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Ministry. Leadership. Mission |
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 Happy New Year!
I hope you and your family had a great Christmas and holiday week. As we begin a new week, month, and year, here are four articles I hope will be helpful to you and your ministry.
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I am sometimes asked, “How does an AMS start and lead Pastor Cohorts?” Related questions are “How do they work?” and “What are the nuts and bolts of Pastor Cohorts?”
In God’s kindness and providence, I am blessed to lead five Pastor Cohorts, a Discipleship Ministers Cohort, and a Children's Ministers Cohort each month this school year. I regularly hear how much the pastors and other participants appreciate these cohorts. We meet in either restaurants like Chick-fil-A, or around a conference table in my office. Since Covid, most meet at our office - which is centrally located. We meet for an hour to an hour and a half at 8:30am, 11:30am, or 7:00pm. Each cohort chooses the location that is best for them. I am going to do something different this month. If it is well received, I may make it a regular practice. I am going to share several “Things To Know.” I am basing it on how I have been sharing “Three Things To Know This Week” with my pastors for some time. I curate content as I read from many different sources each week, and then I share with them what I consider to be some of the best content. Beginning this month, I want to start doing something similar for you, my fellow AMSs.
 The Multiplication Effect is an intentional leadership development approach that will equip you to build a culture of leader multiplication. Mac Lake is a national consultant and training program expert whose passion is growing leaders for the local church.
This book will give you the tools you can use as you seek to develop leaders in your association – and as you help your pastors develop leaders in their churches. Most churches do not have a leadership development strategy.  Rediscover Church is a refreshing reminder of the importance of Christians joining and being active members in a local body of believers – for their sake, for the sake of that body of believers, and for the Lord’s glory. Collin Hansen and Jonathan Leeman discuss why church is essential for believers and God’s mission. Through biblical references and personal stories, they show readers God’s true intention for corporate gathering: to spiritually strengthen members as individuals and the body of Christ. They even go so far as to say that “your church and ours is where heaven touches down on earth – where our prayers begin to be answered: “Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.”
 Too often when churches are presented with a need outside their walls, they operate on the principle of “say no unless you have to say yes.” Pastor Steve Viars of Faith Church, Lafayette, IN, shows you how to develop a dynamic, giving relationship with your community, one in which your natural response to needs is “Yes! How can we help?”
 Mark Elliott has written a wonderful, practical resource for AMSs to use to train and coach Pastor Search Committees. He has over 40 years of ministry experience, including serving as a DOM/AMS since 1993. He has just concluded 21 years of exemplary service leading the Heartland Church Network, Omaha, NE.
This book is a major editing and expansion of the process Mark has used for two decades assisting churches in transition. It includes the practical application of the principles he found in scripture and examples from several churches whose search teams have used the more robust process these principles helped him to define. Book Review – Gentle and Lowly: The Heart of Christ for Sinners and Sufferers, Dane Ortlund2/7/2022  “I am gentle and lowly in heart.” Matthew 11:29 (ESV)
We know Jesus wants us to come to him and allow him to give us rest (Mt. 11:28), but do we readily do so? Do we feel like he really wants us to come to him?  Happy New Year!
I hope you had a refreshing break during the holidays. As I mentioned last month, I plan to share reviews of books from time to time that have been meaningful to me that I believe may be helpful to you. Today, I want to introduce you to Jared Wilson’s new book, Gospel-Driven Ministry: An Introduction to the Calling and Work of a Pastor.  I believe hearing, reading, studying, memorizing, and meditating on God’s Word is most important for Associational Mission Strategists – as it is for all Christ-followers. But as leaders of leaders, I agree with the old adage: leaders are readers. Leaders should be consistently, humbly, seeking to learn and improve their leadership. My mantra is: Anything can be improved except the Bible. If we are not stretching ourselves with input from wise leaders, we are not being good stewards of the roles where God has placed us.
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AuthorI’m Ray Gentry, the husband of Debra & father of April & Allison. I serve over 80 congregations on the southside of Atlanta as Associational Mission Strategist of the Southside Baptist Network. I am also the President/CEO of the Southern Baptist Conference of Associational Leaders (SBCAL). I’ve served Southern Baptist churches & associations in various roles for over 35 years. 
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