Anatomy of a Care Ministry: The Heart of the Matter

This morning a group gathered at my home to once again shape the vision for a ministry of care.

I began our time with a reminder from the apostle Paul in his letter to the Ephesians. "He destined us for adoption as his children through Jesus Christ." Yes, we are his children, "chosen before the foundation of the world to be holy and blameless before him in love." Yet, we continue to have places within each of us that impede our growth to wholeness and reflecting the image of God. M. Robert Mulholland, in his book Invitation to a Journey, calls these "points of unlikeness to Christ." This morning the group was challenged to consider their own points of unlikeness and the importance of staying on their own journey of being conformed to Christ's image as we help others do the same.

After devotions, each group member was invited to share what God was doing in his or her life through "prayer planning." (See earlier blog, Anatomy of a Care Ministry: Prayer Planning.)

We sat out on my deck, enjoying the long awaited sunshine while the birds sang out to each other in the trees. Three women shared their personal stories and sang their own songs of how God was using them to bless people and the church. A bond was quickly created for they shared the same spiritual gifts and holy calling: discernment and intercession.

I think God brought these women together at this point in time so they wouldn't be alone in their calling. For no one truly understands what it is like to experience what one woman called the heartache and joy of the gift of intercession.

I love when God puts ministry together. As the leader of this small group time this morning, my job instantly became easy. Here is what quickly unfolded:

1. Each month, these intercessors, along with others that desire to become part of the team, will pray together for the church, the pastoral staff, for the new formational and healing care ministry and each other. (We haven't landed on a name for the ministry yet, but I think we might be close.)

2. Once a week, individual intercessors will pray in the two worship areas of the church and in other areas of the church as well.

3. The intercession team will come together in July to view a video on prayer, spiritual warfare and healing.

4. The women borrowed several of my books to help enrich their understanding of intercession and healing prayer. Authors Jim Cymbala, Dutch Sheets and Francis MacNutt will be perused and new concepts will be grasped.

5. We will communicate our plans to the Spiritual Health Team, the group to whom we are accountable.

6. We will begin to develop ways to educate the congregation on spiritual and emotional healing.

The anatomy of a care ministry at Park Street is becoming clearer.

Prayer serves as the endoskeleton and intercession is positioned in the body as the heartbeat of it all.



Coming next: while we are training people for a future formational and healing ministry, what do we do with people's needs in the Now?

Anatomy of a Care Ministry: Who Cares?

I hope I've caught your attention with my somewhat sarcastic title of this blog: Who Cares? In order to follow my attempt of this play on words, I'd first like to invite you to read the link I've provided below by my friend and scholar, Dr. John Byron. 

http://www.thebiblicalword.blogspot.com/
The Biblical World: What we need to do after the rapture doesn't happe...: "I imagine that by now there are few who have not heard about the rapture prediction for this Saturday, May 21 st . Those who have not yet he..."

Assuming you've read the article, I want you to consider the question "who cares?"  Consider the question in the light of  Dr. Byron's commentary on the biblical passages to which he refers.

We're called to care for people. Not just people that agree with us or think like us, but all people.

You may care about May 21st and the predictions on billboards, Facebook and the zeal of some churches, etc., etc.
You may not "give a care" about any of this.

Regardless, I think Dr. Byron hits hard on a bigger issue. Can we look past our differences and truly care for one another? Could it be that the very people who present philosophies and theologies that differ from us are the very ones that might need us the most? How about the people that behave differently than you might? Can you care for them?

If you've been following my blog, you know I'm helping to guide a group of people at Park Street Church to shape a ministry of care for spiritually and emotionally hurt people. Dr. Byron has given me a new appreciation of the ways scripture forms our method of care. Arguing about "rapture theology" just doesn't seem to be a caring response.

(Hmmmm.... a rapture prediction for Saturday May 21st. Excuse me, God, but I'm helping to launch a care ministry that morning. I really think I'm supposed to hang around here for awhile. Seems we Christians still have some caring, and learning how to care, for others to do.)

Thanks, John Byron, for a careful look at scripture and some timely words of wisdom.

Anatomy of a Care Ministry: Prayer Planning

What comes to mind when you think about planning a ministry? If you're like me, calendars, teams, delegation of tasks, events, mission, and vision are my initial thoughts. And I'm definitely a fan of "to do" lists. Crossing off a job gives me great satisfaction. I've been to a lot of planning meetings in my lifetime and more often than not, have either said or heard those timeless words: "first we need to pray." Sadly, prayer can also become a task on our "to do" list to cross off so we can move on to getting the work done.

In a comment from an earlier post to my blog, Pastor Chris Cahill observed that prayer, when placed at the very center of planning a ministry, becomes the endoskeleton of the body of Christ. (See Anatomy of a Care Ministry: Prayer 4/19/11.) Basically, an endoskeleton refers to a framework that is on the inside of a creature. Conversely, an exoskeleton is a framework on the outside. Chris remarked how safe it is for people in our congregations to depend upon a support system that is outside the body. He notes how often we turn to organizational constructs to help us in the decision making process while ignoring the process of listening to God for direction. That certainly is a little messier for many people. We want direction and we want it now. But, sometimes we don't know how to listen to God, or we may not take the time it takes to hear his voice. Sometimes our church leaders expect us to produce a plan and we are not given time to "prayer plan."


So what is prayer planning?


Prayer planning is listening to God together. It is a group of people, drawn together for a common purpose, that prays about the ministry that is being formed. This group prays when they are together and prays while they are apart. Of course, this implies that you are planning ministry with a team. Doing ministry in community is another topic for another time. Let it suffice to say Jesus gave us the model of doing ministry together. We are not called to be lone rangers. Several years ago a dear friend, who is now part of my spiritual formation group, gave me a workbook called Listening Prayer. It is the companion to Leanne Payne's book of the same title. Growing in my prayer life has been a long process for me and I appreciate the guidance and wisdom of Payne. She writes:


"We listen to God together with others. There is nothing more valuable to a married couple, ministry teams, or prayer partners that come together in listening prayer. In fact, if we are not listening to God together with God's people, we endanger our private listening. When we come together as God's people, he inhabits our praises and prayers in a greater way. Our brothers and sisters are gifted by the Spirit in ways we are not. Their speaking and listening to God sharpens ours, adding dimensions of wisdom and knowledge we would not gain otherwise."


2. Prayer planning is keeping a journal of what you sense God is saying and confirming that with others. I journal what I intuit God saying about the new ministry at Park Street Church. Last week I brought these thoughts to the pastor to compare what he has been hearing from the Lord. The next step will be to bring them to our team meeting in two weeks. Planning ministry in community requires patience to be willing to wait on the community. I look forward to hearing what the other team members are sensing from the Lord.


3. Prayer planning is asking the Lord to help us be open to his leading while we are together at our next meeting.


Understanding the difference between the endoskeleton and exoskeleton is a simple matter of understanding where your support is: inside or outside the body. While we certainly need outside direction from other places, it is imperative that prayer is the main framework that provides the support to all we plan in ministry.


E.M. Bounds writes in his book Answered Prayer:


"Prayer is not an indifferent or a small thing. It is not a sweet little privilege. It s a great preogative, far reaching in its effects. Failure to pray entails losses far beyond the person who neglects it. Prayer is not a mere episode of the Christian life. Rather, the whole life is a preparation for and the result of prayer."


What are the "results of prayer" in your ministries?


What does "prayer planning" look like to you as you lead your church?

Narcissus " Trinity"

" For as the soil makes the sprout come up

and a garden causes seeds to grow,

so the Sovereign Lord will make
righteousness and praise

spring up before all nations."

Isaiah 61:11

Gardens in our lives~ living reminders of his righteousness

and causing us to praise his name 

Now these are proofs and very clear illustrations of the divine power and kindness toward us.
(Notes from Calvin)

Righteousness - His great work of salvation shall break out and appear.

Praise - As the natural product, and fruit of it. (Notes from Wesley)