Doing ministry "In the book but out of the box."
Genesis 12:1 says that God told Abraham "Go forth from your country, And from your relatives And from your father's house, To the land which I will show you." Abraham set out on a journey with no GPS, no road map and no one who had already made the trip and could tell him what to look for. Abraham was responding to the voice of God. I am definitely not in a category with Abraham, but my current situation is similar.
Last Sunday, January 2, 2011, I resigned as Pastor of FBC Dallas. I had been Pastor of the church since December 2004. During the last six years, we have enjoyed living in northwest Georgia and serving as Pastor of FBC.
At this point, I'm seeking the Lord's will regarding my next step. I will be open to serving as a Pastor again if that is the Lord's will. And, I will be available for pulpit supply and a possible interim if the opportunity arises. And, there are other ministry options I'm considering. Lord willing, I want to do something a little out of the box. What do I mean by "out of the box?" I'm referring to doing ministry outside the traditional programming and format that we are familiar with in the church.
Based on research done in recent years, the modern church is reaching fewer and fewer unchurched people. I think at least part of the reason for that is that we are living in a totally different culture than in the past and the church is not penetrating the culture as we should.
There was a time when the church occupied a prominent place in a town or city. Those days are essentially gone. Most people live very busy lives and try to fit worship into a very busy schedule. I'm not suggesting that's the correct approach but, it is reality.
To illustrate how the culture has changed, we have just finished the Christmas season. A poll published in USA Today revealed that for many people, Christmas had no religious value at all; it was a totally secular event.
Now, when we see polls like that, we can either get angry and talk about how bad the culture is or we can ask the Lord how we can reach the culture. Here is one clue: we won't do it by throwing stones at the culture. We need to love people like Jesus did.
Evangelist Rick Stanley spoke in our church last October. He spoke of the need for the church to be more creative in sharing the love of Jesus with this generation. He said regarding our programming; "We need to be in the Book, but out of the box." That's what I want to do. I want to something that will allow me to target
unchurched people more. Pray for me as I seek the Lord's will on how to do ministry out of the box.
Bro. Gregg,
I have known you most all of my life. I want you to know that my family and I will pray for you as you seek God's will for your life. What a tremendous step of Faith that God has laid on your heart to step "Out of the Box" and obey his commands. We will continue to pray that God will direct your ways and open many doors for you to minister to those who need Him.
In Christ,
Jon Mark Self
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Thanks, Jon. Your family means a lot to me. Thanks for your prayers.
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Dr. Gregg,
I also agree that we need something "out of the box" in order to reach more unsaved people. I am sad that you are not our pastor anymore, but I am very excited to see where the Lord will take you on this new chapter in your life. I think you are really on to something here and I can't wait to find out what will come of this. I have a VERY good feeling about this.
Miss you,
Ginna Stokes
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Thank you, Gina.
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