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|  (Small Web).jpeg) | | Hartwood Ministries | | Effective and Comprehensive Ministry for the 21st Century |
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Does your church or organization have a formalized program for the identification, design, and development of new ministry? Or does everything just seem to come together in a manner that works well enough? Is prayer an integral part of the ministry design process? We're in the process of putting together a comprehensive series that provides overviews of many aspects of the church and how it can be maintained in an effective and transformational manner. As you can see from the web site, a number
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We're not a new ministry, but we're relaunching this site with new and improved opportunities for you to find the information and services you need. We want to hear from you on your thoughts about the various categories listed here. Hartwood Ministries is in the process of having its first book published, which will be on the subject of Church Ministry By Design, and is a part of a comprehensive work titled Ministry By Design: The Series. The series is comprised of at least eight other volumes
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Most of us are extremely undisciplined in our approach to our ministry life. Many of us spend more time taking care of the flock than we spend taking care of the family God has provided us at home. Yes, it is important that we care for those "strangers" in the congregational family, but without the proper disciplines and focus, it can all get out of whack. And, what disciplines should we most concerned about? Let's discuss. Gary H Woolverton
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The church has done a tremendous job, for the most part, in reaching out to the couples and marriages in their congregation and community. A great awareness has emerged of the importance of building strong families and marriages. Thank yous should go out to Focus on the Family, Les and Leslie Parrott, Dennis and Barbara Rainey at FamilyLife, and the many others that have encouraged the church to focus on the strengthening of the family. But what is your church doing? A large national
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The question is one that is asked all over the world among Christian churches. My response is that of course they are. Why would God give gifts then take them away? I think the subject that should be discussed is about which gifts are for today's church. Our research identified 29 gifts found in a number of references in Scripture. What are the ones, though, that should be expected to be used in the church of today? Surely the obvious ones include those of pastor, teaching,
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Most all of us have either attended seminars or read books that discuss the purposes of the church. Rick Warren's five purposes are probably the best known among contemporary church leadership. Many theorists say there are only four, others say there are more than six. What do you say? The premise of our study at Hartwood Ministries is that there are six main purposes: discipleship, evangelism, fellowship, ministry, prayer, and worship. These are the ones that are used throughout our
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It's a necessary evil for all organizations. Without properly written and up-to-date job descriptions, the organization will suffer in a number of ways. Our take on this is that position descriptions are a better fit for the church, simply because you are describing the work of an individual in a particular position. A job description describes a action being taken, while position descriptions describe the overall responsbilities of an individual in a particular position. That being
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Many leaders of the church feel they know what they are looking for when they have a position to fill. The truth is, many church leaders have little or no experience in human resources and staffing. This is where a good consultant can come in and provide the help and experience necessary. My experience in the secular world proved that some of the largest companies had human resources departments staffed with people that had no idea what they were doing when it came to finding the
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This is a tough question to answer. Most pastors and ministry leaders feel that most consulting services provide services that are too expensive, or that pertain to churches too large or too small for their needs. What about you? Is there something that you would rather farm out to a firm that can do much of the work for you, and at a much smaller cost, than using the resources on your staff at high levels of benefit pay? Let us know your thoughts...Gary H Woolverton
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The subject of covenant marriage does not seem to be the issue it was just a couple of years ago. Many states have passed laws defining marriage as a union between one man and one woman, and that's that. Some states have seen the courts go against the will of the people by ruling against the definitions voted into law by the voting populace. Where does this leave the church? Some denominations have decided to allow same sex marriages to be blessed in their churches by their ordained
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I am very interested in hearing your thoughts about why the church should use consultants. I have my own reasons that I provide to churches when they ask (such as, they can receive viewpoints from outside their immediate realm of influence), but I would like to hear some that you folks out there use. Many churches refuse to use consulting services because they fear they are too expensive for what they get (true, in some cases) or because they feel they are doing everything right (usually not
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