A
By admin | December 17, 2008
A core reality in church life is that our effectiveness in ministering in and to our communities––over the long haul––is driven by the ideas and resources we can bring to the table.
We all intend to introduce “best practices” to our ministry (and we do), but our best ideas inevitably run their course, and nobody is so creative or innovative that he or she can come up with an endless flow. So, where do we go to find “the best of the best,” that will enable us to be continually relevant and adaptable?
The good news is that great ideas and innovative resources are “out there.” Pastors and other congregational leaders all over North America are experimenting with great ideas and developing effective resources. The bad news, until now, is that it was difficult for local church leadership to find these ideas and resources—difficult for us to dig through all the “tares,” looking for the good “wheat.” Just attempt to “Google” what you think might help and you’ll understand the problem. Or just purchase some resource that promises to address your need and see that it is largely promotional—or must be heavily “screened” or “qualified” to be used in your setting.
The arrival of this NAD Church Resource Center represents a seed change. It means the introduction of constantly building inventory of great ideas and helpful resources, organized to enable you to browse resources or search for a specific resource. It’s a place to go look for what might help, and then to come back again and again to see what’s new. It’s also a place to engage in conversation with other church leaders through our powerful forums, where you can find out from those doing your specific ministry how to innovate for success.
We don’t want to raise your expectations beyond what we can accomplish—and to some degree this is inevitable, particularly in these early stages of the process, where we’re building the inventory. It will take some time for the inventory to be fully realized; however, we believe a structure has been developed, finally, that will begin delivering the goods, providing what churches need.
You can help us with this, suggesting resource ideas, sharing with us what is working in your setting, and pointing out resources that we might not know about. Please do so. Please consider this your site, made better by your contributions.
As the person accountable for leading out in this effort, I want to note that the North American Division has invested heavily in making these resources available, as have the Local and Union Conferences. This has been done both because the need was obvious (and the benefits clear) and because those in leadership were willing to “adventure” in developing this new digital capacity—even in the face of the risky proposition change represents. This is good news for all of us and we’re excited to play some small part in your ministry.
Topics: What's Hot |
Comments
You must be logged in to post a comment.