I have been sharing over the past several weeks a series about the steps to transform your church to be more outward focused  If you missed some of the past blogs, I encourage you to explore them:

• Part 1 – We’re Going on a Field Trip!
• Part 2 – Let’s Get Organized and Prepared
• Part 3 – Why are We Serving?
• Part 4 – Who will lead, serve, and be served?
• Part 5 – Where is the passion?

Today I am sharing some different ways that you can choose to mobilize members to serve.  How you move will produce energy in your church, much like a windmill.  A breath of air from The Holy Spirit goes a long way!

First things first . . . STAFF/LEADERSHIP

Many times churches get so gung-ho on how they will roll out their serving plan to their members, they forget the staff and key leadership.  They are critical is setting the stage for the transformation of your church.  As you transform your leadership it will become contagious to your members.

• How often does my staff/leadership serve the community together?
• Does my staff model serving with their families, small groups, classes, etc?
• Does my staff/leadership know how to use Meet The Need to find and fill needs of the community?

Next . . .MEMBERS/VOLUNTEERS

How will we mobilize; individually, in smaller groups, or collectively with a large event?  Maybe a combination of all, but in what order?

I will give examples of how to mobilize your members in each structure in a future blog called REACH.  For now you are just determining which order would be best to start your mobilization.

• Individually –  you can give direction on where to go find and adopt needs on your website to your congregation and encourage them to go adopt needs individually or with their family.  Philippians 2:3-4 is a great example of Jesus serving individually.

• Small Groups – you can give direction on where to go find and adopt needs on your website to small groups of people within your church (example: bible studies).  Mark 9:35 is a great example of Jesus serving in small groups.

• Large Event – you can plan a bigger project where you go and find needs to adopt through MTN and then have a service day where your entire congregation is encouraged to participate.  Note: an event like this is just a launching pad for you to encourage your members to do things like this on a consistent basis.  Be sure they get info on where to go find and adopt needs on your website.  There should also be a series of follow up reminding them to continue the spirit of service beyond the event.  Mark 8:6-8 is a great example of Jesus serving through a large event.

If you already have a community project on the church calendar then start with a large event.  If all this is new to your members, then start smaller and introduce it to a few small groups.   If your members are already serving the community and just need a list of needs, then roll it out to the masses, individually.

Based on the questions and ideas above, HOW is the best way to mobilize your church to a lifestyle of serving?

Next week will be the last topic in this blog series.  I will share about WHEN is the best time to start this change within your organization to cultivate a lifestyle of serving.  I would love to hear from you – comment!