Congregational Ministry (Bontrager) – Course Study Guide (Print)

TABLE OF CONTENTS

• LESSON 1: INTRODUCTION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
• LESSON 2: THE MINISTER’S WORK – PREACHING . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
• LESSON 3: THE MINISTER’S WORK – EVANGELISM . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
• LESSON 4: THE MINISTER’S WORK – EDUCATION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
• LESSON 5: THE MINISTER’S WORK – VISITATION (I) . . . . . . . . . . . 23
• LESSON 6: THE MINISTER’S WORK – VISITATION (II) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
• LESSON 7: THE MINISTER’S WORK – IN A CHURCH WITHOUT ELDERS (1) . . . 33
• LESSON 8: THE MINISTER’S WORK – IN A CHURCH WITHOUT ELDERS (2) . . . 36
• LESSON 9: THE MINISTER’S WORK – IN A CHURCH WITHOUT ELDERS (3) . . . 40
• LESSON 10: THE MINISTER’S WORK – OFFICE AND ADMINISTRATION . . . . . . . 43
• LESSON 11: THE MINISTER AND COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46
• LESSON 12: THE MINISTER AND HIS RELATIONSHIPS – Working with Elders (1) 49
• LESSON 13: WORKING WITH ELDERS AND OTHERS (2) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52
• LESSON 14: WORKING WITH CRITICAL MEMBERS . . . . .  . . . . . . . . . . 55
• LESSON 15: THE REALITY OF MINISTERIAL STRESS. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59
• LESSON 16: DEALING EFFECTIVELY WITH STRESS. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65
• LESSON 17: STANDARDS FOR SUCCESS IN MINISTRY. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68
• LESSON 18: DEALING WITH BURNOUT (FAILURE IN MINISTRY) . . . . . . . . . . . . 72
• LESSON 19: THE MINISTER’S PERSONAL LIFE (1) – FAMILY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76
• LESSON 20: THE MINISTER’S PERSONAL LIFE (2) – SPIRITUAL GROWTH. . . . . . 79
• LESSON 21: THE MINISTER’S PERSONAL LIFE (3&4) – PHYSICAL
  WHOLENESS AND CONTINUING EDUCATION . . . . . . . . . . . . . 84
• LESSON 22: THE MINISTER’S PERSONAL LIFE (5) – FINANCIAL MATTERS. . . . . 88
• LESSON 23: THE MINISTER’S PERSONAL LIFE (6) – TO GO OR NOT TO GO . . . . 93
• LESSON 24: FINAL CHALLENGES – “SO YOU STILL WANT TO PREACH” . . . . . . 98
  
  INTRODUCTION
  Welcome to Sunset International Bible Institute video series. This course focuses primarily on the work of a preacher (a.k.a. evangelist, minister) in an established congregation in the United States.
  We give emphasis to four major areas of study in this course, which include 1) the minister’s work (from both Biblical and contemporary perspectives), 2) his interpersonal relationships (ministry involves people, and not all act like Christians), 3) his response to ministry struggles (we can’t be naïve, deceiving ourselves into thinking that ministry is easy with no stress involved), and 4) his personal and spiritual life.
  If this were a course in Sales, I’d tell you that you will need to pick yourself up after a day filled with disappointments; if it were an Education course, I’d say you have to have tough skin to handle parents who never seem to be satisfied; if this were Biology 101, I’d teach you to never stop examining the evidence, even if it means looking at the same information over and over, in order to prove the hypothesis correct.
  In the study about the work of a preacher, and you will be challenged to do all of the above, plus, trust God. Paul instructed Timothy, “be sober in all things, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry” (2 Timothy 4:5, NAS).