Culture Shift

Our church has had a culture shift over the past 25 years.  We have seen some big changes in that time but one that stands out is our culture in the area of ministry.

Eighty percent of our partners are serving on a ministry team in our church.
Years ago the statistic passed around about churches  was that twenty percent of the members did eighty percent of the ministry.

For a long time churches in America had the mindset that the pastor was the one who was the one who was the minister.  At some point pastors started doing all the ministry, the one who visited the hospital, made visits in the home, started the coffee and set the thermostats on Sunday morning, shoveled the walks when it snowed and the list can go on and on.   I think there are some churches that want to make the shift but because their leadership is changing every two to three years the shift will never happen because the turnover of leadership isn't conducive to changing the culture from paid ministers to members are ministers.  You can't turn that big ship on a dime, it takes time.  The longer the leadership is in place the more likely the shift in culture will take place.

God's Word teaches us that the pastor's role is to equip the believers for ministry.
Our church has transitioned over the years and part of that transition has been moving to the knowledge that we are all called to be ministers, not just the paid guy, the "professional".
How does that happen?
Teaching
Leadership modeling ministry
Discipleship
Raising the bar of expectation
Resisting the urge to do everything (know how to say, "no")

Our church has made the shift.  We aren't perfect and we do still have some partners (members) who are missing out on the joy of using their spiritual gift in ministering to the body of Christ, their church.  Our current percentage rate at NHC is eighty percent of our partners are on a ministry team.  That's exciting but this means we have another twenty percent to help get connected in ministry.