Edification and the Body — Week 3
By Penelope Clevenger, Pastor's Wife, Family Fellowship Church of God, St. Charles, Mo.

Ephesians 4:11-16; 1 Thessalonians 5:11; Romans 12:3-8

Recently, on a Wednesday evening, our mid-week teacher changed the course of studies and did what she called a re-mix.  I had never heard the term and was excited to see what it was all about.  Sister Nancy is in management supervision where she is employed.  We later learned that this was a tool that they use during their training sessions to help employees learn about each other and see that each person’s role is significant in order for the company to be successful.  She decided to use this at the church to accomplish the same by letting us see how important our role within the church body is in order for it to function properly and successfully.

It was also purposed to edify, encourage and uplift each person by hearing the good things that their peers had to say about them (Ephesians 4: 11-16).  These were positive things that had been reflected or noticed by another about a person’s character.  If you didn’t know a person very well, it helped you to learn about them.  And if you just happened to be the person in the center of the circle (listening to others speak about you and to you), it was very enlightening and humbling.  What I considered to be the most important element was that it showed each person to be their own unique individual and significantly important to the call of God, the local body of the church and to the family.  It was the story of the body of Christ brought to light in today’s language so that even the babes could understand their importance (Romans 12:3-8).

As I listened to the different ones come forward and speak to one another, I realized just how important each person really and truly is to the body of Christ and the local church.  No two persons are alike.  Each one has their own individuality that enhances and brings flavor to the family and the ministry.  One without the other would simply be dysfunctional or at the very least, misfunctional.  Then suddenly I found myself praying for each person that God would give them the eyes to see, the ears to hear and knowledge to understand how very important they are to Him and those around them.

As the family of God, we are partners (1 Thessalonians 5:11).  We must support each other, not compete.  We must encourage one another, not criticize.  We must admonish, not tear apart.  Our character as a Christian is very important to those around us because they need the example and the witness of what our lives can be if we are trusting and truly following after the life of Christ.  But our reputation, our good name, is so very important to our communities and our churches.  This tells the world that we are set apart from the rest and live our lives at a higher standard, God's standard…“as for me and my house we will serve the Lord”…this draws those who are seeking something new, something solid, something they can count on.  When they see us or hear about us and how God has blessed us, they want to know more about how He has done so and why.  What a grand opportunity to share the “Good News”!

Take a look at your own church body.

• There is always that one that you can count on being at every opportunity for worship and every event.  They are faithful and supportive no matter what.  If they miss, then you better call because most likely they are ill or injured.
• There are those whom you know will monetarily support because they love their local church and they honor God’s command to do so.  Whether they like the pastor or leadership doesn’t have anything to do with whether they will give or not.
• There are those who will be supportive of any event and donate their energies to the cause, but they absolutely will not come to the meetings for preparation.  You just have to know that they will do whatever is needed.  These are usually your most creative individuals and like most leaders, your greatest desire would be that they come to the meetings when the ideas are spinning.
• There are those with musical talents.  Some were created to sing in the choir as support.  Some to play an instrument for backup.  Others were gifted with that extra special ability to lead and stand front and center of the stage and vocally belt it out with confidence.  They have the ability to draw us into the song with deep emotion and excitement.  This could be your soloists and praise team singers.  The same is true of your instrumentation.  There could be a soloist in the group.  If you see that they have that special anointing that sets them apart for individual ministry purposes, then they may be sent to bring a musical revival into the church.
• You have those with clerical abilities and when it comes to the organization of the tasks at hand, they are the most dependable for the task.
• There are those born to lead.  The truly gifted can take a mess and clean it up pronto.  They can take the lemons and make lemonade at the drop of a hat.  They are quick thinkers, knowledgeable and skilled in their professional fields and confident in their abilities.  You can know when they walk into the room because they appear to carry themselves with a confidence that others do not.  Everything seems to come easily to them even though this is not necessarily so.  The most important attribute of a leader is that:  They are also good followers.  You have to be a good follower before you can be a good leader.  After all, how can you lead if you never followed?
• Thank the Lord for those who will serve in maintenance and housekeeping.  These are two of the most important parts of the body.  Imagine coming to church with trash lying all around or dust mites on the tables and pews or dirty restrooms.  This would not be a pleasing venture and God most definitely would not be pleased with us.  This is His temple of worship and we should keep it clean above and beyond all else.  It takes a really special person or group to endeavor these tasks and they should be commended for  their dedication.  They cut grass and trim hedges, keep our flower beds clear of weeds.  They sweep, mop, dust, vacuum, clean toilets, and track down cobwebs.  They wash dishes and shine mirrors.  What a blessing they are to their churches!!
• Hospitality is a very important part of the body.  This includes the greeters, ushers, parking attendants…anyone that is setup to welcome those coming into or exiting the house of God.  This is a family…God's family…and we should make those who are visiting always welcome regardless of race or status in life.  First impressions are everything.  These individuals should be bubbly, happy, glowing with the love of Christ and with no barriers.  Welcoming whomever enters with the love and blessings of God.  We recently visited one of our sister churches on the other side of town.  One of the things that stood out the most to me was upon entering there were several greeters who shook our hands, hugged our necks and just made us feel warm and invited, but even better than that was the brother who looked me straight in the eyes and spoke blessings over me as I entered into God’s house.  How wonderful!  I cannot tell you how it made me feel because it was a first for me, and I have been in the church all my life!
• The technical and media staff is extra special because they have to be skilled to put up with those who think they are.  Have you ever caught yourself trying to tell a tech how the sound should be louder or softer?  What about those drums?  If they are truly skilled and called to this area of ministry then they won’t need your advice.  They already see the need and realize that they can make or break the outcome of a service.  They will know what to do and if they don’t know, the desire will be so overwhelming to know it that they will take the necessary time to learn it.  The super talented will rise above the call and stay ahead of the growth of the church and explore what it would take to move them to the next level for teaching or worship purposes.  They are continually looking and observing new opportunities for enhancements.  They don’t have to be prompted or told what to do.  They feel the call!  If you don’t have a true leader in this area, I encourage you to find one and clean house of those dragging their feet!
• Another very special area is the teachers.  It’s not only about talent and skill, but it’s all about the gift of anointing.  If you have a teacher that is not anointed, the class will go stale, dry up and die.  If the teacher is truly called to this ministry, they will once again rise above every obstacle to gain the knowledge of the Word that they need in order to deliver the message.  They will fast and pray for each class and the individuals within the classes.  They will be informative on their subjects, and they will mesmerize you with their new found knowledge. The classes will be exciting and thriving and on an "I can’t wait" list for every individual around them.  Their anointing will spill out on everyone around them and build an excitement that cannot be contained.  It is an imperative part of teaching to make contact with everyone within the class, especially if they are missing.  It is also good to have a fellowship with your classes for bonding purposes.  On the other hand, if the class is not growing and people are not being saved, individuals are not making changes, they are late getting started every class, they spend more time discussing other subjects and very little on the Word…clean house!  We need Spirit-filled teachers over our classes.  If they are hee-hawing around about teaching, then it is a guarantee that they did not spend the time preparing they should have.  It has become a habit and most of them will show signs of ownership for their positions, but they never teach anything of depth or offer new insights to their students.  So the class becomes boring and people begin to fall away.
• What a true blessing to every church that has a group of prayer warriors.  They are there for every prayer opportunity.  They pray at home, in the car, on the street, in the store…they don’t care where they are.  When they feel the need to pray, they just do it.  Even when you don’t see them praying, they carry a prayerful heart.  Everyone is called to pray.  But there are those whom God has called to intercessory prayer and without them, our churches would be in chaos.  This is the umbrella as well as the foundation for the church.  It is the covering that keeps Satan from destroying us on the inside.  If you do not have a prayer group in place, then do so immediately.  Build a strong foundation of prayer and train them to pray over every ministry of the church and your pastoral staff.
• Another one of my favorite ministries is the visitation and follow-up groups.  Some are willing to visit homes, hospitals, etc.  Others may not be able to physically visit, but are more than willing to make calls or write letters.  All are vital to a thriving ministry, and they are a delight to those receiving the follow-ups.  A most important reminder to this group is to remember not to fall into the web of gossip.  Remember your purpose at hand and dismiss yourself accordingly.  Your conversation should pertain only to thank them for their visit and to answer any questions concerning the ministries of the church.  Never talk negative or make them think you don’t know.  If you don’t know about your church ministries, you don’t need to be making contacts with newcomers.

We often talk with individuals within a church body that just do not know their purpose at all.  If you have no outstanding personality traits or gifts or talents, then your purpose may be in the support area.  We have talked about several of those earlier, but we only skimmed the surface.  There are many areas of ministry within the church, and the larger the church the more that are needed.  Unfortunately, as a small church, we are often hindered from offering certain areas of ministry because of the lack of persons to carry the role of leadership within a specific area.  But what we should do is look deeper and search all avenues for availability within.  Sometimes we just know what treasures we hold.  Have you ever lost something and searched and searched for it, could not remember where you had it last or where you put it, only to find it later and realized it was right where you had left it in the first place?  You have individuals within your church that have done the very same thing with their talents, gifts and abilities.  They have them but they have either lost them or misplaced them and can’t remember when or where.  As leaders we should help them find them.

There are so many areas of ministry that could and should be mentioned, but for most smaller churches, if you will implement these few within your body, you have a strong start and God will take care of equipping and sending you others to complete the body.  The body will not be dysfunctional because you do not have all the parts.  It will be dysfunctional or misfunctional because you have not activated them or the individual has not determined his call and significance to the body.  Everyone has a purpose!

Here’s how to make the aides needed for the re-mix event:
You will need index cards, preferably blank with no lines.  Think of as many positive attributes to a character as possible and write them in the center of the cards.  (Use Scriptures verses as support.)  Take into consideration how many persons will be attending.  You will need about twice that amount to spread out on your table of choices.  Always have some blank ones available to them in case they can think of one you may not have.  Share some supporting scriptures about “the good name,” Christian characteristics, good reputations and finally, the story of the body of Christ and each individual’s significance.  You can do these in the beginning, spread throughout, or at the end.  At class, you will choose one person at a time, randomly or voted, to sit or stand in the center of your class circle.  Each person who remains within the circle will then walk up to the table of choices (which will be spread with the attribute cards) and choose a characteristic that best describes the person in the center and one by one they will present their card and tell why they chose it.  The teacher or helper will take a name tag and write each characteristic around the individual’s name.  This will be presented to the individual in the center when everyone has completed their presentation.  Choose name tags that will stick so they can stick them inside their Bible covers or somewhere where they will see it often.  Always ask the individual how this has made them feel—giving them a chance to respond to their peers.  Most likely they will learn something they didn’t know.  It will encourage them in ways that only they understand.  Most importantly, remember that no negative comments are ever allowed.  Be blessed, be a blessing and have fun with it!

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