Ministry Guide

Updated April 2014

Our ministry is built upon a “steps to growth and involvement” model rather than a program model. The goal is believers that have stepped from evangelization to self-sustainable discipleship, ministry and ministry leadership.

Steps in involvement will not be exact in order,
although the purpose is that everyone will experience each step.

New Life Church

Ministry Guide

Introduction

Thank you for being a vital part of the ministry of New Life Church! This guide is provided to you as a handbook for productive and joyful work for the Lord through the ministry of our church. It is not meant as fence to restrict you, rather a road map that will release you into the full potential that God has for you and those you lead.

Please take time to fully acquaint yourself with what this booklet contains. It can help answer many questions you may have about how our church labors together in taking the great news of Jesus to our community and world!

May God richly bless you in your work for Him!

Todd Wagner

Pastor

New Life Church Purpose Statement

“New Life Church exists to worship God, and to reach, love, mentor, and release people to service.”

New Life Church Values

Definition of Values: The strategy for fulfilling our purpose, which determines our uniqueness as a church.

We value our Church Gatherings…The assembly of the church for celebration, unity, vision, teaching and gospel proclamation.

We value Small Groups…The building blocks of NLC and the gateway for every person to participate in authentic relationship and community.

We value Discipleship…Growing into the image of Christ through gaining of biblical knowledge, growing of skills, development of character, submission to godly perspective and living powerfully by these convictions.

We value Prayer…The church is a “house of prayer” therefore we practice personal and corporate prayer, knowing that God answers – resulting in a richer, fuller life for individuals, for households and for our community.

We value Specialized Ministry…NLC provides specific opportunities for life stages and life situations ministry.

We value Volunteer Involvement…NLC leadership introduces people into a culture that encourages every person to discover and express their God-given gifts, talents and passions; trains for effectiveness; and releases them as a ministry team working in creative unity.

We value Outreach…Taking the Great Commission seriously we breakdown our walls creatively demonstrating and explaining the story of Jesus to the people of Lane County and the world—as individual witnesses, small group teams and the gathering of our congregation.

How We Minister

The center of all we do is to bring people to Jesus, it is our reason for existence. Jesus made the church’s purpose clear:

Matthew 28:19-20 (NIV) Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age."

While not every message, teaching, or event ends with an altar call for salvation, the bull’s eye of our target is that we exist to proclaim salvation through Jesus Christ.

Evangelism takes many forms: Public proclamation, personal witness, small group discussion and more. We encourage creativity in presenting the Good News!

Remember that people need repeated exposure to the gospel message before they make a commitment. The average person hears about salvation seven times before personally trusting Jesus. So, be encouraged to keep bringing your message to those you minister to!

The Great Commission goes beyond simply leading people to make a prayer of commitment. Jesus commands that we “make disciples”. The job is not over when someone receives Jesus as savior, instead the job has just begun! Consider your ministry to be one of helping people grow up in their walk with God.

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Team Ministry

Ministry should not be done alone. The Bible reinforces this principle over and over again. Jesus always had a team, as did the Apostle Paul. Elijah became overwhelmed with his ministry when he was alone. God’s prescription to lift him was to create a team for ministry!

Reasons you need a team:

  1. It will distribute the work so you will not become overwhelmed
  2. There will be greater creativity from a team than what you would do yourself
  3. It will assure that ministry will go forward even in your absence or if you have to step away from your ministry.
  4. It is a training ground for others to get involved in ministry
  5. It is a wonderful basis for friendship and fellowship
  6. It introduces newer people into the life of the church
  7. It protects you from criticism by outsiders

Look for people you can encourage and draw up by adding them to your team. It’s a way of making disciples!

Quality and Excellence in Ministry

People in our society have come to expect a level of quality and excellence in many things. We have high expectations at a restaurant, a hospital, a hotel, an airline, a retail store, etc. We all feel that we would not fully participate or trust ourselves to at any of these establishments if there was not evident quality. How much more so for the church! We are asking people to trust us with their children, their teens, and ministry for their eternal souls!

So, in all that we do let us ask ourselves these questions: “Have I done this to the level that is worthy of the Lord?” “Am I representing Christ to the best of my abilities with my planning, the room’s condition, the materials I use, my personal presentation?” He gave his best for me, I can do no less!

Ministering While Seeing The Big Picture

It is natural and expected that you be passionate about your ministry; your events, the people your ministry touches, your team members and colleagues. In your passion it is important to keep the “big picture” in mind. In other words, consider not only what your ministry is doing, also take into account the global vision of the church. This calls on you to be flexible. Schedules, finances, volunteers, etc., must be shared for that large vision. In practical terms this means that there will be times when individual ministries will be called on to alter their schedule, participate in special meetings, take special training, advance a team member or volunteer into another area, and more. The key principle is this: we are not building our kingdom, we are building His.

The Trust Placed In Us

There is no greater trust in life than to be placed in ministry. God has entrusted us with his treasured message. In turn, the church has committed that trust to you. How you conduct yourself and the work you do reflects on every other member and their ministry. As Paul said:

“Your very lives are a letter that anyone can read by just looking at you.” 2 Corinthians 3:2b (MsgB)

Trustworthiness is vital in all aspects of our ministry and conduct. There are however some especially important areas:

Ministry To Minors:

  1. Anyone who works with minors must be approved by the church office who will conduct a background check.
  2. Those wishing to minister to minors must have attended NLC for a minimum of six months prior to beginning their ministry. Requests to waive this period may be approved by the team leader and pastor when a compelling reason to do so is presented.
  3. Never be alone with a minor.
  4. There must be two adult leaders or a trained and approved teen helper with elementary age children and younger at all times.
  5. Middle school and up may have one leader present providing there is at least one other student present or trained and approved helper in the area aware of the presence of the student.
  6. Touching.
  7. Be aware of how you touch children, erring on the side of caution. Do not coerce or ask them for hugs, kisses, etc.
  8. Physical force should only be employed to protect a child or to protect others. It is inappropriate to use touch to move or redirect children.
  9. Pastors who lead ministry to minors shall provide appropriate training regarding physical contact with minors.
  10. If any situation regarding improper touching arises that causes you concern report it to your team leader immediately. Team leaders in turn will report to the pastor.

Conduct With The Opposite Sex

  1. Avoid situations that leave you alone with members of the opposite sex.
  2. In cases where you need to spend time with them assure that others are near or know where you are.
  3. If situations occur that are inappropriate contact your team leader directly.

Giving Personal Counsel

You will often be asked for personal guidance by those you lead. This is good and is a natural result of ministry. There are some guidelines to keep in mind:

  1. Confidentiality issues. In nearly every case you should keep confidential what is told to you. Do not ruin a relationship or ministry by retelling what was heard and said or even asking others to pray about what you discussed.
  2. Cases in which you cannot remain confidential. If someone tells you they are going to commit a crime, or if they report a case of child abuse you must report this directly to your division leader. Also, if they reveal something that makes you think someone is in danger you must report this to your division leader.
  3. You are not required to listen to things that make you feel uncomfortable. It is appropriate to stop a conversation and say: “What you are now telling me is something I cannot keep to myself,” or “I’m uncomfortable with what we’re talking about”. You can then suggest that you take the individual to one of the pastors to discuss this further. Remember, you are not under obligation nor can you offer a promise of complete confidentiality. This is why you must make this clear early.
  4. If you are unsure on what to do in any given circumstance contact your team leader for guidance.

Handling Money

  1. When funds are directly collected in the course of your ministry they are to be counted by a team of two leaders. Both must sign a count sheet attesting to the total. (Count sheets are available from the church office.)
  2. Seal the money and checks in an envelope along with the count sheet.
  3. Drop the envelop at the business office. Do not take funds away from the church property. If you are not on the property please bring to the church at the earliest opportunity.

Promptness and Reliability

Whenever we step into ministry the expectations of us grow! Others now depend on us to be on time, complete tasks we take on, and be keepers of our word. Carelessness here will harm your work, but excelling in this area will earn the respect of those you lead.

Keys and Building Security

All who use church keys must agree with the following:

  1. If you have keys you will not loan them to any person, even family members without prior authorization from the church secretarial staff.
  2. You will not copy any key.
  3. If keys are lost you must immediately contact the church secretary.
  4. You will assure that the building is properly secured upon the completion of your use of it.
  5. Generally keys are not issued, instead we use a key box with a code that is changed monthly. If you need use of a key please contact the church bookkeeper for authorization and the code.
  6. Security System.
  7. Alarm control pads will be placed in four locations.
  8. Office Door
  9. Front Door (main foyer entrance)
  10. Rear Door (Towards Tedro Building)
  11. School Door (Under Outside Breeze Way)
  12. Everyone who needs entrance to church will either be assigned a access code and a proximity card or just an access code.
  13. Proximity card use:
  14. To use proximity tag you will only need to wave the proximity tag in front of the keypad. Once to disarm and once to arm system. System will remain disarmed until rearmed by tag or *default system timer.
  15. *On normal business days the alarm system will arm automatically at a predetermined time.
  16. Keypad Use:
  17. Upon entry you will have 30 seconds to disarm system. Keypad entry is *<your code>#. Once completed the system will be disarmed until access code is entered for arming or *default system timer.
  18. Special Events:
  19. If there is a special event where access is needed an access code or proximity tag request form will need to be filled out with the Church Secretary (Teresa Hess.) *unless an event coordinator is used who has access.
  20. Possible Dual Zone Alarming:
  21. The School and Daycare may have to be put on its own system so roaming from Church to School orSchool to Churchis restricted unless both systems are disarmed. Your proximity tags and access codes will be provisioned in each system.
  22. If there are any questions present them

Doctrinal Harmony

All leaders in NLC ministries are expected to be knowledgeable of NLC’s doctrinal statement and agree to teach nothing that is in disagreement with them. The doctrinal statement is contained in the appendix.

The Minister’s Commitment

Length of Commitment

Generally, we ask for a one year commitment to your ministry. Each year we will visit with group and team leaders asking them if they would like to obligate themselves for an additional year or shift their focus to a different area. Our year ends in August and the new year of ministry beings in September.

Team leaders are responsible to re-enlist their team members and resource volunteers at this same time.

Limits For Personal Involvement

Care needs to be taken when enlisting people as volunteers that individuals not become over-committed. While this is far from true for many, and over commitment may be a false perception for some, there are others who simply try to be involved in too many areas at once. Have a frank discussion with anyone who you wish to include in your ministry to ascertain if they are too busy to fully give themselves to this ministry. If they are so busy with ministry that they cannot attend any worship services or make time for family, or do what they are doing with excellence, counsel them to make some decisions about what they should realistically be taking on.

How To Build Your Ministry Team

  1. The Volunteer Team coordinates the record of involvement for everyone who volunteers in ministry at NLC. If through your own contact a new volunteer joins your team you must notify the Volunteer Team so they can include them in their network and ministry.
  2. People who make indication to the church regarding their wish to volunteer will be channeled through our Volunteer Team It is a significant responsibility of yours to do all you can to include them in your ministry. If you cannot, you must contact the Volunteer Team so they can redirect the new volunteer.
  3. Shoulder Tapping – Volunteers or ministry members are encouraged to ask others to join them for an observation of their ministry. Once this is done they may invite this guest to explore further the opportunity to serve in this themselves.
  4. Personal Invitations – It is amazing how many people are simply waiting for someone to ask them to help. Be proactive in soliciting others to join you!
  5. Apprentice/Mentorship – A powerful method of raising up new leaders and volunteers is personal training. Jesus’ way was to have others watch Him, then do it with Him, then He watch them do it, finally, He sent them out on their own. This is a great opportunity to involve teens and people new in their faith.
  6. Whenever a ministry volunteer is added they will enter our 30 day new ministry initiation period.

Qualifications For Ministry

There are many different kinds of ministries. Some require depth and maturity in spiritual matters, others do not. Everyone needs ministry that fits them where they are in their personal growth. Some volunteer positions do not even require a person to be saved to be involved! (For instance, an unsaved person can set tables, help organize a meal, cook, set up chairs, work on a computer and more. They could not however teach a child, lead a prayer team, etc.) Each ministry must determine what levels of spiritual depth and commitment to God is necessary for people to be involved. As a team you must prepare for this issue prior to inviting people to join you. If you are unsure about qualifications for ministry within your team seek counsel from the Volunteer Team.

Relationships in Ministry

There are inevitable occasions when personal issues need to be resolved between co-ministers. Misunderstandings, differences in opinion, mistakes and more can cause feelings to arise. If and when this occurs we use the model that the Bible teaches: