Serving is not just about filling a spot to make the ministry happen–it is about fulfilling God’s purpose for you in ministry. Each one of us has a gift from Jesus that, if used, can bring great honor to Him. We all have a choice to use that gift, and that choice is not always easy. For many it is choosing the unknown. It’s territory never traveled before.
One thing I’m learning in ministry is not to make a choice based on what is easy or comfortable but make it based on how God will get the most glory. So, say you’ve made the choice to attend NewSpring church and you really enjoy the services and can’t wait for each Sunday to come around. Awesome! What now? It would be easy to sit on the sidelines and just be fed every week. You may be a little uncomfortable coming to a Membership Class…but that’s not too far out of your comfort zone, so you attend a class and make the choice to join the church. You are now an active member of the church. Wonderful, great choice! What does active member mean?
Active membership is making the choice to participate in building up the church and becoming involved in ministry. You become a member of the body of Christ just as each of our bodies have members that help us function. You don’t have an arm just for the visual of having an arm attached to your body or just to say you have an arm. You have an arm so that you can function to your full potential. The same is true as a member of a church. NewSpring is NewSpring because of the many members that function together to reach the full potential that God designed us for. However, you have to choose to become active just as you have to choose to use your arm.
Why do we choose to use our arm more than we would our gift in the church? Perhaps we’re wondering how it benefits us. It is easy to know the benefit and results of the use of our arm. We know we will be satisfied when we get that glass of milk to our mouth after eating a chocolate chip cookie. We know the comfort we will have when we scratch that spot on our back that is itching. But it’s not always easy to know the benefit and the results of being an active member of the church. The benefit is in the impact on the lives attending the church. You have something in you to use to impact many lives.
Our ultimate purpose on this earth, which is so often forgotten, is to bring honor to Jesus in everything we do. I want to equip you to have Jesus influence in the church and everywhere you go. It’s amazing how you will be fulfilled, satisfied, and comforted and how God will grow you as you serve beyond yourself. I am a walking testimony of a life changed through active involvement in the church. I’m speechless when I think about how God has blessed me since being obedient to his call on my life to serve the church. (More on this tomorrow.)
Don’t miss out on the opportunities God puts before you to do ministry. If you are a member of a church, I would strongly suggest that you jump into ministry somewhere. God can use you in ways you would never imagine. Let’s impact lives together–get active.
If you are active, I would love to hear why you made the choice to get involved and how you’ve experience life change through God using your gift.
If you are inactive, how can I help you understand the opportunity before you?
As a member of the Majestic Cast for 3 1/2 years, I know beyond a shadow of a doubt how marvelous it feels to be doing what God wants you to do with the life He’s giving you to live! Whether the character is a penquin, a lion, or a backyard buddy, memorizing lines to bring that character to full life & to teach our kids songs & Bible verses with motions…… well, everytime they smile, I know Jesus is right there with all of us smiling too!!
Being a Majestic Cast Volunteer is my way of helping others know, I love Jesus, He loves me and He loves YOU! Not to mention, since having children of my own & very busy schedules, I don’t get to participate in drama like I did when I was in high school & college…this is one way to do a hobby I really enjoy & impact my community for Christ! Only HE provides avenues that cool for each of us to walk along….excuse me………..run along…..We keep a fast pace in the Majestic Cast for NewSpring! Get on board! YOU don’t want to miss the fun ***
Sherry,
Thanks for adding the Blog to your already full plate!
Communication is vital!
Gay Carpenter
[...] Matter of fact, she has a great post on Active Impact. [...]
As a member of the special needs team, I can tell you that God himself led me to this team. I worked with special needs children at school a few years ago. I worked with them for 4 years. Our special needs classes moved to another school and I didn’t see those children anymore. It broke my heart. I often thought of them and worried a little about them too. They left our school and I ended up staying and working with kindergarten children. When I became a member of New Spring and started volunteering for the special needs kids, most of the kids that I had said goodbye to ended up at New Spring. I was so happy to see them. They still inspire me. Believe me when you can get any child, especially a special needs child to recite a bible verse or learn a bible story or even a song it makes your heart go pitter patter and fall to your feet. I think I will forever be part of this wonderful team. Special Needs Rocks………..
As a team leader for the 6:45 Majestic Greeters, I would like to say thanks to the most awesome team in the world. You guys are incredible and I can’t say enough about your NEED, not want to serve. I love my team and I am forever thankful to God to have you all.
I would have to say all the Majestic Greeting teams have the hardest most rewarding job at the church. We have saw God do amazing things in the lives of our children because we were able to get them to services that are relevant to them. We all have watched countless little lives changed for God’s glory. Majestic Greeters are #1 and I am very blessed to be a small part of them!
God is so amazing and DOES have a plan and purpose for everyone….here is why in my life…. I volunteered to help out with Theater 2 because my son would soon be in Theater 2 as he was going to be promoted to 3rd grade. Little did I know that women taught girls and men taught the boys. So when I was placed with the girls, it was a little different. I went home and prayed because it felt a lot different being around girls as I tend to be around my boys, husband, and their friends; so everything from activities and conversations is different. God spoke to me and said I was exactly where He wanted me. And because of that, I am learning so much about girls and enjoy volunteering!
Yeah, I guess I started volunteering for less altruistic reasons. I was a lonely guy in a really big church. It felt like everyone knew each other, and although I knew people, it was more of a polite acquaintanceship than anything. A friend of mine said I should start volunteering.
Well, this guy gave me some good advice. God had me meet a lot of folks, and eventually brought me to Majestic Theater 2, and now you can’t get me out of the place half of the time. I love teaching those kids, and I’m excited to see what kind of impact they’re going to have having had this type of teaching at Newspring. It’s pretty exciting.
I have been a nurse for 29 years. Nursing is deffinately my gift. So, it seemed only natural to be on the Medic Team and on the Hospital Visitation Team.
New spring has made such a difference in my life and I know that God uses my career to impact the lives of others. I have not always been a Jesus Follower and seeing how my faith has impacted my career has been very fullfilling. It amazes me the situations God places you to do His work.
Sherry, I thank God you were placed over the volunteers, because you do such a great job. You have no idea how much you have impacted my brothers life. (Capt Ron)
I have been a member of the Barnabas team for somewhere around 2 1/2 years. I do it because it is my passion to help people understand why they believe what they believe. I have had people talk to me about evolution (biggest topic I get), child abuse, the crusades (always popular), and my favorite “I need to talk to someone about accepting Christ.” I do this because of 1 Peter 3:15. “Always be able to give a reason for the hope that is in you, to anyone at all times in all gentleness and respect.” That is why I serve.
Hi Sherry,
I have been a volunteer with the Ignite team for more than a year now and what a ride it has been! My husband and I are part of a home group and we volunteer together at many events. It took us four years to plug into New Spring and our largest regret is that we did not accept God’s call sooner. I can NOT imagine what we missed out on in those four years considering all of the incredible things that He has placed and done in our lives in the last two years. One of the greatest blessings that has transformed our lives is that God truly does grow you “Beyond yourself”. The first 5 or 6 times I observed at Ignite I did not want to go back. Satan used every selfish desire to try and distract me. “I dont really have that much time. Its a long drive for me. Im going to have to spend more money on gas making all these trips to Anderson. The kids wont like me. Im 30 and that is just too old for them to relate to me”…and on the Sunday that I thought I was going to decide for myself not to continue, my husband told me that he prayed for me and that he believes God wants me to give it one more Sunday…one more try. Sherry, I am SO thankful for my husbands prayer and that I took that next step. That same Sunday Perry preached the message “It’s NOT ABOUT YOU” ….and it immediately all made sense to me. I really could share for hours about the many blessings that my husband and I have received being pluggged in at New Spring. My husband and I think everyday, what did we miss out on the four years we were not plugged in? That is our largest regret, is that we did not take action sooner with an objective servants heart and mind focused on serving the Lord by serving others. I can tell you that a year and a half later, I see now that God’s purpose for me to volunteer at Ignite was SO MUCH BIGGER than the kids that go there. God led me into several relationships with some young women that needed mentoring and friendship. It was such an amazing moment to look back and go, “Oh. This is why God brought me here”. All of the ladies and children that I have engaged with at Ignite all share experiences in common with what I have already been through – and God needed me to support them, to listen, and to give them vision for holding on to God’s promise – with faith just like He mapped out for us in Jeremiah 29:11. I have been blessed by every second of emotional and physical investment in this ministry and I truly can not imagine missing out on this. I would not have the walk with Christ or the marriage that I have today had I not stuck with it.
I have always been active in every church that we have been members of. After joining NS, I was thrilled to be able to work in the nursery for the 6 week- crawling babies. I have met so many people – parents, other workers. I like to think that we make each parent feel like we truly love their babies – because we do! Another ministry is to the other volunteers. We have become close even though we are different ages and at various stages of our lives.I bid to never fly on Sundays – my place is there!Kathy
I have volunteered at Ignite for just over a year now and I volunteer in the nursery for first service also. Both have been the most awesome experiences for me! In the nursery I get to watch babies grow! I get to bond and love on God’s most precious gift to us. I started at Ignite because my son was going (he has moved up to Fuse now) and Alden sent out a postcard to parents letting us know they would be talking about sex from the stage. The postcard was an invite for parents to come and sit and be a part of one of the many crucial areas of our teens’ lives. So, I went for that and never left!
The leaders are great, the kids are great, the staff is awesome! Watching teenagers raise their hands in worship and sit and listen and take it all in…. well, it is just an awesome experience!
Shelley
very interesting. i’m adding in RSS Reader