Discovering Your Call and Gifts / Introduction to Lay Servant Ministries

Introduction

Discovering Your Call and Gifts / Introduction to Lay Servant Ministries will help you discover your call and gifts for ministry. During the course you will take a spiritual gifts inventory and explore your gifts for ministry, read how God called those in the Bible and how your call might be similar to theirs, and finally develop a clear statement of your call and gifts for ministry.

Course Objectives

  1. Students will explore and be able to articulate their spiritual gifts for ministry.

  2. Students will be able to share their call to ministry and identify a biblical theme that has informed their call to ministry.

  3. Students will be able to understand the mission and ministry of the church.

  4. Students will understand the varieties of leadership in the church.

  5. Students will understand the steps into ministry.

  6. Students will either develop a Mutual Ministry Team (if serving as assigned pastor to the local church/churches) or a Covenant Ministry Team if preparing to serve a local church or ministry beyond the local church.

Required Texts

Bryant, Charles V. Your Spiritual Gifts Inventory. Nashville: Upper Room Books, 1997. (This pamphlet will be sent to you in the mail.)

United Methodist Publishing House. The Book of Discipline of The United Methodist Church 2016. Nashville: The United Methodist Publishing House, 2016. You can also read the 2016 Book of Discipline online (link will open in a new browser tab or window).

Jackson, Sandy. Lay Servant Ministries: Basic Course Participant’s Book. Nashville: Discipleship Resources, 2017.

Foundations for Ministry 2023-2024

Introduction

The Foundations for Ministry course helps Certified Lay Ministers, first time pastors, and District Superintendent Assignment persons develop best practices for serving the local church in sermon writing, developing relationships with their congregation, building mission and vision.

This course is a blend of academic learning with practical on the job training. It allows the student to learn through both academic and hands on experience.

This class is also appropriate for pastors moving to new congregations.

The course focuses on a different aspect of ministry each month with all work and discussion forums taking place online, including monthly meetings.

Learning Outcomes

By the end of this course, students will be able to:

  1. Understand and practice the needed spiritual disciplines and Sabbath rest for their own personal growth

  2. Articulate their call and gifts to ministry

  3. Research, write and deliver a biblically-based sermon

  4. Design and lead effective worship

  5. Be equipped with skills to make home, hospital, emergency calls, lead funerals, and know when and how to make referrals

  6. Appreciate church history, doctrine and structure

  7. Lead the church in wholistic evangelism in the Wesleyan tradition

  8. Understand the importance of strong missional witness and how they and their church can participate in the mission of the church locally, on a regional level, nationally, and throughout the world.

In addition, students will:

  1. Learn principles for leading and administrating the local church

  2. Gain skills for guiding the congregation in the development and design of clear and attainable vision and goals for the church

  3. Learn a process for developing a workable plan for studying the culture of the local church and community

  4. Learn keys to team-building in the local church

  5. Learn the basic roles of the pastor

  6. Develop a personal vision and goals

  7. Develop a weekly pattern for researching and writing the sermon

Required Texts

Bone, David L. and Mary J. Scifres. The United Methodist Music and Worship Planner, current year edition. Nashville: Abingdon Press.

Felton, Gayle C., United Methodists and the Sacraments. Nashville: Abingdon Press, 2007.

Knight, Henry H. and F. Douglas Powe. Transforming Evangelism: The Wesleyan Way of Sharing Faith. Nashville: Discipleship Resources 2014.

Langford, Andy and Sally Langford. Living as United Methodist Christians: Our Story, Our Beliefs, Our Lives. Nashville: Abingdon 2011.

Parks, Lewis A. Preaching in the Small Membership Church. Nashville: Abingdon, 2009.

Weems, Lovett H. Church Leadership: Vision, Team, Culture and Integrity. Nashville: Abingdon, 1993.