We are frequently asked “What is the Involvement Ministry?”  Our usual response is to begin by letting people know what Involvement Ministry is not.  It is not about trying to find people a “job” in the church.  People are busy enough without me coming along and adding something else to their already full plate.  Neither is Involvement Ministry about filling slots or plugging people into a rigid church infrastructure.Involvement Ministry is about equipping people to serve where God is calling them to serve in His Kingdom, for His glory, and for building up the body of Christ and carrying out the ministry of Christ. The foundational passage for the Involvement Ministry is

Ephesians 4:11-13 – “It was he who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers, to prepare God’s people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.”

Involvement Ministry is actually about helping people become “unbusy.”  This is done by helping people discover their God-given passion, spiritual gifts, and personal style (or personality) so they can gain a better understanding where God is calling them to serve.  The next step is to help them find a ministry that is a good match for who they are (based on their God-given passion, spiritual gifts, and personal style) and where they are at this stage in their life.  This is done by connecting them with an existing ministry in the church or the community, or by creating a new ministry that is a good fit for them–the focus is on the person and not the program.The goal is to empower people to say “Yes!” to serve where God is calling them to serve and where they can be most fruitful and fulfilled in God’s Kingdom.  While at the same time, to say “No!’ to those areas where they would be less effective in God’s service and drained of precious time and energy.Every member of the body is a minister (servant) equipped and empowered by God to serve in a unique way in the body of Christ so the ministry of Jesus Christ can be effectively carried out in the world today.  Service in God’s Kingdom, for Christians, is not something optional, it is our response to what God has done for us in Christ and for what He is doing in us through the Holy Spirit (see Romans 12:1-9; 1 Peter 4:10-11; and Ephesians 2:8-10).  When we serve where God is calling us and empowering us to serve, then we will grow and mature spiritually and so will the body of Christ–the church.

Purpose

The purpose of the involvement ministry is discipleship and spiritual formation–it is about helping individuals mature spiritually through the use of their God-given design (passion, spiritual gifts, personal style) to serve in the body of Christ and the community, so that the whole church can become spiritually mature, reflecting the love of Christ, carrying out the ministry of Jesus, and experiencing spiritual and numerical growth for the glory of God.

Primary Objective

The overall objective is to design and oversee a comprehensive ministry system that helps lead Christian and non-Christian visitors, and active and inactive members, into meaningful relationships and ministry at theSouthwest Church of Christ.

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