Laird Baldwin desires to encourage pastors and ministry leaders and their families. If you have a particular topic or dilemma related to pastors or ministry leaders’ families that you…

Now is a good time to start preliminary planning for your church’s Christmas program. Pastor Steve Poludinak describes the program used for outreach by Tri-County Baptist Church last Christmas: Dinner/drama…

In ministry certain periods of time may seem like drought experiences in our lives. However God’s Word reminds us of the Lord’s love and care every hour. Consider His provisions…

Last fall our church hosted a team dinner for the local football team of Park Falls High School. Our people served chili to all the players and the coaching staff….

Are you looking for a way to get your children thinking missions? Gospel Literature Services is enlisting children to fill piggy banks and help send Sunday School and VBS materials…

Happy New Year! As we ring in the new year, let’s improve with age! Older does not necessarily mean wiser. While gaining experience in serving the Lord, we must not…

“You will show me the path of life; In Your presence is fullness of joy; At Your right hand are pleasures forevermore” (Psalm 16:11). Today we hear much about attaining…

In this day of well-publicized corporate financial misdealings, the church should be a shining model of integrity and precision in its financial  record keeping. The following principles will help you…

This women’s ministry idea shared by Grandview Park Baptist Church, Des Moines, Iowa, can be used as a tool to improve publicity and promote connections among women in your church. The…

A well-designed church sign can result in increased visitor foot traffic to your church. Make sure your outdoor sign is an asset to your church, not a liability. The following…

A New Perspective on Junior High Bible Studies When I was in junior high, the last thing I wanted to do was sit in a circle and discuss a book—even…

“Come in and learn about God!” You may not say those words as students enter your classroom, but your teaching practices should definitely communicate that invitation. As a teacher, you…

When you hear the word “teacher,” what picture comes to mind? Perhaps you visualize a favorite teacher from your past or yourself with a lively group of students. Probably the…

God made Adam bit Noah arked Abraham split Joseph ruled Jacob fooled Bush talked Moses balked Pharaoh plagued People walked Sea divided Tablets guided Promise landed Saul freaked David peeked…

It’s hard to know specifically what Paul meant in 1 Timothy 3:10 when he said to let the deacons “first be tested.” As a pastor, I pursued a possible application:…

Deacon care groups are a great way to get our families and individuals into smaller settings and develop friendships, as well as share joys and prayer needs. Our groups meet…

Summer is sometimes associated with “summer reads”- books with lighter, fluffy content. While it is good to take time for rest and relaxation, the summer issue of Synergy comes to…

In my work as a United Parcel Service supervisor, I have seen that company leaders know the business they’re in and that they have measuring tools that indicate whether company…

Our Women’s Missionary Fellowship (WMF) ministry kicks off each September with our All Daughters Banquet. We enjoy a meal and a program in which we introduce our new officers, explain…

In the last three years, our ladies’ ministries have been brought under one umbrella called First Women’s Ministries. We have the following ministries by and to women: Ladies’ Bible Studies—comprises…

In my technology role at the GARBC Resource Center, I oversee 25+ websites. Over the last several years there has been a shift in website presentation and look. The term…

In my work as a Youth Summit community sponsor I help teens in the local school develop leadership projects that benefit our community. The students had noticed that communication between…

As sisters in Christ, it’s good to prompt each other to pray. The following suggestions are two simple ideas that can multiply the prayer effort of ladies in your church….

Nothing kills an audience’s interest faster than spotting the words “Slide 1 of 101” on the first screen of a PowerPoint presentation. As a pastor or church leader, you probably…

It is always a challenge to get kids to see “the big picture” of God’s working throughout Biblical history. The Hero of each Bible story—whether it’s David and Goliath, Noah…

Children at our church enjoyed a LEGO My Eggo activity and meal. We divided the children into three groups according to LEGO skill level. For the first couple of hours,…

During the recent Christmas season, many churches hosted Christmas Eve services in which they reflected on the gift of Jesus Christ, and shared the gospel with guests from their communities….

Do ladies in your church have special hobbies? Why not turn their hobbies into outreach opportunities? The format is simple: Women get together once or twice a month to work…

Often deacons begin serving in their office with little training or experience, nor do they possess a working knowledge of Baptist history and distinctives. As a church planter, my goal…

In this age of postmodernism, much has been said about the emerging church movement. This movement has influenced the way believers do church, read and interpret the Bible, and think…

Recently my husband and I attended a child dedication service at Faith Baptist Church, Winfield, Illinois, in which our grandson and our daughter and her husband took part. The service…

A well-respected and loved veteran pastor, Joe Bower, has spent the latter portion of his ministry career in helping churches during times between pastors. He offers the following overview of…

Many people today doubt the relevance of God’s Word. They would rather read USA Today, Time, or Newsweek than the Bible. They believe that the Bible is outdated and irrelevant…

Dear Olivia, Happy Birthday! I am writing this letter to you on the day of your Parent-Child Dedication at Faith Baptist Church. As you read this letter, you are celebrating…

Everybody can do it! Is your church small? Does it have limited resources? That’s our church, but our bridge-building and outreach can go against the “big boys.” We focus on…

We are writing this note from home today due to an intense blizzard that has paralyzed the greater Chicago area. The GARBC Resource Center is closed. Announcements on television advise…

Our Man to Man ministry is designed to provide accountability and encouragement to men in the church. We want men to have good friends and not succumb to the isolationism…

A greeting from Jeannie Vogel, GARBC women’s ministries coordinator: Hi! Allow me to introduce myself. I am a recent addition to the staff at the Regular Baptist Ministry Resource Center….

As I hear the Scriptures being read publicly, I shudder at the lack of preparation that sometimes precedes the oral reading of God’s Word. Paul admonished Timothy to “give attention…

What’s going on at your church? Probably a full schedule of ministry happenings! The fall brings busyness. We must ask ourselves, are we choosing that which is excellent in our…

How well do your church people know the Biblical Distinctives of Baptist churches? Biblical Distinctives of Baptists may not be well known among all of your church members. Perhaps now…

1. TRUE. When we use the term, Baptist Distinctives, we are not referring to church traditions that are rooted in cultural norms or individual church preferences. Baptist Distinctives refers to…

Do your Sunday School teachers communicate God’s Word clearly and accurately and live in a manner consistent with the content they teach? To help teachers grasp the importance of their…

[YOUR CHURCH NAME] EDUCATIONAL MINISTRY TEACHER’S STATEMENT OF MINISTRY As a teacher in the ministry of [your church name], it is my desire that God would bless, guide, and use…

Boring! That’s what many church members say about church budget presentations. Budgets contain lists of details that may seem tedious and complex to the average believer. A few folks seem…

Fire and police departments, hospitals, nursing homes, corporations, sports teams—all are venues that are many times open to the ministry of a chaplain. Help your church become evangelistic-minded and other…

Have people in your church been blessed by the ministry of a Regular Baptist Camp? Encourage those people to give back to the camp by helping to provide for the…

Need a quick recipe for the next church potluck? Try whipping up this easy-to-make moist cake. Happy Autumn! One Bowl Apple Cake 24 servings Cake 1 16-ounce can apple pie…

Looking for a retreat get-away that’s affordable and in peaceful setting? The Rivendel Retreat in Deposit, NY, is available to pastors and missionaries (75% discount), and Christian workers and writers…

On-field missionaries experience loneliness, fatigue, and ministry challenges—many of the same challenges as stateside pastors and wives experience. Missionaries could use a boost, a friendly reminder from their supporting churches…

The Regular Baptist Resource Center often receives requests from individuals desiring to obtain the Association’s Literature Items. These historical documents, written by former leaders of the GARBC, discuss issues that…

How well do you know the Biblical Distinctives of Baptists? Circle the correct answer. (Answers and rationales are available.) T F 1. Baptist Distinctives are Biblical beliefs of Baptists that…

“When you get to the end of your rope, tie a knot and hang on.” Can you relate to this quote by President Franklin D. Roosevelt? As ministry leaders we…

Pre-field and supported missionaries travel many hours, take great effort, and exert much energy in ministering to churches. Encourage traveling missionaries by extending the following acts of kindness: 1. Prepare…

Do you ever want people to love you, but instead they are mean to you, or worse, don’t even notice you? I admit it—I like attention. Sometimes I would rather…

“From the ends of the earth we have heard songs: Glory to the righteous! But I said, I am ruined, ruined! Woe to me!” (Isaiah 24:16). “That I have great…

Lessons I’ve learned—sometimes the hard way! Those of us who are married recognize the tendency we have to become complacent, selfish, and even unloving in our relationships. Columnist and author…

Capitalizing on our community’s interest in karate, our church has found a unique evangelism opportunity through the Karate for Christ program. Our mission is to use martial arts to reach…

Deacons often need help in knowing how to provide leadership and effectively serve the church. The following paragraph from a newsletter by Pastor Roger Ridley, missionary with Baptist Church Planters,…

Our church is using Love and Respect Seminars to facilitate a new ministry that provides help to husbands and wives for improving their marriage relationship. To prepare for launching the…

Greeting We recently had the opportunity to share the gospel with a man with whom we were conducting personal business. We had listened to him over a two-day period. During…

Building Your Ministry At times it may be difficult for church visitors to know how to get started in their Christian walk or how to become better acquainted with your…

Reach Out Sneak Preview of a Baptist Bulletin article by Jeff Hodgin They were a young couple in their early-to-mid twenties. He carried the baby in an infant seat. The…

Building Your Ministry For five consecutive years our church, First Baptist Church, Bronson, Michigan, has held an annual Sunday School contest during the month of October with a sister church,…

Idea Exchange Continuing education might seem costly—but ignorance is more expensive. Here are five ways to build support and funds so you and your team can keep on learning. Educate…

Inward Look January is often the month when the GARBC Resource Center receives résumés from pastors who think the Lord may be leading them to new ministries. Maynard Belt, retired…

Idea Exchange During baptismal services our church shows the testimonies of baptismal candidates on video. As the believer enters the water, screens in the front of the auditorium show the…

Ministry Toolbox She said procrastination was the cause of all my sorrow. I don’t know what that big word means. . . . I’ll look it up tomorrow. Mary Alice…

Reach Out In our church’s efforts to improve our follow-up of visitors, we found a city map to be a helpful tool. When originally attempting to secure a map, I…

Reach Out When listening to a sermon recently, I was stirred by this statement: “The unsaved are not our enemy, they are our mission field.” If we listen to the…

“Be still, and know that I am God” (Psalm 46:10). In a world of quick fixes, we find ourselves wanting shorter wait times to see God working. We want, we…

Ministry Toolbox In 2 Timothy 2:2 the apostle Paul instructed young pastor Timothy, ”And the things that you have heard from me among many witnesses, commit these to faithful men…

Children’s Ministries Our small church has been blessed with a large number of children. Through the years we have noticed the availability of programs designed to bring children to make…

Building Your Ministry Small group ministry is not a passing fad. Have you read the stats? “2 out of 5 adults in the United States reported involvement in some type…

Reach Out Facilitating a gas buy-down event is simple; the most difficult part is securing a venue for the event. I approached gas stations, saying, “This is a win-win situation…

Reach Out At a conference of the Wisconsin Association of Regular Baptist Churches, Pastors Pete Mothershead and Scott Bixby challenged and instructed us in the areas of evangelism and community…

Holiday Focus When people think of Christmas, their thoughts often go toward home and family. In planning our church’s Christmas calendar, we wanted to incorporate the family atmosphere. We challenged…

Holiday Focus Since Christmas is Jesus’ birthday, I desired to provide a realistic way for our people to give a gift to Jesus. Jesus said, “Inasmuch as you did it…

Inward Look If ignorance is bliss, then when it comes to computer technology and surfing the Web, I must be the happiest man alive. At one time when we pastors…

Summer is a great time for much needed R & R. We hope you will give yourselves a breather. Remember—laziness may be a sin, but rest is ordained by God….

Building Your Ministry A Looking Toward Sunday e-mail notice allows me to communicate with our church people on Thursday about our upcoming Sunday services so they can be thinking about…

Global Outlook As our missions conference approaches, the president of our ladies’ missionary group prepares for each Sunday School class a conference packet containing an information sheet, a needs list,…

Idea Exchange Summer is a good time to focus your congregation on good influences by promoting a summer reading challenge. A reading program is versatile; you can sponsor it for…

Ministry Toolbox 2 Corinthians 11:23–28 Paul reminds us that physical, emotional, and spiritual peril during the pastor’s or missionary’s earthy sojourn is to be expected. While God promises never to…

Idea Exchange Four times a year, there are five Sundays in one month. When this occurs, our church does something different to add spice to a Sunday service. We encourage…

Idea Exchange Our area GARBC churches get together whenever a fifth Sunday occurs in a month for a Sunday evening Singspiration. Different churches take turns hosting this event. Each attending…

Women’s Ministries Ladies’ Retreats are a great thing, but unchurched women will not usually attend them. To offer an event that appealed to community ladies while giving our church women…

Reach Out As a volunteer chaplain for our local fire department, I have witnessed many things our public servants deal with day by day. It was my desire during a…

Greeting Often the beginning of a new year prompts us to reconsider our ministry goals. As we seek the Lord’s guidance for the upcoming year, we take a look back…

Idea Exchange When each of our two associate pastors joined our staff, we did the things most churches do—provided a good crew to help unload the moving van, a meal,…

Idea Exchange For our church’s 150th anniversary, we desired to recognize the Lord’s faithfulness and to celebrate our shared history. Our planning committee began working a year in advance—praying, preparing,…

Building Your Ministry Cottage prayer meetings provide a relaxed setting that encourages church members to pray. For three consecutive months, all ages of our church family gather in homes the…

Building Your Ministry Writing a Wednesday Night Article allows me to communicate a Christian worldview and to provide a change of pace for our Wednesday prayer meetings. While the Sunday…

Inward Look Failure is a common experience shared by all who serve in ministry. May this article as it appeared in a series in the Baptist Testimony, the Michigan Association…

Ministry Toolbox Even if you’ve been in ministry for years, this counsel serves as a good reminder of a pastor’s high calling. Call of the ministry Be satisfied in your…

Global Outlook Churches of the Northwest Association of Regular Baptist Churches know how to do missions conferences! Read on to discover conference ideas from Bits and Pieces, the Northwest Regular…

Greeting Developing the educational environment of your church is a challenging task. People in your church represent a variety of ages, spiritual maturity levels, learning styles, background experiences, and preferences….

Global Outlook Our church is like many churches that struggle financially. We still desire to encourage missionaries! When missionaries phone to inquire about scheduling a meeting, I explain that our…

Ministry Toolbox John Donne, a minister and poet, wrote, “No man is an island entire of itself; every man is a piece of the continent, a part of the main.”…

Inward Look Scott Kigar, associate and discipleship pastor of First Baptist Church, Rochester, Michigan, granted us permission to publish the following article from Direction, his church’s Christian education newsletter. You…

Idea Exchange To enhance our Wednesday evening prayer time, we encourage people to bring in newspaper or internet news items as prayer requests. These national and worldwide issues are of…

Building Your Ministry Our church participated in a campaign in which we considered the Biblical purposes of individual believers within a local church body. As we emphasized the purpose of…

Children’s Ministries While I was serving as a youth pastor, my senior pastor impressed upon me the importance of giving children focus and attention during our ministries. In another setting,…

Women’s Ministries The women of Piecemakers, our church’s ladies’ quilting group, use their love of quilting to make baby quilts, not only for babies in our church, but also for…

Reach Out Our church’s community has the highest percentage of Hispanic people of any county in Michigan; many are full-time residents. Since soccer (futbol to the Spanish-speaking community) is a…

Reach Out Our church looks for ways to gain an audience for the gospel. Recently we hosted our first Cruise-In, a Saturday afternoon classic vehicle show. We invited people to…

Global Outlook Pastors regularly get phone calls from missionaries on deputation requesting a meeting in the church. Many pastors report more requests than could possibly be scheduled—that’s good! Praise the…

Building Your Ministry Protecting pastors from harm is an important aspect of the church’s pastoral care. The following considerations may be helpful as your church pursues caring for its pastoral…

Global Outlook Our church has developed a special bond with several Jamaican pastors and wives. Recently three pastors and two wives from Jamaica ministered at our church. Their presence afforded…

Reach Out As a new church plant in a small county-seat town, we have capitalized on the availability of a quaint park and a pavilion for refreshments to sponsor summertime…

Idea Exchange Camp experiences are unique and effective opportunities for the transforming work of Christ in the lives of youth. Would you like to see young people and adults from…

Greeting It’s summertime-bike-riding, walking-in-the-park, talking-to-your-neighbors time. Summer offers unique opportunities to share the gospel with people in your community. In this issue of Synergy, three sister churches offer their ideas…

Ministry Toolbox “Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us,…

Current Issue Synergy, a GARBC e-newsletter, provides practical ministry ideas and helps. Written by ministry leaders and pastors and wives for their colleagues, Synergy articles are church-tested. Share your ministry…