An Equipping Church, or an Ephesians 4 Church, lives out the biblical calling from Ephesians 4: 11-16
11And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, 12for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, 13till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ; (New King James Version)
He handed out gifts of apostle, prophet, evangelist, and pastor-teacher to train Christians in skilled servant work, working within Christs body, the church, until were all moving rhythmically and easily with each other, efficient and graceful in response to God's Son, fully mature adults, fully developed within and without, fully alive like Christ. (The Message translation)
What is an Equipping Church?
Pastors and people ministering together
Leaders are primarily equippers, not doers
Values people-development over program-development
Outwardly focused; with ministry both inside and outside the church
Develops intentional pathways for growing and developing people
What We Do:In our consulting and training on Equipping, we have built upon many resources and materials originally developed by Sue Mallory and enhanced by Group's Church Volunteer Central Association. These ideas and concepts were developed, researched, and tested by Sues former organization, Leadership Training Network, and are being lived out with authenticity in hundreds of churches across the countrychurches of all sizes, and across denominational lines.
An Equipping Church goes beyond volunteer mobilization or recruitment, and truly values every member as a minister, living out their unique God-ordained role as part of the Priesthood of all Believers.
In transitioning your church culture to become an Equipping Church, we will help you to:
Build an Equipping Culture
Assess current culture, Discern and articulate a clear and compelling vision, Develop a church-wide strategy, or road map, Facilitate ownership of the Vision, Model values, Prepare the biblical foundation
Build Teams and Integrate Roles
Clarify and identify leadership roles, Develop team-based ministry throughout the church or organization, Enhance and coordinate communication, Develop necessary systems and points of connection
Build Support Systems
Prayer Support, Administrative Support, Strategic Support
These 3 pillars of the paradigm are critical to support the overall structure of an Equipping Church. We offer a mental model of an Equipping Church.
We will help you to Prepare, Connect, and Equip your people for service.
Prepare answers the questions "How do we welcome persons into the church family?" and "What are the biblical foundations for ministry?" Prepare includes:
Assimilation
Outreach, Visitor Follow-up, New Member Process, Ongoing Involvement
Biblical Foundations
Spiritual Growth and Maturity, Gifts, Priesthood of Believers
Connect answers the questions: "How do we help people discover their unique design?" and "How do we match a person's gifts and interests to ministry opportunities?" Connect includes:
Discovery
Discovery tools, Interviews, Gifts Assessment, Ministry Needs Assessment
Matching & Placement
Ministry opportunities, Placement, Orientation, Feedback
Equip answers the questions: "How do we provide our members with ongoing training in ministry?" and "How do we nurture people while they serve and help them to grow spiritually as a result of their service?"Equip includes:
Growth
Training, Affirmation, Feedback, Evaluation, Ongoing Leader development
Recognition and Reflection
Recognition, Holistic Ministry, Reflection, Life Application
There is no one size fits all approach to equipping! We can help you prayerfully discern and envision what Equipping will look like in your church, as you follow God's unique call for your congregation.
Navigating church culture change is difficult. Let us guide you in making the transition from present reality to Gods desired future.
