I always find it exciting and yet challenging to provide my pastoral report during our Annual Business Meeting. At times, I want to envision and paint a picture of what the church would look like.  I also need to report on what God has done and on top of that,  I desire to draw out a plan of what we will be engaging in 2014.  The challenges of expectations are also huge. Some come to this meeting wanting to participate through ministry. Some just want to listen, be informed and vote. Some desire to engage in deeper dialogue.  With the time constraint we have, I can only encourage church people to engage our leadership in different levels ( like town hall meetings, committees, search process, chatting with our current board leaders and pastoral team, etc ).  Our leaders are open to coming alongside with you, to talk and to dialogue. They function more than decision makers. They are servant leaders.

 

What Have Been the Changes?

 In the past 30 months since my arrival, CG has gone through many changes. With pastoral        team transformation, administration support team reconfiguration, ministry     alignment under one vision and intentional nurturing, I believe we are doing ministry differently from the past.

I do want our members to note the change of ministry behind those plans. I believe it is more than just adjustment and strategic planning. It is God’s primary step of owning this church for His glory. We are removing the obstacles and setting a new phase of Christ-honoring ministry.

Here are the contrasts:

How much do we believe in Scriptural authority?

The Old: We preach, teach and instruct the Word of God.

The New: We desire more… that His word will penetrate every area of our life.

 

Who moves the ministry?

The Old: Pastors move ministry

The New: His people equipped by pastors will move the ministry.

 

What is CG’s distinctiveness?

The Old: We are three congregations having their own ministries.

The New: Pastors and leaders develop ministry under one vision and through modeling.

 

How do we carry ministry?

The Old: We do it through programs and planning

The New: We carry it by a repetitive cycle of developing character and maturity through one-on-one nurturing, mentorship,  QT, DT and LT.

 

How do we define personal faith?

The Old: Do you know God and the Bible?

The New: Have you encountered Jesus and have life transformed?

 

How does church leadership see ministry?

The Old: We manage the opportunity and mobilize resources.

The New: We witness God’s sovereignty on His church through humility, prayer, commitment and spiritual discernment.

 

What is church life?

The Old: We become a member and agree with our faith beliefs.

The New: We incorporate into the church as a membrane of the living organism, living, growing, honoring Him, sharing sufferings and glorifying God together.

 

What do we preach?

The Old: We preach the Gospel.

The New: We preach the Gospel through our confession, conviction and our transformation.

The list can go on.

This is how we become different.  In fact, there are substantial changes of how we see leadership, church and ministry. Let me give you a few examples:  (1) the Executive Board takes personal walk of God seriously, always starting with devotional and setting apart monthly prayer meeting for the whole church.  (2)  We develop lay leadership conference to communicate vision and plans.  We learn and reflect on the lesson of restoration beyond just discipline and forgiveness.  (3) We turn opportunities into encounters with God. We make crisis a lesson of prayer.  (4) Church camp becomes a witness of church life, living out His humility through foot washing.   (5)  We witness the first all church mission exploratory team in 2013.  (6)  We witness the team spirit of partnering with New Hope Ministry for summer outreach and share a season of praying for revival in the Sacramento area.  (7)  Luncheon ministry is an expression to love like Jesus. By faith we dare to answer our challenges differently, we become more vital and responsive to the leading of God. We are one church seeking after His heart.

Theme for 2014:   Connecting up to His glory (Romans 8)   through maturity, mentorship, membership and men’s ministry.

 1. Spiritual Maturity 靈命成長

Maturity is to take in the necessities ( suffering, patience, humility, confidence, etc ) to experience God’s perfect plan.  We will learn together what it means to be united in Christ.

• Church leadership will align the admin support team to fit in the current functional team model.

• Pastoral team will be actively shepherding the church members. There are many care needs that may have come out from past or recent events.

• Church mission work will move intentionally toward united strategic ministry, moving resources and encouraging growth in great obedience to the Great Commission

• Church leadership will continue to narrow the gap of  distance between ministry leaders and EB through purposeful and mindful dialogue with church members.

Installation of Staff for 2014

2.    Mentorship 導師制

A mature church develops ministry through intentional mentoring.

• Continue the next stage of DT making. That will include training present QTers to lead one-on-one mentorship, to continue DT level II classes, to promote the holy habit through small group sharing on devotional materials.

• Fellowship pastor will develop strong ties with fellowship leaders to foster ministry through equipping, teaching and modeling. The desire is to build a team of leaders who can minister in the fellowship life and small groups.

• Develop strong leaders through internships program. We will continue to nurture interns and those in ministry preparation.

• Pastoral team will continue to nurture the whole church through preaching, counseling, visitations, one-on-one meetings and modeling.

3.  Membership 會籍

• Membership is more than official affiliation of a church through an application process. Biblical membership talks about coherence to the Biblical teaching, conformity to confessional faith and living through a committed lifestyle representative of Christ.

• We need to redefine church life through a revision process of our current church membership materials. New church members will be better informed of the DNA of this church.  Our desire is to produce a new group of believers who treasure church life and aspire to live out the core values of our church.

4.  Men’s ministry 弟兄事工

Our church has been blessed with many sisters who have been participating and serving in CG.

In 2014, we will take another attempt to bring up strong spiritual leadership through men’s ministry.

The pastoral team will help to promote the importance of getting connected in small groups and accountability. We anticipate a bigger participating of future leadership as we develop this platform to promote authenticity, accountability and spiritual leadership.

The 4Ms are components to express our deep desire to see the church move beyond the present to become a truly discipleship making church.

 

轉變

作者：陳國添牧師                 翻譯：胡枋國、恩言編譯組

我很期待能在年度事務會議上提交我的牧會報告，並覺得深具挑戰。除了對教會未來的遠景提出我的異象, 我也要報告神已成就的事，而最重要的是，我渴望分享一下我們在2014年將要進行的計劃。我想，會友們也是懷著極大的期望來開會。有一些人來這個聚會是要參與事工；有些人只是想聽聽、了解和投票；有些人則想要更深入地參與對話。由於時間的限制，我只能鼓勵會眾藉由不同的領導階層去了解事工 (例如咨詢會議、各個委員會、聘牧程序、詢問現任長執和牧師團，等等)。我們的領袖們會開誠佈公地與你溝通和對話。他們所作的不只是決策而已，他們乃是要成為神的僕人。

在我來之後的30 個月裏，教會經歷過許多的的改變。經由牧師團的轉換，行政支援團隊的重組，在同一異象和有計劃的牧養下進行教會事工的重組，我相信我們正用和過去不同的方式在進行事工。

我很希望會眾能感受到，教會事工經由這些改變所帶來的轉變。我相信這不僅僅是調整和策略性的計劃而已，這是神為了榮耀祂自己的教會的一個最基本步驟。我們所作的乃是除去成長的阻礙，並設定一個能榮耀基督事工的新願景。

下面是過去和現在事工的一些對照：

我們相信聖經的權威有多少？

過去：我們講道、教導和講解神的話語。

現在：我們更要讓神的話語，滲透到我們生命中的每一部份。

誰推動教會事工？

過去：牧師們推動事工。

現在：牧師們裝備神的子民去推動事工。

什麼是恩典教會的特色？

過去：我們有三個部門，各有自己的事工。

現在：牧師和三部門領袖是在同一異象和模式下，一同發展事工。

我們如何進行事工？

過去：我們按照方案和計劃而行。

現在：事工的進行端賴品格與靈命的成熟，而這些都必須透過一對一的培育、導師制、靈修(QT)、門徒訓練(DT)、和平信徒領袖訓練(LT)等重複操練。

我們如何對個人信仰下定義？

過去：你認識神和聖經嗎？

現在：你曾遇見耶穌，並得著生命改變嗎？

教會領袖如何看事工？

過去：我們掌握機會和動用資源。

現在：我們藉由謙卑、禱告、委身和屬靈眼光，來見證神在祂教會的主權。

什麼是教會生活？

過去：我們成為會員，並且同意我們的信仰。

現在：我們溶入教會成為活的有機體，一起生活、成長、敬畏神、分享磨難和追求榮耀神。

我們傳講什麼？

過去：我們傳講福音。

現在：我們透過我們的坦承、信念和生命的改變來傳講福音。

此外，仍有很多可以列舉的事工對照。

 

這些改變使我們現在和過去有所不同。事實上，最重要的改變是我們要如何看待領導層、教會、和事工。在此舉幾個例子：

1. 長執會成員很注重個人與神同行，總是以靈修開始每一天；每個月並安排一次長執禱告會，為全教會禱告。

2. 我們還發展了平信徒領袖聚會，以溝通異象和計畫。我們學習和反思修復的屬靈功課，而不僅僅是紀律和饒恕。

3. 我們將機會轉化成與神相遇的時刻。我們使危機轉變成禱告的功課。

4. 教會退修會成為教會生活的見證，透過為信徒洗腳活出基督的謙卑。

5. 我們見證了2013年首次全教會未得之民宣教考察團的成行。

6. 藉著參與新希望事工(New Hope Ministry)暑期外展活動、和參與為Sacramento地區復興禱告的季節性聚會，我們也見證了團隊合一的靈。

7. 午餐愛筵事工是全教會肢體的殷勤擺上，表達出在主裏的愛心。

因著信，我們敢於以不同的方式來反應我們所面臨的挑戰，我們變得更有活力並更能回應神的帶領。我們是一個尋求神心意的合一教會。

2014年主題：連結神的榮耀 (羅馬書 八章) – 透過靈命成長 、導師制度、會籍、和弟兄事工

靈命成長 (Spiritual Maturity)

• 成熟必須經歷神的完整計劃(受苦、忍耐、謙卑、自信等)。我們將要一起學習連於基督。

• 教會領袖將與行政支援團隊配搭，落實在現行功能性團隊的模式。

• 牧師團要主動地牧養教會會友；有許多關懷上的需要，是從過去或最近所發生的事件中所產生的。

• 教會差傳事工逐步走向聨合策略的事工，朝向資源集中，鼓勵在遵行大使命上的增長。

• 教會領袖將透過用心與會友之間的交流，來縮小事工領導與長執會(EB)之間的距離。

導師制 (Mentorship)

•  一個成熟的教會是經由導師制來發展事工。

• 繼續門徒訓練的下一步。那包括訓練現有的QT成員進入一對一的導師制，繼續門徒訓練第二階段課程，鼓勵小組分享靈修資源以養成敬虔的習慣。

• 團契牧師將發展與團契領袖間的緊密聯繫，透過裝備、教導和榜樣來培育事工能力；期望建立小組領袖團隊 ，來牧養堅固各小組和組員的靈命。

• 經由實習計劃來發展強健的領袖；我們將繼續栽培實習生和同工的事工裝備。

• 牧師團將繼續以講道、輔導、探訪、一對一會談和榜樣來牧養全教會。

會籍 (Membership)

• 會籍不僅只是以申請手續成為正式教會會員；聖經上所談到的會籍，是要依照聖經教導、遵守信仰宣言、和活出委身於基督的生活樣式。

• 經由修訂現行會籍資料，我們需要重新定義教會生活，新會員將會更了解教會的本質。我們期望能產生一批新的信徒，他們會珍惜教會生活，並渴望活出我們教會的核心價值。

弟兄事工 (Men’s Ministry)

• 我們教會因許多姐妹們的參與和事奉而得到祝福。我們將在2014年作另一方面的嘗試，就是從弟兄事工來培養優秀的屬靈領袖。

• 牧師團將協助弟兄強化小組連繫和擔負責任的重要性。當我們發展這個平臺來提升責任制和屬靈的領袖時，我們期待未來的領袖會有更大參與。

這『4M』只是四個組成要素，以表達我們深切渴望看到教會能超越目前，而朝向成為一個真正以門徒訓練為主的教會。