Christian Educ

How to Inspire and Equip the Members of Your Church to Love and Serve Their Community

Every pastor wants to impact their local community. 

But pastors make up a small subset of the entire church, and many find themselves stretched too thin — especially now.

More than four out of five pastors tell Barna they prefer lay initiatives to new church programs, but fewer than one in 10 pastors is confident that their church is good at developing new leaders.

If you’re looking for ways to inspire and equip the people in your church to share God’s love with your community, we’d be honored to help. 

Together with our partners at Lutheran Hour Ministries, we’ve set out to answer questions such as: 

• What possibilities exist in the gifts of church members?
• What motivates Christians to make a hopeful difference in their neighborhoods?
• What’s the most fruitful way of connecting individual Christians with a heart for their neighbors to their community?
• How do you build trust in communities where Christians and the Church don’t have a great reputation?
• What’s the role of congregations and ministry leaders in this effort?

We’ve combined careful research with insights from ministry leaders and packaged them all in a report called:

Better Together: How Christians Can Be a Welcome Influence in Their Neighborhoods.

You can raise up leaders in your congregation who will make a positive difference in the community. 

It’s challenging work, but the results can be life changing — because in life and in ministry, we really are better together. 

Equipping Children's Ministry Volunteers

Whether you are part of your church's children's ministry, or thinking about serving in children's ministry, the Children's Ministry Volunteer Handbook is for you!

Too often, people view children's ministry as a place to drop off the kids so the adults can listen to the sermon, uninterrupted. They fail to see the power and potential of children's ministry.

In Matthew 19:13-14, Jesus said, "Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these." While we may see the naivete of children as a detriment, Jesus sees it as a strength--there is beauty in the simplicity of the gospel. Investing in children's ministry is a worthwhile and crucial part of the church.

This practical handbook features insights from six authors, all experts in the field of children's ministry, with over 100 years of combined experience. They will help guide you through the challenges and joys of children's ministry--and how it is vital to the Kingdom of God.

In the context of youth ministry, outreach is simply looking beyond yourself and equipping teenagers to do the same. It's about a commitment to encouraging and equipping teenagers to engage in a lifestyle of sharing the world-altering message of Jesus.

Jesus commands us to reach out, compassion compels us to reach out, and true discipleship calls us to reach out. The Skinny on Outreach delivers specific, tangible ideas for building a youth ministry where teenagers discover how every area of life offers ongoing opportunities for relational evangelism.

This book will fuel your passion for reaching out and sharing the message of Jesus--and for inviting teenagers into this exciting adventure, too. When your teenagers are on a mission with Jesus and telling people about him, they'll also grow deeply in him.

Help your students become life-changing ambassadors for Jesus' message of grace and hope. And join Jesus in the quest for the unreached teenagers in your community!

Youth worker, that's where you come in! When your students serve others, they're serving Jesus. Serving helps teenagers draw closer to Jesus and become more like him. And serving creates opportunities to talk about Jesus and share his amazing good news.

Ultimately, every act of genuine Christian service points to Jesus' act of service on the cross.

The Skinny on Service unpacks the powerful reasons why it's important for you and your students to serve others, but you'll also get page after page of practical ideas on how to serve. You'll be equipped to help teenagers discover
the joy of serving faithfully "before," even if they don't personally get to see the fruit "after."

Teenagers aren't just looking for a great youth worker--they're looking for a Christ-follower who is leaving footsteps they can step into. And when you lead the way by serving, that's exactly what you're doing.