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Why should I be interested in helping people in my church develop better relationships—better marriages, families, friendships, etc.?
- People’s needs.
- 70% in one survey said they frequently feel lonely!
- Rates of divorce, unhappy marriages and families are only slightly lower for Christians than for non-Christians!
- What God’s Word says:
- “It is not good to be alone .” (Genesis 2:18)
- We need God, and we need each other !
- The “Great Commandment”: You shall love the Lord your God…and you shall love your neighbor as yourself!
- Great Commandment love must begin at home: with our “nearest neighbors”
- We can help others experience Great Commandment love in their homes as we experience more of it in our homes!
- Jesus prayed: “That they may be one…as You and I are One!” (John 17:22)
- God cares deeply about our “oneness” with each other !
- He’s working to answer this prayer!
- We have the privilege of being part of the answer!
- Our opportunity for the blessing of sharing with others what we have received! (“Freely you have received, freely give!” Matthew 10:8)
- Part of the blessing: “It is [even] more blessed to give than to receive!” (Acts 20:35)
- Another part of the blessing: The encouragement/ requirement that we continue to work on our own relationship as we seek to help others.
It is hard(impossible) to continue to give to others what we are not currently experiencing!
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How can my church help with these needs?
- By providing on-going relationship-building ministries:
- Ministry areas:
- Marriage
- Parenting
- Single Adults
- The Whole Church Together
- Ministry “delivery systems:”
- Classes
- Small groups
- Mentoring/ Counseling
- Intimate Encounters combined with these leadership materials helps those of us who are married to begin at the right place and then to share with others what we have experienced:
- First: Relationship Training-How to experience the “oneness” God has designed us to need within our marriages; How to remove the hindrances which get in the way of experiencing intimacy in our marriages. How to give God pleasure through our marriage.
- Second: Ministry Training—How to share these principles and practices with others through teaching classes, groups, and mentoring.
What do we do first?
- Work on our own relationship!
- Do the homework: Marriage Staff Meetings
- As we experience benefits, blessings, and progress: Keep a record!
- See Intimate Encounters, page 257, “Journal of Gratefulness”
- Then, consider how to start ministries to help others—see the rest of this manual.
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