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Essential Tools for Ministry

Equipping yourself and your congregation requires the right tools. Below are a variety of resources that can help you support your congregation on a number of topics prevalent in society today.

Resources

5 Resources
media
Discovering and Living God's Heart for Immigrants: A Guide to Welcoming the Stranger
This 6-session study guide from World Relief helps Christians welcome and minister to...
web resource
Christians and Racial Justice: A Discussion Guide
This four-part guide educates about the original sin of America - racism - and invites...
web resource
Mental Health: A Guide for Faith Leaders
This web resource offers a professional yet succinct overview of mental health issues,...
article
The Guide to New Church Models
This compilation of essays and interviews looks at seven novel ways that congregations are...
book
These Are Our Bodies: Talking Faith & Sexuality at Church & Home
This curriculum equips congregations and families for faith-based conversations on human...

Contributor

Contributor
Matt Burke

Senior Director of Resource Consulting and Grants

Matt Burke is the senior director of resource consulting and grants for the Center for Congregations. Prior to this role, he also served as the director of the northeast Center for Congregations in Fort Wayne and the Center’s Education Director statewide. Matt has a background in classroom, digital and experiential education and most recently served as the associate director of Learning Science at Kaplan Test Prep. He is passionate about using education to develop deeper faith in congregational participants.

Matt earned a B.A. in Religion from Mount Vernon Nazarene University and a Masters of Divinity degree from Asbury Theological Seminary. He enjoys spending time with his wife, Kelly, and his two sons, Silas and Levi. Matt also loves storytelling in films, books and music and finding the intersections of faith and popular culture.

Church Ministry Tools

If religious leaders are looking for practical resources for churches, they are likely going to want to first take a look at their current ministry setup. There are numerous church ministry tools available out there. When it comes to ministry tools and resources, one thing that might be worth understanding is that there are lots of different types of ministries, and it can be a good idea for these leaders to pair their ministries to the type of congregation that they have. With this in mind, it can possibly prove to be a good idea for them to take a closer look at what ministry is, what this means for churches, and how they can get the most out of this practice.

So, what is ministry? This typically refers to people who are in positions of leadership in a religious organization. Religious leaders will oftentimes have lots of different ministers at their disposal. If they have a large church, for instance, they may even have a hospitality minister, a congregational minister, an outreach minister, and even a music minister! All of these leadership professionals can potentially be benefitted by finding the right resources that they would like to have in order to improve. That is where church tools can be helpful.

When it comes to church ministry tools, there are plenty of options available, and it may be up to leaders to try and find the right tools to help set their ministers up for success. Of course, there are several broad categories of tools. For example, they may want to locate digital tools for ministry that can help their church ministers to better reach out to the members of the congregation. This can be particularly helpful when there are events that are taking place virtually.

There are also video tools that can prove to be helpful. For instance, if leaders are looking for a way to broadcast the beneficial effects of their various ministry groups, they may want to find a way to share videos online. And thus, they might be benefitted from taking advantage of video equipment.

Of course, when it comes to providing a minister with educational resources that can help them to improve their sessions, then books, magazines, and educational videos can perhaps be helpful, as educational tools can help them work to improve the quality of their church ministry.

Church Ministries List

Remember that one ministry definition is that this is a group with a specific focus on religious communities. Some people out there might even refer to church ministries’ ideas as being a sort of calling. When taking a look at the types of ministry callings, it can be helpful to use a church ministry list, as a lot of ministries can be broken down by using a list of church departments.

There's likely a good chance that any church is going to have a wide variety of ministries in it. And so, it can be good for leaders to try and keep a list of their ministries so that they can better keep up with the resources they each require. Depending on the type of ministry, some ministries may require more resources than others. For example, if an outreach advisor is trying to plan a trip for a church group, then leaders may be asked to provide funding for food, lodging, and transportation because while some members may be able to pay their own way, this is probably not going to be true for everyone.

If the church has a music ministry, they may need to be provided with the audio and video equipment they need in order to do their jobs effectively. Keep in mind that leaders might need to maintain this equipment, as well. If they have not taken a look at their audio and video equipment in a while, they may in fact discover that it needs to be replaced.

There are many departments within the church, and it can perhaps be difficult to keep up with everything that every single department needs. However, when faced with this situation, it can be good for leadership to try and keep in mind that they do not have to do this alone. This is one of the reasons why we have church leaders, who can be relied on in the church to help.

Spiritual Ministry

Naturally, there are lots of different types of church ministry, and out of all these types and categories, perhaps the most important type of ministry can be considered that of a spiritual ministry. Some people may say that all ministry is spiritual because it is tied to the church, and while this is true, some types of ministry can potentially be seen as more spiritual than others. Some leaders may find themselves wondering how to activate their spiritual gifts. It can be helpful to take a look at examples of spiritual gifts and talents, so that they can perhaps begin to go through spiritual gifts training.

If leaders are looking for a way to try and get the most out of their spiritual ministry, they may want to provide training on spirituality. This training can come in many shapes and forms, and its underlying goal may likely be to help people learn more about certain sections of scripture. Then, the next objective could be to help spiritual leaders learn how to translate this in a way that members of the congregation can understand. Then, it might be helpful to touch on how the lessons regarding spirituality can be applied to everyday life. This might be able to help members of the congregation get the most out of the ministry experiences that are being offered. If leaders focus on providing training on spiritual ministry, they can potentially help their congregation grow and develop.

Types of Ministry

What are some of the most common types of ministries? One type of ministry is called a “hospitality ministry”. These are typically made up of individuals in a group that takes care of the church itself. For instance, if the church has a potluck coming up, this is likely going to fall under the category of hospitality. If leaders need someone to help them make a bulletin for the church, this is also likely going to be considered part of the hospitality group. They might even be able to help keep the church clean if they are trying to save money on cleaning services.

Another common type of ministry is one called a teaching ministry. These are individuals out there who can help teach the various members of the congregation. If leaders are trying to run a Sunday school session, then teachers are likely going to be required to help conduct the youth groups. This can be seen as another key type of ministry within the church.

There are also outreach ministries that exist. These are groups that will oftentimes play a role in organizing charity events throughout the local community. If there is a particular group that needs assistance in a church’s local area, then their outreach ministry may be able to help plan an event in order to provide assistance.

Leaders may also want to set up something called the counseling ministry. These are individuals who are there to help people work through difficult times. These counselors can help people get in touch with their spirituality, in addition to helping people address personal concerns that they may want to keep confidential.

These are just a few of the most common types of ministry jobs that might exist within the structure of a church. If leaders are trying to find a way to grow their community, they may need to provide these ministers with the resources they need to do their jobs effectively, as service in ministry is perhaps something that simply cannot be overlooked.

Church Ministries Descriptions

Church ministries are potentially not going to be able to survive with members of the congregation who do not participate. Therefore, leadership should perhaps consider encouraging them to do so. One of the ways that they can do that is by providing an exceptional church ministry description. If they are looking at an example of ministry, they might want to consider describing it in a way that the average person can easily understand. Naturally, leaders will probably already know what their ministry categories are. However, members of their congregation may be just looking to get involved in ministry work for the very first time.

Why are church ministry descriptions perhaps so important? They can be seen as important because leaders will likely want members of their congregation to understand what they are going to be doing, if they are to ultimately decide to join that particular group. Most people will join a ministry group because they want to make a difference in some way. Perhaps they want to make a difference by serving underserved individuals. Maybe they want to make a difference in the local church. Perhaps they have certain talents that they want to put to use. Regardless of the individual situation, it can still be immensely helpful for members of the congregation to know what they are going to be doing if they decide to choose a specific route. That is why having ministries can matter.

Naturally, every ministry group is going to be spiritual, in some way. Therefore, leaders should perhaps take a committed approach to provide them with ample church prayer resources. These resources can be useful because they can work to place members of the church ministry in the best position possible to be successful, and thus, it can prove worthwhile to not overlook the importance of these resources.

Ministry Resources

So, what are a few examples of resources for ministry that leadership can use? First, they may want to refer to a church prayer guide. Every prayer can have a specific purpose.

Some prayers focus on helping individuals. Some prayers are for the community as a whole. Other prayers may focus on placing the church group in a good position with an upcoming mission. With this in mind, it can be good to try and not overlook the potential importance of a church prayer guide, when it comes to church ministry resources.

However, while prayer is important, leaders might also want to provide ministry groups with access to a church resource center that has a lot of tools available. Church groups are likely going to need access to outside resources in order to complete their missions. This could include things such as books, movies, educational resources, food, transportation, and advanced AV equipment. It can be a good idea for leaders to tailor their resources to fit the purpose of the church ministry group. If they find themselves in need of help with finding the right resources for their ministry group, then they should perhaps not hesitate to simply reach out and ask for help from a trained professional. After all, no one is expected to handle all of these issues on their own. By asking for the right resources, leaders may be able to help increase the chances of their church ministry group being successful.

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