Happy Easter and pass the authority.

Okay it is Easter and Christ died for you and me. He also died for the church. That means every person. How do we do that? Give everyone a platform.

The key to recognizing a Target Group ministry is (Creating an environment where people can own the ministry they lead, that they are looked at as lay staff) identifying a (Who that) Contact Person for that ministry. A Contact Person is normally a servant who would love to see their church recognize their ministry and are willing to:

1. Have their name listed in a church brochure as the person that anyone in the church can contact for more information about the ministry.
2. Post a Ministry Profile on both the church’s website and
3. Include their email address on both websites so that others can contact them for more information about their ministry.
4. To be the one responsible to church leadership in case there are moral or doctrinal questions concerning their ministry.
5. To represent their ministry at any Ministry Recognition Event at the church.
6. To generally cheerlead and represent their ministry in their church.

Identify the Target Group Contact Persons

Once the rank and file has been introduced to Target Groups Ministry, i.e. the new dimension of ministry that the church is recognizing, the first step is to identify how many people are already involved with Target Groups. Once they are identified the second step is to find out how many of them are willing to be a Contact Person for their ministry as discussed above. Here are 10 ideas to accomplish this important step. This is not an exhaustive list; you can come up with some more ideas. When you add to the list please email us and let us know what you are doing.

The following list describes a church “support system for all Church Recognized Dimension Two Ministries.

1. Print a Target Group brochure (include a sample)
2. Post a listing of Target Group Ministries on the church’s website
3. Posting the Target Group ministries.
4. Make a portable Target Group Ministry Map. Many churches have posted world maps that show where the church supported missionaries are. A Target Group Ministry Map would be similar. It is a map of the church’s city or town with numbers at points of ministry, e.g. jails, a number 1, or a Crisis Pregnancy Center, a number 2, etc. Then alongside the map put pictures of the Contact Persons that correspond to the numbers identifying their ministries.
5. Set aside one special Target Group Ministry Celebration Sunday annually.
6. Schedule different Target Group Ministries to set up ministry booths in the church foyer throughout the year.
7. Schedule different Target Group Ministry leaders to share their ministry with different Sunday School classes and/or Small Groups throughout the year.
8. Have a Target Group “Ministry Moment” in the worship services once a month or once a quarter.
9. Occasionally include newspaper articles referring to various potential Target Groups in the church bulletin and/or newsletter. If the local paper runs a story on refugees or the unemployed, put a salient point from the article in whatever church media you have.
10. Hold a Target Group Contact Person’s event each year. It could be a breakfast, a half day retreat or a week end retreat at a resort. If possible have the event paid for out of the church budget as a “thank you” to the Contact Persons. The primary purpose of the event is for the Contact Persons to get to know each other through their ministries. One idea is simply to have each Target Group leader share (1) their personal faith story, (2) and their personal ministry story. You will be surprised at the dynamic and encouragement that these two stories will create

Rules of Engagement for Target Group Contact Persons

Churches will want to keep their Rules of Engagement for Target Group Ministries as few and simple as possible. We suggest three such rules, you may want to add more or not use one of our three. Whatever your Rules of Engagement are they should fit your church, you need to be comfortable with them.


One of the realities for Target Group Ministries is that they cannot expect the same attention from church leadership that Home Base Ministries receive. Church leaders already have their plates full. If most church staffs or boards think they will have to be involved in managing the Target Group Ministries, there will be very few Target Group Ministries.

Nor can Target Group leaders expect the church to fund their ministry. It is important to appreciate that the church budget is a “limited pie.” It is made up of the gifts from a limited number of people, i.e. those who attend the church. And since very few members even come close to tithing their incomes, church budgets are typically strained. Target Groups must find ways to tap into “Community Money.” You can’t ask someone in your office to donate to your church’s budget. But you can ask them to donate to your “Shoes for the Homeless.” ministry.

While those involved in Target Group Ministries should not expect church leaders to help them run their ministry or fund the ministry, they should expect to be held accountable if necessary. If moral or doctrinal issues arise because of their ministry, they need to be accountable to the church’s leadership. The need to hold someone accountable will be extremely rare, but it needs to be clear that it possible. If a ministry has “poker” night as a fund raiser and the church has a clear stand against gambling; the church leaders should feel free to don the mantle of the bishop and say, “thus saith the Lord!”

Three Suggested Rules of Engagement Guidelines For Target Group Ministries

1. If you want to be a church recognized Contact Person for a Community Ministry
You must run the ministry in its entirety, (take FULL responsibility). You must decide how the ministry will work, do the recruiting, and implement the activities. Do not expect church leadership to get involved in your ministry or to assume responsibility for the success of your ministry.
2. You must get approval from church leadership for any fund raising activities that involve church people.
3. You must accept the responsibility for the moral and doctrinal issues involved in
your ministry, and agree that you are accountable to church leadership.

Potential Target Group leaders need to know the above guidelines, along with any other guidelines that church leadership adds. Plus they should know who to contact if they have a Target Group ministry that they want the church to recognize. That information should be in the brochure, in the Target Group listings on the church’s website, and anywhere else the Target Group ministries are listed.

If Your Church Uses an Equipping Program Be Sure the People In the Program Understand the Difference Between a Volunteer and a Servant

Calling friendly church infrastructures are rare, but they are beginning to emerge. Today a lot of churches help people discern their S.H.A.P.E. When one gets to “forth base” or to “401” in a S.H.A.P.E. program, it’s time for them to identify what ministry they want to pursue. Many times people are presented with a list of Base of Operation ministry options. In a truly calling friendly church, people will be given lists of both the Base of Operation Ministries and the church’s recognized Target Group Ministries. Plus they will be told the guideline for starting new church recognized Target Group Ministries.

People will also understand the difference between a volunteer and a servant. Everyone needs to be assured that it is OK if they are not ready to be a servant. If they are ready to be a servant they will be motivated by internal want to. They will know where God has called them to serve, remember one discovers their special ministry when God is ready.

Volunteers Often Become Servants

A typical way for someone to discover their special call to ministry is to get involved in a ministry first as just a volunteer. For example someone might sign up for the church’s Night at the Rescue Mission and get hooked once they both see and feel the ministry. Once they are hooked they will be doing much more than going to the mission one night a month.

He is Risen!