It is crucial to look for a fresh way of tackling all areas of what a parish does, focused on a major scripture text, rather than a program. Thus, equipping ministry, make for a different way. For church leaders, Ephesians 4 provides a powerful mission statement. The first section introduces ecclesial ministers and their functions.
Top Elements of Equipping Ministry
Sue Mallory and Brad Smith propose six critical aspects for an equipping ministry strategy in The Equipping Church Guidebook. Their understanding of ministry equipping is mostly centered on call and vocation, but it can be broadened, one can include stewardship in a broader sense. The elements are as follows:
Assimilation: How do I comprehend the church and become a member of it?
Biblical foundations: What does the Bible say about serving others?
Who am I and what do I need to live my purpose?
What ministry opportunities best match my gifts and interests?
Growth: How can I continue to learn more about ministry?
Recognize and reflect: How can I keep my ministry going while also growing spiritually?
These elements can be met in a variety of ways (some of which will be discussed), but our major goal here is to examine them as parish goals.
Individuals and families are connected to the parish and equipping process in the first step of assimilation. It comprises outreach to attract new members, visitor follow-up, and an on boarding procedure for new members.
The second part of biblical foundations can be enlarged to include foundations from our tradition for our goals. This component is essentially catches is—education about the fundamentals of our faith—which includes evangelizing. While we usually think of catechizing children, adults must also be catechized—in a way that is appropriate for their age level.
The discovering part of equipping is the first step in applying a wide understanding of discipleship to one's own life. It's a process of figuring out who you are: who am I? What do I have to offer? What are my obstacles? What do I need to make my call a reality? This element can be met in a variety of methods, including gift inventories, interview processes, small group processes, and spiritual guidance.
However, discovery does not have to be unduly regimented, and it should not be viewed as a one-time evaluation, but rather as a Christian's continuous task. A church that equips its members will assist them in carrying out this task. You can also look for other elements for equipping the church.
The fourth aspect is matching and placement, in which participants respond to the gifts they discovered in the prior step. This element's name reveals the system's predisposition toward the call, and it generally relates to matching a person's gifts to ministry opportunities both inside and beyond the church. It would also include orientation and follow-up in this scenario.
It could also imply matching a person with others who share similar talents and interests. The model's goal, on the other hand, can be applied to other evangelizing and discipleship issues.
Recognition and reflection are the final elements of equipping. When making a substantial transition, such as accepting a new profession or changing occupations, this part includes acknowledgment and celebration.
These six components form a strong foundation for equipping Christians with the tools they need to evangelize. Following that, we'll get deeper into formation and discernment, two parts of equipping ministry that thread through all of these.