One of the biggest challenges in ministry is learning to use the communication tools that are available.

In the last three weeks I have been learning to use Twitter. Twitter is a social network tool that has hit the church planting world with a storm. I am learning to use it to expand my network of church planting leaders and discover what’s on the cutting edge in church planting ministry. I am also sending “Tweets” letting people know the resources that I use, books I am reading, and Twitter users that I am following. For example, one of the best sites for current church planting information is Ed Stetzer’s regular Tweets at @edstetzer. In the future I envision using Twitter to promote resources that I will produce and advertising services that I offer. Plus, there are many uses that I look forward to discovering. Resourcing is a valuable part of effective coaching, consulting and training. You can follow my Tweets on Twitter at @charlieworley.

I have been using Facebook for a few months now and enjoy networking with over 350 friends now, many of them my students and people that I have or am coaching. Facebook also has e-mail capabilities that I use from time to time. Recently I encouraged one of the church planters I am coaching to get the word out on his infant church plant using Facebook and Twitter for maximum exposure and advertising. You can become one of my Facebook friends and follow me at www.facebook.com/charlieworley.

At the Interim Pastor ministry I am doing at Calvary Baptist Church in Tacoma, Washington, I am using Facebook, Blogging, e-mails, letters, phone calls, personal visits, and public announcements to improve communication. I have learned that if communication is to be improved, it must start with me. It takes time, but it’s worth the effort. Check out the church web site at www.calvarytacoma.org.

I haven’t learned “texting” yet and have resisted because my finger joints are getting larger and stiffer and the keys on the phones are getting smaller . But, this may change before long.

Maybe you have some ideas on how I can best communicate with you.

Birth Announcement

One of the great benefits of coaching is seeing those with whom I have had a coaching relationship bear fruit for the Lord. On Wednesday I received the following e-mail “Birth Announcement” from Trevor, a church planter in Dallas whom I have had the privilege of coaching:


"...there is joy before the angels of God over one sinner who repents.” Luke 15:10 (ESV) Rejoice in the Lord with me! He has done it again! SALVATION IS OF THE LORD! It is He that draws, and it is He the saves. He saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit, 6 whom he poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, 7 so that being justified by his grace we might become heirs according to the hope of eternal life. Titus 3:5-7 (ESV) Praise the Lord!”

“I elatedly announce to you the new birth of Toney, today, about 5:30p.m.! I was walking through the transit station toward Long John Silver's which was on the other side of the street as I eyed a man in one of the bus dugouts. I was tempted to keep going, but the Lord placed him on my heart (an answer to prayer - that God would set up divine appointments). I noticed that he had a folder in his hand which might have contained resumes. Indeed, he had been job hunting. I did have a job lead for him too. I gave him my STBC card, and on the back I wrote the job lead info. Please be in prayer for this.

This prompted him to ask if I were a pastor. This led us to exchange a little about our background. He explained that he had recently left CA, and was nearly homeless. He is temporarily allowed to stay with his mother, but that not a good situation, because she recently got married. His sisters would not allow him to stay with them. Please be in prayer for this.

He continued to talk about his life challenges. Yet, he expressed interest in peripheral godly things. So I asked him if he were a Christian, and he responded that he was. As I probed further, it became obvious to him that his Christianity had no foundation. Thus, he was unsaved. I shared Christ as the solution to sin. I asked him if he were hungry. He said yes. We continued to Long John Silver's for fish tacos. He told me that it had been a long time since someone had been nice to him. After eating I asked him if there was any reason that he wouldn't like to trust Christ right then. Immediately, he expressed a desire to trust Christ. We prayed together for the forgiveness of his sin, and he gave his life to the Lord. Please be in prayer for him.”

Note: I (Charlie) thank God for Trevor and my small role in his life and ministry and pray that there will be many more Trevors and many, many more Toneys. To God be the glory!

Change?

On July 1st I began a ministry as Intentional Interim Senior Pastor at Calvary Baptist Church in Tacoma, Washington. This is one of the ministries that I do as a Church Planting Coach in the Pacific Northwest. And, Sunday was my first opportunity to preach to and begin leading the congregation of 140+ people as their pastor for the next six months or perhaps a few months longer.

The message was intended to be an introduction to a series of talks on Ephesians as well as to my ministry as interim pastor. The Lord led me to focus on the necessity and importance of change as we build together a foundation for the future of the church. Three kinds of change were highlighted.

Change is simply doing something different. For example, change happens when we grow up as we move from crawling to walking. The Christian life is filled with small steps of following Christ as we grow into maturity and Christlikeness. And change in the church is required as membership increases or decreases or certain programs or ministries no longer work like they used to.

The second kind of change that is needed is transition or moving from one place to another. We transition we change jobs or when one pastor leaves a church and another comes. Neighborhoods change as people and businesses move out and new people and businesses move in or disappear. Churches have 2,3 or 4 generations and churches transition as one generation becomes leaders and an older generation no longer leads.

The third kind of change is radical change called transformation. Transformation is becoming something different. The Gospel of Christ is designed by God to bring radical transformation in the individual where she or he becomes a new creation ever becoming more like Christ in thought, word and deed. Churches filled with transformed believers are designed by God to go through radical changes to reach new people with the Good News of Jesus Christ. And transformed churches possess the power of God that can transform a neighborhood or community if ministry “ruts” can be avoided or overcome.

My role at Calvary Baptist is to be a change agent helping individual believers and the church change, transition and experience transformation with God’s help. It’s no small job but with prayer, God’s enablement and empowerment, all things are possible.

How do you handle change?