I confess, I love a good deal, which is why I'm an avid Groupon guy. I've got discount dinners, vacations, and paddle board rentals by keeping my eyes open for Groupon deals. Every now and then they offer a discounted hour of coaching by an expert to help you master the art of golf, painting or yoga or something like that. "A Master Class," they call it . I've never actually signed up for one, probably for fear that the masters are really master-marketers posing as experts. I want to know what they've actually done before I take their class, which explains why I'm a horrible painter, have never done yoga, and am an average paddle-boarder.
No doubt, as Christ-followers we need coaching to master the fine art of following Jesus and making disciples. The Bible speaks in Ephesians 4 of the gifts of the apostle, prophet, evangelist, pastor and teacher given by Jesus to build up His church; in other words to coach them. It says that these gifts will equip the saints for the work of ministry, so that the Body will be built up, as each part does its work. These people are not just good at doing the work of ministry, they are good at equipping people to do the work of ministry themselves.
As a leader, I'm open to having people in to the church from time to time who are more inspirers than equippers. It's like going for a massage, I guess. You feel refreshed and energized. But what I value more highly is people who come in with a proven track record, who are able to inspire and equip the saints. That results in health, strength and maturity in the Body.
It's with this in mind that we have invited Terry and Wendy Virgo to be with us for a whole month.
This is the third time they are coming to Southlands, and each time we have felt a surge forward in our 'Body-life.' This time we have felt that the deposit of wisdom and faith in them needed a little more time to be received and employed.
"So what's their track record?" you may be asking. They began planting and leading churches 40 years ago in the UK, and very soon a group of like-minded leaders began to look to Terry to equip them to do the same. Today those churches exist as a connected family of hundreds of churches around the world called New Frontiers. Terry's consistent messages of Grace, servant leadership and Spirit-filled living have produced not just a series of best-selling books, but a huge track record of healthy leaders and churches in many nations. Moreover, their story of humbly raising up younger leaders to play a leadership role in the movement they began, has underlined their commitment to making disciples.
So I want to invite you all to avail yourself of this extraordinary Disciple-Making Master-Class.
"And is there a discount for this extraordinary master class?" you may ask.
Oh, a very deep discount indeed. You know I love a good deal.
Ministry Schedule:
Spirit-Filled Church —May 15-17(no charge)
Terry is the author of the popular and impacting book The Spirit-Filled Church, which is also the title of his three-day conference with us.
Thursday, May 15 @ 7– 9 pm
Friday, May 16 @ 7– 9 pm
Saturday, May 17 @9am - noon.
Elder team time 7 May 30th 7-9 pm
All Leaders Meeting- Saturday, May 31 from 9am - noon
Women's Ministry Night with Wendy Virgo-Thursday, June 5th from 7-9 pm
Men's Ministry Pancake Breakfast with Terry Virgo- Saturday, June 7th from 8-10 am
Terry will preach at Southlands Brea and Fullerton campuses over the next 4 weeks and will also travel to other churches on Sunday evenings.
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