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Ministries The very foundation of our church is ministry. In accordance with the vision of First Baptist Church of St. Paul, "to become a fully function body of Christ, which through worship and ministry our works of kindness might overflow into our community, giving all the glory to God and His Kingdom" we developed a practical means of realizing the full potential of this dream of ministry that God has given us. It is first identifying needs and then developing teams to help meet those needs. Some of the needs that we have identified in our church and community are listed below. There are obviously more needs than these, and in due time we hopefully will recognize those needs. At this time, these are the greatest concerns the Lord is leading us to address. This does not mean if you find a ministry need in our church or community that you cannot do as the Lord leads and minister to those needs. We need everyone participating in ministry no matter what the situation. You are a part of the body of Christ and our body is crippled without your participation. If you will, please prayerfully consider our ministry teams. A list of members for all of our ministry teams is available in the church office. If you have any questions, comments or suggestions regarding our ministries, vision or anything about our church, please contact us. We're here to serve you in any way we can. Evangelism and Outreach Teams
Evangelism and Outreach Ministry Teams are broken down into groups; Children and Youth, Church-wide Outreach, Church-wide Visitation, and New Member Orientation. Children and Youth To seek to introduce both young people (and children of understanding age and conviction) to Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord To help spiritually train and equip teens for discipleship in fun and Godly atmosphere of love and compassion To promote a church-wide ministry which strives to provide a variety of opportunities and experiences to draw teens into active, responsible participation in the life, mission, and work of the church To help provide activities on the state and national level that will expose our young people to wholesome and challenging opportunities to further their commitment and service to our Lord and Savior
Church-wide Outreach
Seeks to concern itself with the following needs in our congregation: To introduce all ages and all people to Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord To enable and motivate the followers of our church to witness to the lost, hurting, and disadvantaged around us To help encourage and maintain a loving community of faith as those who gather as First Baptist Church of St. Paul, Virginia To be a loving community of faith that seeks to explore new and creative ways of presenting the gospel to our surrounding community. We are to do so in a manner that we shall be continuing witness to the glory of the risen Christ, all the while being faithful to the faith and practice of the Bible and our own faith tradition To engage in meaningful and heartfelt worship that celebrates and glorifies God.
Church-wide Visitation
Along with the Pastor, we shall endeavor to visit prospects that have moved into our community and/or have shown interest in our church and its activities.
New Member Orientation
The purpose of this outreach team will be to help new members to become more involved, more productive, and more blessed members of our congregation. When a person joins our church by letter, by statement, or by baptism, the two most common reasons that they drop out of church is a lack of care and friends. The following are some of the ways this committee might help involve new members in our church.
When a person joins our church either by letter, statement, or baptism, they might greet them at the altar to pray for them or stand beside them. Serve as helpful encouragers in the first six months of a person uniting with the church. For example, checking with them if they miss our Sunday services, encouraging them to enroll in a Sunday School class, keeping them informed about services and opportunities of service and worship. Send them birthday cards, giving them special attention at times of sickness, loss of family members. In addition, remembering them on the yearly anniversary of their joining the church. As much as possible trying to be a friend. Encouraging all new members to attend a new members class during the first six months of membership. Along with the Pastor, seeing that new Christians receive and work through their own copy of “A Survival Kit.” Members of this team need to start cultivating relationships with new people before they join. Often people come to our church for months before they join. If we wait till they join, they might not join or it might be more difficult to cultivate a relationship with them later. Kindle as much sincere excitement as possible about our church. Enthusiasm is contagious; so is discontentment. Know your church and its doctrine.
Benevolence Team This team is one of the most challenging and at the same time one of the most rewarding ministry teams in our church. This team will include all the benevolent ministries of our church. It will be responsible for gathering the necessary family and personal information from needy families in our area that are seeking help. They will assess the physical and spiritual needs of persons who are seeking help so that the church can minister to holistic needs of that family, not just giving a temporary handout. Realizing that there is only so much that we can do tho help individuals and families in our area, it is necessary to use good judgment in deciding how much, in what manner, and even when help is to be given. We want to be good stewards of the funds and resources the church has given us to use and minister to a person's spirituals needs as well. Guidelines to be followed by this ministry team may be obtained through the Pastor or one of the team members. Contact the church office for additional information. Bereavement Team
Our Bereavement Ministry Team shall minister to the family by providing and/or coordinating meals and support during the time of the death of a loved one. It is through love, compassion, prayer and hospitality that needs are met and the love of Christ is shared. There is no more needed time to share that love than during the loss of a loved one. Possible ways to show such love and concern: By informing our congregation about the loss of a member or a member of their immediate family (immediate family defined as husband, wife, mother, father, son, daughter, brother and sister) as soon as possible after the death of a loved one. It is also important to communicate information about deaths and services to attending non-church members and their families as well. We must try to be as inclusive as possible. Show our love and concern by visiting the family at home and during the funeral services at the funeral home. Offering the church as a possible site for the funeral service. Offering the use of the church for a gathering place for the family to meet for the meal or fellowship. Coordinating, and if necessary, delivering food to the family during this stressful time of loss. To help clean up (if wanted) and if necessary to pick up dishes and return them to their owner. This ministry could include house sitting or even babysitting during the visitation and/or funeral services. In the case of prolonged terminally ill members, this committee could assist the family in caring for the dying person and the gathering family.
Hospital Visitation Team
The purpose of the Hospital Visitation Team is to provide encouragement, prayer, and comfort to those persons and their families that are hospitalized. To communicate to the church and fellow team members the names of persons who are hospitalized or who are going to be hospitalized from our church. To communicate prayer needs to the prayer team when warranted. Hospital visits and prayer by the ministry team would no doubt be appreciated by the folks who are sick and their family. In addition, the ministry team could send cards, bring flowers, or even run errands for those who are sick. Cards, flowers and errands are not always necessary nor expected, but optional ways that we can show care for others. Hospital visitation team could, along with the Pastor, sit with family members of loved ones who are having serious surgery. In addition, the Hospital Visitation Team and the Bereavement Ministry Team might, if needed, take turns sitting with the family during the death watch of terminally ill patients. It would be good for some member of the Hospital Visitation Team to conduct a home visit to a patient who has just been discharged from the hospital.
Shut-in Visitation Team
The members of the Shut-in Visitation Ministry Team shall visit folks who are confined at home or in nursing homes due to sickness or injuries. This is very important because once folks have left the hospital there is a tendency to overlook people recovering at home. Monthly visits by various members of the team would be an excellent way for our shut-ins to know that we still remember and love them. Some shut-ins can be taken literature and monthly publications to keep them abreast of what the church is doing. This committee will also be responsible for circulating video tapes of our services to our shut-ins. Pastor and members of this team could also have the Lord’s Supper with the individual or individuals in their room or at their home.
Small Jobs Team
These people are the hands, feet, and back of Jesus. Their job is to help others who need a helping hand around their homes. Their motto will be, "Please, let us help you with that." Things like mowing grass, cutting bushes, trimming trees, changing light bulbs, cleaning windows, moving furniture, changing oil in a car, airing up tires, carrying off trash, putting up a Christmas tree and taking one down. Anything that a person who is sick, disabled, shut-in or overcome with grief cannot do for themselves. Prayer Warriors Team
The purpose of this team is to minister to persons whose personal needs call out for intercessory prayer. This ministry could also include sending prayer cards from the church with personal notes of encouragement. Something as simple as letting people know that there are people in the church who are praying for them would be of great encouragement to some people. The team should take a focused approach toward effectively addressing some of the specific needs in the lives of church staff, church members, visitors, and needs expressed in the community. Our prayer warriors must: Be willing to devote themselves unceasingly to prayer Learn what prayer requests are to be made public and what are not. Confidentiality is a must. Possess such Spiritual Gifts as prayer, encouragement, faith, healing, intercession, and administration Concern themselves with prayer education and resources for the church Help with the church-wide prayer list Be responsible for requesting prayer for various persons church-wide. Establish a phone prayer line with our congregation.
Worship Team The worship team is the latest of our team ministries. It came about from the conviction that worship is a church-wide endeavor, not just something performed by a few. Worship is giving ourselves and our resources to God, so it is very important for our church to give its members every opportunity to participate in its planning and implementation. The following guidelines are suggested: The worship team should include all current worship leaders and participants. In addition, team members should be solicited from the congregation with the intention of using as many people as possible in worship. The Pastor shall be the chairman of the team and will be assisted in planning and implementing worship. Members shall also assist in planning revival and special services in the church year. Members shall take part in leading the worship services. The leadership positions would include the following aspects of our worship:
In short, our worship team involves anything that God has given them the desire, the talent, and the spiritual gifts to do. |
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