Quick Tips for Christian Ministry

In his final session with us about resiliency, Cam is going to talk to us about "true grit". Grit is an essential quality when met with adversity. Cam shows us how to develop more of it.

There’s an endurance race called “The Tough Mudder”. Competitors crawl through mud, climb over walls, and navigate harsh surroundings. We asked Cam what quality do those competitors have, that you also need to have, when dealing with a setback.

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Always Be Storm Ready — Part 9 of Cam Taylor's 10 Keys to Thriving When Faced with Ministry Setbacks.

Surviving adverse circumstances favors the prepared. One of the ways we can learn to overcome our challenges is to look at people in history whose stories teach us what to do and not to do. Cam begins this tip with a story about being storm ready.

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Your attitude determines your altitude when facing adversity and a setback. Have you ever flown on a small plane beside the pilot? Among all those instruments and dials and switches on the dashboard of an airplane is what’s called an attitude indicator. Cam tells us what the attitude indicator does, and how it illustrates something we need, in order to thrive after a setback.

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When met by a setback, the role connections play is critical. Two factors set the tone for success.

Cam answers this question: “Say we are hit with a setback or roadblock that unexpectedly happens in our ministry lives... what is the role that people play on that journey?”

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Waiting isn't something we do naturally but is essential when met with roadblocks.

We all want to get to our goals and destination fast and without problems. For this reason, people love their microwave ovens and high speed internet. Unfortunately, waiting is part of the deal when we unexpectedly meet with an unwelcome setback.

Cam answers this question: "What advice do you give to a person faced with a season of waiting?”

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Pain, looked at from the right perspective, may have more to teach us than first appears.

Leadership Coach Cam Taylor is back with us today with his fifth talk on thriving when faced with ministry setbacks.

Cam responds to this question: "There is a popular belief that pain is negative and an unwelcome guest in our lives. What do you say to the person who holds to that belief, yet is hit by unexpected suffering of some kind?"

His topic in this QT4CM episode is: Throw Off Faulty Beliefs About Pain.

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We are continuing in our series with Leadership Coach Cam Taylor on successfully managing those detours in life and ministry.

We asked Cam to comment on this statement we hear a lot from well-meaning ministry colleagues: “Some people would say that during a ministry setback, all you need is a little faith to get you through and some God infused optimism!"

Optimism alone falls short during times of stress and adversity. Find out a better approach Cam suggests in this QT4CM episode.

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Part 3 of Cam Taylor's 10 Keys to Thriving When Faced with Ministry Setbacks

Leadership Coach Cam Taylor is back with us today with his third tip on thriving when faced with ministry setbacks.

Ministry setbacks can disturb our sense of purpose. Cam speaks about the important role purpose has in learning to thrive during a setback. His topic in this QT4CM episode is:

Pursue a Purpose You Can Live For.

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In today's episode Leadership Coach Cam Taylor gives us tips to help us deal with the emotional side to a setback.

There are four emotional puzzle pieces talked about in the lesson - emotional self-awareness, dancing with emotions, emotional self-mastery, and the value of deep crying. Cam explains why emotional self-awareness is a good place to begin when dealing with setbacks and roadblocks.

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The first of Cam Taylor's 10 Keys to Thriving When Faced with Ministry Setbacks

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Thinking about starting a new Christian charity project, or missions idea? Do you want to benefit from charitable donation tax receipts for your donors in Canada and the United States?

Listen to a webinar replay of Chad Bruneski, Vice President of Great Commission Foundation, explaining how to get your ministry project started fast.

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Patricia Jehle gives us some practical steps and ideas to help bring about that change within your organization.

She answers this question from a missionary in the field. "Give us tips and practical tools on making decisions about change, moving forward, or terminating a ministry that isn't productive or standing fast with a hope for future breakthroughs."

Our Christian Ministry Maven for this episode is Patricia Jehle, a university instructor in Switzerland and a business coach.

The QT4CM podcast is a peer knowledge sharing initiative for personal and professional development of Christian ministry workers. Quick Tips for Christian Ministry is produced with the support of the Great Commission Foundation… to benefit those who serve in the Name of Christ.

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Patricia Jehle gives us tips on listening to God to make a decision regarding a ministry change.

She answers this question from a missionary in the field. "Give us tips and practical tools on making decisions about change, moving forward, or terminating a ministry that isn't productive or standing fast with a hope for future breakthroughs."

Our Christian Ministry Maven for this episode is Patricia Jehle, a university instructor in Switzerland and a business coach.

The QT4CM podcast is a peer knowledge sharing initiative for personal and professional development of Christian ministry workers. Quick Tips for Christian Ministry is produced with the support of the Great Commission Foundation… to benefit those who serve in the Name of Christ.

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Patricia Jehle answers this question from a missionary in the field. "Give us tips and practical tools on making decisions about change, moving forward, or terminating a ministry that isn't productive or standing fast with a hope for future breakthroughs."

Our Christian Ministry Maven for this episode is Patricia Jehle, a university instructor in Switzerland and a business coach.

The QT4CM podcast is a peer knowledge sharing initiative for personal and professional development of Christian ministry workers. Quick Tips for Christian Ministry is produced with the support of the Great Commission Foundation… to benefit those who serve in the Name of Christ.

Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/refresh-ministries/message

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Organizational Coach Dr. Ken Thiessen talks about how healthy congregations manage anxiety. This is the last episode of his series outlining the unhealthy ways anxiety manifests itself in congregations and Christian ministries.

It is important to understand how anxiety dominates much of the unhealthy decision making processes and broken relationships within faith-based ministries and congregations.

The QT4CM podcast is a peer knowledge sharing initiative for personal and professional development of Christian ministry workers. Quick Tips for Christian Ministry is produced with the support of The Great Commission Foundation… to benefit those who serve in the Name of Christ.

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Our international security expert provides five valuable tips for planning the safety of short term mission trips.

Assign responsibility for security planning and briefing to a member of your mission team.
Assign responsibility for host country research and briefing to a member of your mission team.
Assign responsibility for travel planning and briefing to a member of your mission team.
Assign responsibility for pastoral care to a member of your mission team.
Encourage your team members to jointly decide how to handle photography and social media during the mission trip.

The QT4CM podcast is a peer knowledge sharing initiative for personal and professional development of Christian ministry workers. Quick Tips for Christian Ministry is produced with the support of The Great Commission Foundation… to benefit those who serve in the Name of Christ.

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Organizational Coach Dr. Ken Thiessen talks about "over-functioning and under-functioning" — another of the five unhealthy ways anxiety manifests itself in congregations and Christian ministries. Who are the "over-functioners" and "under-functioners"? In your ministry context or in your congregation, is there somebody who always picks up the ball? These people oftentimes volunteer for everything. They're the backbone of ministry organizations and churches, because guess what? Everybody knows that John is going to step forward and volunteer. A lot of times, John volunteers for stuff that he's not necessarily gifted at. God hasn't called him to do that, but if I'm sitting on the sidelines, I don't have to worry things, because I just know that John is going to pick it up.

It is important to understand how anxiety dominates much of the unhealthy decision making processes and broken relationships within faith-based ministries and congregations.

The QT4CM podcast is a peer knowledge sharing initiative for personal and professional development of Christian ministry workers. Quick Tips for Christian Ministry is produced with the support of The Great Commission Foundation… to benefit those who serve in the Name of Christ.

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How can ministry workers in the field receive member care for trauma counselling? Our Christian Ministry Maven for this episode is Patricia Jehle, a university instructor in Switzerland and a business coach.

Often the questions of why and how to find member care for overseas ministry workers and missionaries is real and pressing. Patricia Jehle will be addressing the issue of critical incident trauma and finding help on today’s podcast. Patricia points out the why and options of missionary and other ministry workers receiving member care.

The QT4CM podcast is a peer knowledge sharing initiative for personal and professional development of Christian ministry workers. Quick Tips for Christian Ministry is produced with the support of the Great Commission Foundation… to benefit those who serve in the Name of Christ.

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Organizational Coach Dr. Ken Thiessen talks about "multi-generational transmission process" — another of the five unhealthy ways anxiety manifests itself in congregations and Christian ministries. It is important to understand how anxiety dominates much of the unhealthy decision making processes and broken relationships within faith-based ministries and congregations.

The QT4CM podcast is a peer knowledge sharing initiative for personal and professional development of Christian ministry workers. Quick Tips for Christian Ministry is produced with the support of The Great Commission Foundation… to benefit those who serve in the Name of Christ.

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Today's question comes from a pastor, and is: "How can I maintain a good rapport with my family when I'm so busy leading this church?" Our Christian Ministry Maven for this episode is Patricia Jehle, a university instructor in Switzerland and a business coach. Patricia points out the why and how of making your family a priority when involved in a busy ministry. In this QT4CM episode she outlines a strategic approach for sustainable work life balance:

Take time to reflect and assess your personal and professional values.
Prioritize "God first, your family second, and your ministry third.
Reframe ownership and responsibility for success: It is God's ministry, not yours.
Organize conversations with family and ministry stakeholders to clarify expectations.
Proactively set home and work boundaries.
Schedule time first for God and family in your daily agenda, then add work tasks.

The QT4CM podcast is a peer knowledge sharing initiative for personal and professional development of Christian ministry workers. Quick Tips for Christian Ministry is produced with the support of the Great Commission Foundation… to benefit those who serve in the Name of Christ.

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How do you write an effective fundraising letter?

Anna Burns of the Great Commission Foundation gives us tips on keeping in touch with our supporting community.

The QT4CM podcast is a peer knowledge sharing initiative for personal and professional development of Christian ministry workers. Quick Tips for Christian Ministry is produced with the support of The Great Commission Foundation… to benefit those who serve in the Name of Christ.

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Stan Belyshev is an entrepreneur, author and a life coach. Having served as a youth pastor for more than ten years has allowed Stan to understand the hearts and potential of the younger generation.

In this episode Stan outlines

The 9 Most Influential Role Models and Mind Molders that are that are Discipling the Younger Generation!

In Episode 19 he spoke about his book "Generation Gap: Raising the Next Generation of Leaders" and calls for the elder generation to step up to disciple the future generation of Christian leaders.

Stan Belyshev can be reached through:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/stanbelyshev

https://www.facebook.com/groups/nexgenleaders/

https://www.youtube.com/c/stanbelyshev

The QT4CM podcast is a peer knowledge sharing initiative for personal and professional development of Christian ministry workers. Quick Tips for Christian Ministry is produced with the support of The Great Commission Foundation… to benefit those who serve in the Name of Christ.

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Do you know why your donors support you?

Anna Burns of the Great Commission Foundation gives us tips on keeping in touch with our supporting community.

The QT4CM podcast is a peer knowledge sharing initiative for personal and professional development of Christian ministry workers. Quick Tips for Christian Ministry is produced with the support of The Great Commission Foundation… to benefit those who serve in the Name of Christ.

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Organizational Coach Dr. Ken Thiessen talks about "scapegoat blaming" — another of the five unhealthy ways anxiety manifests itself in congregations and Christian ministries. It is important to understand how anxiety dominates much of the unhealthy decision making processes and broken relationships within faith-based ministries and congregations.

The QT4CM podcast is a peer knowledge sharing initiative for personal and professional development of Christian ministry workers. Quick Tips for Christian Ministry is produced with the support of The Great Commission Foundation… to benefit those who serve in the Name of Christ.

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Are you showing your donors consistent gratitude?

Anna Burns of the Great Commission Foundation gives us tips on keeping in touch with our supporting community.

The QT4CM podcast is a peer knowledge sharing initiative for personal and professional development of Christian ministry workers. Quick Tips for Christian Ministry is produced with the support of The Great Commission Foundation… to benefit those who serve in the Name of Christ.

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Organizational Coach Dr. Ken Thiessen talks about "self-differentiation" — one of the five unhealthy ways anxiety manifests itself in congregations and Christian ministries. It is important to understand how anxiety dominates much of the unhealthy decision making processes and broken relationships within faith-based ministries and congregations.

The QT4CM podcast is a peer knowledge sharing initiative for personal and professional development of Christian ministry workers. Quick Tips for Christian Ministry is produced with the support of The Great Commission Foundation… to benefit those who serve in the Name of Christ.

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Anna Burns of the Great Commission Foundation gives us tips on keeping in touch with our supporting community.

The QT4CM podcast is a peer knowledge sharing initiative for personal and professional development of Christian ministry workers. Quick Tips for Christian Ministry is produced with the support of The Great Commission Foundation… to benefit those who serve in the Name of Christ.

Want to contribute your thoughts?

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Organizational Coach Dr. Ken Thiessen talks about "triangulation" — one of the five unhealthy ways anxiety manifests itself in congregations and Christian ministries. It is important to understand how anxiety dominates much of the unhealthy decision making processes and broken relationships within faith-based ministries and congregations.

The QT4CM podcast is a peer knowledge sharing initiative for personal and professional development of Christian ministry workers. Quick Tips for Christian Ministry is produced with the support of The Great Commission Foundation… to benefit those who serve in the Name of Christ.

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Anna Burns of The Great Commission Foundation gives us five tips to reframe our attitude about fundraising.

Trust God
Learn to Ask
It is Partnership
Make Time
Be Bold.

The QT4CM podcast is a peer knowledge sharing initiative for personal and professional development of Christian ministry workers. Quick Tips for Christian Ministry is produced with the support of The Great Commission Foundation… to benefit those who serve in the Name of Christ.

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Stan Belyshev is an entrepreneur, author and a life coach. Having served as a youth pastor for more than ten years has allowed Stan to understand the hearts and potential of the younger generation.

He speaks about his book "Generation Gap: Raising the Next Generation of Leaders" and calls for the elder generation to step up to disciple the future generation of Christian leaders.

Stan Belyshev can be reached at:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/stanbelyshev

https://www.facebook.com/groups/nexgenleaders/

https://www.youtube.com/c/stanbelyshev

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5BPwgJaUt0E

The QT4CM podcast is a peer knowledge sharing initiative for personal and professional development of Christian ministry workers. Quick Tips for Christian Ministry is produced with the support of The Great Commission Foundation… to benefit those who serve in the Name of Christ.

Want to contribute your thoughts?

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The Show Notes can be accessed by clicking here.

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Author Patrick Day explores this question in his latest novel:

"How does a Christian worker stay tuned to the Holy Spirit amidst the mundane things we have to do in our ministry work; that is, those things that don’t have an overt spiritual objective?"

From time to time we will be bringing you these special episodes with "Christian Creatives", such as musicians, authors, poets, and other artists who create as a ministry.

The QT4CM podcast is a peer knowledge sharing initiative for personal and professional development of Christian ministry workers. Quick Tips for Christian Ministry is produced with the support of The Great Commission Foundation… to benefit those who serve in the Name of Christ.

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Anna Burns talks about the number one question you should be asking your new donors. That question is — "What moved you to give for the first time?" Do you know what moved your donors to donate to you? Why did they give? Did they give because they support the ministry that you're doing or because they support you personally and whether you were working at this ministry or another ministry they would continue to support you?

Knowing the answer to this question is one of the most powerful insights that you can ever gain from a donor. Anna outlines three reasons why you should ask this question as soon as possible.

The QT4CM podcast is a peer knowledge sharing initiative for personal and professional development of Christian ministry workers. Quick Tips for Christian Ministry is produced with the support of The Great Commission Foundation… to benefit those who serve in the Name of Christ.

Want to contribute your thoughts?

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Organizational Coach Dr. Ken Thiessen outlines five common ways that anxiety manifests itself in congregations and Christian ministries. It is important to understand how anxiety dominates much of the unhealthy decision making processes and broken relationships within faith-based ministries and congregations.

Dr. Thiessen identifies these five unhealthy ways anxiety hampers good communication and conflict resolution within Christian ministries:

Triangulation — people talk about people rather than to people
Self-differentiation — relationship is contingent on agreement
Blaming and Scapegoating — Who's the one who made this mess?
Multigenerational transmission process — an endless cycle of looking to replace "the problem person"
Over-functioning and Under-functioning — People who take on the burdens of responsibility for everything, and those who avoid responsibility for anything.

The QT4CM podcast is a peer knowledge sharing initiative for personal and professional development of Christian ministry workers. Quick Tips for Christian Ministry is produced with the support of The Great Commission Foundation… to benefit those who serve in the Name of Christ.

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Two experts respond to these questions on security and longer term engagement we received from a ministry leader in Brazil:

I’d like to hear about good resources with advice about safety and security for groups coming out on short term mission trips.

Oh…and another thing I’d like to hear on your podcast — what are some advice on how do we engage these short term mission tourists to become long term donors?

They take a lot of our time and most we never hear from again after.

The QT4CM podcast is a peer knowledge sharing initiative for personal and professional development of Christian ministry workers. Quick Tips for Christian Ministry is produced with the support of The Great Commission Foundation… to benefit those who serve in the Name of Christ.

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Christ, Christian, church, clergy, evangelical, evangelism, evangelist, gospel, great commission, Jesus, minister, ministry, missional, missionary, missions, para-church, pastor, short term mission

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Dr. Lyndon Wall of Refresh Ministries points out that burn-out is often predicated by a loss of hope. He prescribes six remedies to recover your hope and prevent burn-out.

The QT4CM podcast is a peer knowledge sharing initiative for personal and professional development of Christian ministry workers. Quick Tips for Christian Ministry is produced with the support of The Great Commission Foundation… to benefit those who serve in the Name of Christ.

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Anna Burns has a recommendation: Reach out to your donors in a personal way by sending them a Christmas card.

This is a simple way to say, "Hey, I'm thinking of you and wanted to wish you and your family a Merry Christmas."

Anna Burns is with The Great Commission Foundation. Click here for the InCourage Journal for Christian Service Workers.

The QT4CM podcast is a peer knowledge sharing initiative for personal and professional development of Christian ministry workers. Quick Tips for Christian Ministry is produced with the support of The Great Commission Foundation… to benefit those who serve in the Name of Christ.

Want to contribute your thoughts?

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Dr. Joel Thiessen continues his synopsis on the reasons people go "post-church". The thesis he advances is that most of the reasons for why people diminish their involvement in church attendance has virtually nothing to do with what churches do or don't do. Most of these things have to do with broad cultural changes within society.

Dr. Thiessen identifies these eight reasons:

Rejection of exclusivity
Life transitions
Teenage choice
Too busy
Scandals and hypocrisy
Intellectual disagreement
Interpersonal tension
Social ties

Dr. Joel Thiessen continues his synopsis on the reasons people go "post-church". The thesis he advances is that most of the reasons for why people diminish their involvement in church attendance has virtually nothing to do with what churches do or don't do. Most of these things have to do with broad cultural changes within society.

Dr. Thiessen identifies these eight reasons:

Rejection of exclusivity
Life transitions
Teenage choice
Too busy
Scandals and hypocrisy
Intellectual disagreement
Interpersonal tension
Social ties

Joel is the Director of the Flourishing Congregations Institute at Ambrose University in Calgary. Follow Dr. Joel Thiessen on Twitter, his website, or The Flourishing Congregations Institute. And read his intriguing book: "The Meaning of Sunday"

The QT4CM podcast is a peer knowledge sharing initiative for personal and professional development of Christian ministry workers. Quick Tips for Christian Ministry is produced with the support of The Great Commission Foundation… to benefit those who serve in the Name of Christ.

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Anna Burns answers this week's question — "It's so hard to get donors on board and then keep them interested in supporting my project. I seem to be losing supporters. How can I keep them donating?"

Anna Burns is with The Great Commission Foundation. Click here for the InCourage Journal for Christian Service Workers.

The QT4CM podcast is a peer knowledge sharing initiative for personal and professional development of Christian ministry workers. Quick Tips for Christian Ministry is produced with the support of The Great Commission Foundation… to benefit those who serve in the Name of Christ.

The background music featured on this podcast is by Christian musician Steve Bell and his producer and recording engineer Dave Zeglinski. It's called “Jesus My Glory“ and is from their Landscape disc in the Pilgrimage boxed set.

Check him out at http://stevebell.com/.

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Dr. Joel Thiessen talks about people who claim to be Christian... but only show up in church for religious holidays and rites of passage. Between 40 and 50% of those who identify as Christian attend religious services mainly for religious holidays and rites of passage. They show up every Christmas. They show up every Easter. They baptize their children. They want to get married in a church, but they don't attend any other time of the year.

Dr. Thiessen identifies three reasons they do show up occasionally in church:

Tradition — Tradition is a powerful anchor that guides our behavior.

Family — Much like sitting around the dinner table, attending a religious service brings back the family memories.

Sacred Space — feeling closer to God in a church.

Joel is the Director of the Flourishing Congregations Institute at Ambrose University in Calgary. Follow Dr. Joel Thiessen on Twitter, his website, or The Flourishing Congregations Institute. And read his intriguing book: "The Meaning of Sunday"

The QT4CM podcast is a peer knowledge sharing initiative for personal and professional development of Christian ministry workers. Quick Tips for Christian Ministry is produced with the support of The Great Commission Foundation… to benefit those who serve in the Name of Christ.

Want to contribute your thoughts?

Click here to suggest a topic for a future episode.

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Organizational Coach Dr. Ken Thiessen responds to a ministry worker in Southern Africa about team conflict. She asks:

We have some communication and conflict problems on our ministry team. I feel very isolated and don’t know how to deal with this. Please… could you have your podcast give some regular tips for team conflict resolution. And how to deal with a team leader who doesn’t bring out the best in us?

Dr. Ken Thiessen has a 30 year track record of leading, consulting, and coaching organizations to realize their imagined future. Church leadership teams will benefit from the resources on his Anxious Congregations website.

The QT4CM podcast is a peer knowledge sharing initiative for personal and professional development of Christian ministry workers. Quick Tips for Christian Ministry is produced with the support of The Great Commission Foundation… to benefit those who serve in the Name of Christ.

Want to contribute your thoughts?

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Dr. Joel Thiessen shares his insights about people in Canada who claim to have no religious affiliation. Joel is the Director of the Flourishing Congregations Institute at Ambrose University in Calgary. Follow Dr. Joel Thiessen on Twitter, his website, or The Flourishing Congregations Institute. And read his intriguing book: "The Meaning of Sunday"

The QT4CM podcast is a peer knowledge sharing initiative for personal and professional development of Christian ministry workers. Quick Tips for Christian Ministry is produced with the support of The Great Commission Foundation… to benefit those who serve in the Name of Christ.

Want to contribute your thoughts?

Click here to suggest a topic for a future episode.

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Anna Burns answers this week's question — "What works best when asking for donations, sending out a fundraising letter or meeting with the potential donor face-to-face?" Anna Burns is with The Great Commission Foundation. Click here for the InCourage Journal for Christian Service Workers.

The QT4CM podcast is a peer knowledge sharing initiative for personal and professional development of Christian ministry workers. Quick Tips for Christian Ministry is produced with the support of The Great Commission Foundation… to benefit those who serve in the Name of Christ.

The background music featured on this podcast is by Christian musician Steve Bell and his producer and recording engineer Dave Zeglinski. It's called “O Love“ and is from their Landscape disc in the Pilgrimage boxed set.

Check him out at http://stevebell.com/.

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Dr. Joel Thiessen again shares insights on the dominant trends of religion in North America. Europe and North America are moving in a progressive and increasingly secular direction. Secularization is a dominant narrative.

The rise of people who say they have no religion represents one in three teenagers, one in four adults. It's the fastest growing "religious" group in the modern western world.

For example in Canada:

...one in two Canadian teenagers never attend religious services today. One in three Canadian teenagers say they have no religion. If you want to know where a religious group is going, you look to your young people. It is very rare that people convert later on in life. It doesn't mean it's impossible and we would all think of anecdotal stories where that's happened. On the whole, you look to your young people.

Another trend pertains to Christian identification. Christianity is the lead religion in Canada. When you ask Canadians, "What religion do you identify with?" 67% of Canadians say, "Christianity." However, over the last decade this has diminished over 10 percentage points. I think the take-home point here is that Christianity is the lead religion in terms of identification, but it is waning. What does that mean for local churches then when fewer and fewer Canadians in your neighbourhoods, in your cities and your communities have even a passing reference to Christianity? A generation ago we could take for granted that people would know who Jesus was, who denied Jesus three times, all these kinds of things. There isn't that cultural memory relative to Christianity. I think that's an important trend to grapple with.

Joel is the Director of the Flourishing Congregations Institute at Ambrose University in Calgary. Follow Dr. Joel Thiessen on Twitter, his website, or The Flourishing Congregations Institute. And read his intriguing book: "The Meaning of Sunday"

The QT4CM podcast is a peer knowledge sharing initiative for personal and professional development of Christian ministry workers. Quick Tips for Christian Ministry is produced with the support of The Great Commission Foundation… to benefit those who serve in the Name of Christ.

Want to contribute your thoughts?

Click here to suggest a topic for a future episode.

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The Show Notes can be accessed by clicking here.

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In this special episode you will learn some YouTube worship music video creation tips. David Wesley of Basement Praise and YouTube fame shares with us the story of how he got started making his music videos and his process for creating his multi harmony praise and worship music tracks.

From time to time we will be bringing you these special episodes with Christian Creatives, such as musicians, authors, and other artists who create as a ministry.

David is a Canadian musician who describes himself as a "self-producing artist creating multi-track magic in my basement to share the gospel and have a little fun on the side :)...." And he brings a lot of enjoyment to us!

In this podcast episode he tells the story of how he started making his music videos. And, he explains how he put three songs together in his "Amazing Grace" medley.

You can enjoy the full version of David Wesley’s "Amazing Grace" medley by clicking this link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8plSomxS5Yo.

This piece is a "Mash-up" of 3 modern adaptations of "Amazing Grace":

"But For Your Grace" - by Rita Baloche
"Amazing Grace (My Chains Are Gone)" - by Chris Tomlin & Louis Giglio
"Grace Like Rain" - by Todd Agnew & Chris Collins

The other music track we featured on this podcast is David's "In Christ Alone", which you can watch on YouTube at: https://youtu.be/oab9giH2cG0

The QT4CM podcast is a peer knowledge sharing initiative for personal and professional development of Christian ministry workers. Quick Tips for Christian Ministry is produced with the support of The Great Commission Foundation… to benefit those who serve in the Name of Christ.

Want to contribute your thoughts?

Click here to suggest a topic for a future episode.

Or, click here to send us your proposal to be interviewed.

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The Show Notes can be accessed by clicking here.

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In this fourth episode we hear insights on Short Term Missions. Are they worth the cost and effort? Mark Crocker is Executive Director of STMleader.com Mark shares with us his insights on Short Term Missions, having trained tens of thousands of volunteers to head overseas and make a difference. Mark served as the chair for short term missions at the Evangelical Fellowship of Canada’s Global Mission round table. He now consults and trains for faith-based and secular NGOs. He heads of STMleader.com and Stopover.ca. His training courses are practically geared for STM beginners and masters level college courses. Mark leverages his extensive experience in the field, which includes leading multi-million dollar development projects in Congo and Haiti.

You can read about Mark’s STM leadership training and certification at the website STMleader.com. He can also be reached through Stopover.ca where he provides diversity training and benevolence coaching. He and his team specialize in delivering customized training to individuals and organizations. Their coaching is engaging and memorable and will immediately give you the tools you need to make an impact as you travel abroad.

Here are a few links to Mark Crocker's articles on the subject of his talk:

http://stmleader.com/is-stm-a-waste-of-time-barometer/

http://stmleader.com/stm-is-a-waste-of-time/

http://stmleader.com/good-leaders-need-training-bad-leaders-dont/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/STMleader/

LinkedIn: https://ca.linkedin.com/in/crockermark

Want to contribute your thoughts?

Click here to suggest a topic for a future episode.

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Dr. Joel Thiessen shares his insights about what makes congregations thrive. Joel is the Director of the Flourishing Congregations Institute at Ambrose University in Calgary. In this episode Dr. Joel Thiessen points to five things that are emerging as starting points for entering this study of "flourishing congregations".

Congregations that have a clear self-identity. They know who they are, they know what it is they're trying to do, and where they're going.
They have a committed leadership. They equip and empower leaders, they have leaders who stick around for the long haul, and leadership is a central part of how and why congregations flourish.
They have a desire to grow numerically, but they also desire to grow spiritually and organizationally. They measure. They count. They are accountable in various ways for the kinds of things they're doing at a congregational level.
They are a hospitable community. These are places that receive people well, that are warm places that people feel connected to, that they feel loved, and embraced, and these kinds of things.
They have a vibrant spiritual life among leaders, among congregants, across a congregation.

Dr. Joel Thiessen also points to other determinants in the DNA of flourishing congregations:

Embrace risk and try new things
Stewardship — not just of money — of resources, land, volunteers
Intentional discourse on "what are we leaving to the next generation"?
Ability to navigate conflict well
A strong outward-facing presence in the community

Follow Dr. Joel Thiessen on Twitter, his website, or The Flourishing Congregations Institute. And read his intriguing book: "The Meaning of Sunday"

The QT4CM podcast is a peer knowledge sharing initiative for personal and professional development of Christian ministry workers. Quick Tips for Christian Ministry is produced with the support of The Great Commission Foundation… to benefit those who serve in the Name of Christ.

Want to contribute your thoughts?

Click here to suggest a topic for a future episode.

Or, click here to send us your proposal to be interviewed.

Want more information?

The Show Notes can be accessed by clicking here.

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In this second QT4CM episode we are benefiting from the insights shared by Anna Burns on how to get your newsletters and emails read by supporters.

Jenny, a ministry worker in Québec, sent us this voicemail: My question is: “how do I get people to read my ministry reporting emails and requests for donations?

It seems that my donors don’t often open my emails.

What do I do?"

Anna Burns is with The Great Commission Foundation. Anna asks "Would you want to read your own newsletter?" She gives us tips for getting supporters to open and engage with our communications.

Click here for the "Ask Anna" article she referred to in this episode.

Click here for the InCourage Journal for Christian Service Workers.

The QT4CM podcast is a peer knowledge sharing initiative for personal and professional development of Christian ministry workers. Quick Tips for Christian Ministry is produced with the support of The Great Commission Foundation… to benefit those who serve in the Name of Christ.

The background music featured on this podcast is by Christian musician Steve Bell and his producer and recording engineer Dave Zeglinski. It's called “Come back to me“ and is from his Landscape disc in the Pilgrimage boxed set.

Check him out at http://stevebell.com/.

Want to contribute your thoughts?

Click here to suggest a topic for a future episode.

Or, click here to send us your proposal to be interviewed.

Want more information?

The Show Notes can be accessed by clicking here.

Or, subscribe to receive the Show Notes each Friday.

Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/refresh-ministries/message

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This first episode describes the background and intent of the Quick Tips for Christian Ministry podcast.

The QT4CM podcast is a peer knowledge sharing initiative for personal and professional development of Christian ministry workers. Quick Tips for Christian Ministry is produced with the support of The Great Commission Foundation… to benefit those who serve in the Name of Christ.

Are you serving in any Christian ministry? Are you on a church leadership team or board? Maybe you are a pastor, worship leader, chaplain, or a missionary or evangelist. You may be a Christian serving in humanitarian aid. Or maybe you are thinking about Christian ministry as a vocation in your future. Well this podcast series is for you.

Want to contribute your thoughts?

Click here to suggest a topic for a future episode.

Or, click here to send us your proposal to be interviewed.

Want more information?

The Show Notes can be accessed by clicking here.

Or, subscribe to receive the Show Notes each Friday.

Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/refresh-ministries/message

Quick Tips for Christian Ministry: Recent Episodes

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