Planning For Deacon Ministry

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Planning For Deacon Ministry

• An overview based on the Handbook for Planning
  Deacon Ministry by Robert Sheffield

Facilitator Dougald McLaurin Associational
Missionary Tar River Baptist Association
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EFFECTIVE Deacon Ministry REQUIRES Planning!

• Every church desires to be effective in ministry.
  It doesnt just happen.

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EFFECTIVE Deacon Ministry REQUIRES Planning!

• EFFECTIVE Deacon Ministry is dependent on the
  deacons personal walk with the LORD.

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EFFECTIVE Deacon Ministry REQUIRES Planning!

• In addition, EFFECTIVE Deacon Ministry requires
  planning! How long has it been?.

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The Pitfalls of Failing To Plan

• Deacons find themselves doing the same things
  year after year relevant or not!
• Tradition takes precedent over ministry.
• The church becomes stagnant and lifeless.

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The Use of a Strategic Planning Process

• Will enable your deacon ministry to follow a
  Biblical perspective
• Meet current needs in the church where you serve
• Enables your deacons to arrive at relevant,
  practical ways to do deacon ministry in your
  church

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Your deacon ministry plans should contribute
toward accomplishing the mission of your church

• THEREFORE..
• before any effective deacon ministry occurs, the
  church needs to develop its own strategic plan.

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Deacons can serve as catalysts, assisting the
church to develop its strategic plan..

• Develop a strategic view for the church purpose
  statement, vision statement, and discovery of
  members spiritual giftedness
• Develop the possibilities for the church and its
  ministry analyzing the churches resources for
  ministry, and consider the EXPECTED changes and
  results

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Deacons can serve as catalysts, assisting the
church to develop its strategic plan..

• PLAN for the best use of the churchs program
  resources
• Develop a calendar and a budget based on the
  churchs priorities
• Regularly evaluate the actions of the church to
  determine if the church remains on mission or
  has deviated from the established path

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Effective Deacon Ministry Requires Planning

• This session is an OVERVIEW. I would be happy
• to lead this study for your
• church (or group of churches in
• your geographic area) in detail.

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Possible Schedules

• 1-Day Training Saturday 800 AM 400 PM
• 2-Day Retreat (Fri night/Sat morning)
• Consecutive weekly meetings (6)
• Consecutive evenings (Sun Wed 2 hour meetings)

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If your church decides to do this study, the only
cost to the church would be for materials for
each participant.

• The BEST way to contact Dougald is at
• domtarriver_at_earthlink.net.
• He can also be reached at 919-496-7172
• (office) or 252-883-7896 (cell).

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The FIRST stage of the planning process involves
taking a strategic view of the church, your
ministry as deacons, your strengths/weaknesses/opp
ortunities and threats.

• Deacon Ministry Planning Map

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Kingdom Principles For The Church

• The church must experience God and seek His
  kingdom.
• The Kingdom of God IS growing and NOTHING can
  stop it!
• God invites the church to join Him in His work of
  redemption.
• The Great Commission is the driving Force for the
  church.

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Kingdom Principles For The Church

• The Bible clearly identifies 5 functions for the
  church evangelism, discipleship, ministry,
  fellowship, and worship.
• Church growth follows Gods process of Kingdom
  growth.
• Church growth is Gods supernatural work in the
  local church.

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Consider the deacons having a purpose statement.

• Your purpose statement should reflect the
• Biblical purpose for deacons.
• Sample Our purpose is to function as
• servants of our Lord Jesus Christ serving
• in and through the church as partners
• with the pastor in enabling the church to
• fulfill its Kingdom agenda.

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Consider the deacons having a vision statement.

• This statement should reflect what you believe
• God wants your deacon body to be and do in the
• months and year ahead and the unique
• opportunities of your churchs ministry in the
• community where it is located.
• Sample We the deacons of ABC Church
• feel led of the Lord to express our deacon
• ministry by serving as ministers who seek
• to meet specific needs in the congregation
• according to our individual gifts and
• abilities.

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A purpose statement answers the question Who is
our deacon group and what are we going to do?

• A vision statement addresses the question of
  what you will do to achieve your purpose.

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What are your gifts, strengths, opportunities,
and threats related to deacon ministry
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In the next step

• Discover the spiritual gifts of each deacon
• Discover the strengths and weaknesses of the
  church in each of the 5 function areas
• DREAM of all the possibilities before you
• List some opportunities under each of the 5
  functions

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In the next step

• Discuss what might keep your deacon group from
  accomplishing any of the listed actions (threats)

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The SECOND stage of the planning process involves
deacon ministries development. Here you do
some analysis of where the church is, the
resources currently available, etc. in light of
where the church would like to go in achieving
Gods purpose.

• Deacon Ministry Planning Map

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Discovering how the church is currently
functioning in the 5 major areas, the deacons
determine areas where they can uniquely help the
church accomplish its goals.

• CHURCH FUNCTION DEVELOPMENT

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MINISTRY RESOURCE ANALYSIS

• Determine man-hour needs
• Determine the number of people needed to
  accomplish the ministry
• Review the financial priorities of the church
• Consider the need for training to accomplish the
  ministry

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MINISTRY RESOURCE ANALYSIS

• The final thing you MUST consider PRIOR to
  proposed action is the impact of this change on
  both the deacons and the congregation as a whole.
  Understand there will be both hard changes and
  soft changes to consider.

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HARD CHANGES

• Such changes refer to what we might refer to as
  major changes going from 6 to 9 deacons to
  accomplish perceived ministry needs building a
  gymnasium adding additional staff, etc. These
  changes would require planning, education, and
  often times TIME.

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SOFT CHANGES

• These changes refer to what we have to change
  within ourselves (both deacons and church
  members) before real change can take place within
  the function of the church spiritual growth,
  healing from major hurts, prevalent attitudes and
  prejudice, personal conviction based on life
  experience, etc. Such change takes TIME!!!!!

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CHANGE

• When proposed action by the deacons involves
  soft change ALWAYS remember that no one can
  force another person to change. You should
  understand that proposed actions that require too
  many soft changes at one time have the real
  potential to cause conflict in the church. You
  may wish to consider alternative approaches..

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The THIRD stage of the planning process involves
ACTIONyou make your final decisions concerning
your priority actions. You begin to take action
to lead the church in achieving its goals in
being the church God has called it to be in your
community.

• Deacon Ministry Planning Map

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Actions-----

• List these actions under the 5 essential
  functions of the church
• Include some actions under the heading training
• Place dates on church calendar and encourage
  deacons to place dates on personal calendars
• Prepare a budget for this ministry action
• Take before the church appropriately

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The FOURTH stage of the planning process is
EVALUATION. Through a process of regular
evaluations, your deacon miistry stays relevant.

• Deacon Ministry Planning Map

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Each ministry action should be regularly
evaluated

• Deacon Ministry Planning Map

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Each deacon should take part in the evaluation
process

• Deacon Ministry Planning Map

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You may want to find ways to include the
congregation in the evaluation process

• Deacon Ministry Planning Map

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EFFECTIVE Deacon Meetings

• You can not accomplish an effective deacon
  ministry without detailed planning of the
  deacons meeting.

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EFFECTIVE Deacon Meetings

• The PRIMARY work of deacons does NOT happen in a
  deacons meeting..

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Items To Consider When Planning Meetings

• Meeting times need careful attention
• Have a good place to meet
• Establish an agenda for the meeting
• Evaluate the EFFECTIVENESS of your deacons
  meetings at least twice a year

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Important Actions For Deacon Meetings

• Ministry reports/concerns
• Prayer for the above concerns
• Training
• Staff and committee chairs sharing information
  about priority issues
• ..

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Important Actions For Deacon Meetings

• Meetings should be a time of inspiration,
  training, and concern for the work of Gods
  Kingdom through the church.

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Evaluation of Meetings

• What are the strengths of the meetings?
• What needs improving?
• Was the agenda followed?
• Is the agenda too long? Short?
• Does time and place encourage maximum attendance
  and participation?
• Do most deacons attend regularly?
• What suggestions do you have for future meetings?
• ..

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Sample Deacon Meeting Agenda

• Devotion and prayer
• Reading/approval of minutes
• Ministry Reports
• Training period

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Benefits of Deacon Training

• Training helps develop the ministry potential of
  each deacon
• Church members have more confidence in trained
  deacons
• Training provides deacons with skills to carry
  out their tasks
• Pastors are more receptive to sharing tasks with
  those that receive ongoing training
• Deacon drop out due to frustration and
  inadequacy is lessened

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Sample Deacon Meeting Agenda

• Pastors share period.
• Information period staff, church leaders
• Discussion period (priority order)
• Prayer (Closing or organized)

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What does your church look like?
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The Typical Church
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Emphases in the Typical Church

• Position
• Spirituality
• Authority
• Privilege
• Restricted Divine Revelation
• Uniform Ministry from Each Position

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The New Testament Church
Matthew 2025-28
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Matthew 20 25 - 28

• (NIV) Jesus called them together
• and said, "You know that the rulers
• of the Gentiles lord it over them,
• and their high officials exercise
• authority over them. Not so with
• you. Instead, whoever wants to
• become great among you must be your servant, and
• whoever wants to be first must be your
  slave--just as
• the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to
  
• serve, and to give his life as a ransom for
  many."

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Emphases in the New Testament Church

• Function
• Service
• Diversity of Gifts
• Usefulness
• Expanded Ministry
• Every Member Becoming a Minister

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Which one?
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How close is your churchs deacon ministry to the
New Testament model?
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to the needs of others they MUST see that we
minister to the whole person. To MAXIMIZE
effectiveness, there is a need for deacons to
organize themselves to do ministry.
IF Deacons are to minister.
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The Deacon Ministry Equation
Total needs of the church and community
The needs that are currently being met by
existing ministries

The needs that can be addressed by the deacon
ministry of the church
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Discovered needs must be translated into
Deacon Ministry
This is very important!!
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TEAM
T
ogether
veryone
E
A
chieves
ore
M
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Together, We Can!
Instinctively, the Great Northern Geese travel
thousands of miles in perfect formation-- and
therein lies the secret. Formation flying is
70 percent more efficient than
flying alone. Dan Zadra
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Make a Difference!