Corey Nieman
The new ministry fields of today center around addiction, sexual identity, and refugees. Our care ministry have increased by 30% in
the past year. We have developed relationships with people from all walks through counseling, care groups, and networking
resources. Part of being counter culture is being able to model a different way of living. The things we struggle with are meant to be
offered up to God for hope/healing and transformation. There is no glory without getting our hands dirty and walking people through
the muck and the mire to freedom in Christ. Today's culture embraces the sin and brokeness, their unity is achieved by accepting our
current status and not striving to be something better. Any new church overseer needs to understand that care ministries are crucial
to communicating the hope and transformation of Christ. Suffering well with eachother in Christ is where true unity lies.
Pastors need to be taking off their own masks and getting vulnerable in front of their congregations. Many think they cannot reveal
their flaws and create a false persona of perfection. I once shared a message on kintsugi, the art of taking broken potterty, and
reparing it with gold. The pottery is more beautiful and costly than it was previously. It is an art form in Japan. Also I shared that a
crisis is a dangerous opportunity as described by the Chinese. Not to get philisophical, but this is totally accurate. If pastors were
to share their testimonies more often wherein they were struggling with something that God delivered them from, it would encourage
others to do likewise. Also if your average congregant could share those stories at every service it would make a huge difference.
Recovery churches are one of the fastet growing types of churches. We need more bridge ministires into the community so that
once we get them into a church they see the same kind of humility on display. Scripture points out that Jesus went out to interact
with the sick, demon possesed, addict, prostitute, and yet our strategy is to invite them to hang with the holy rollers on a Sunday.
The saints hospital needs to be reimagined, to teach people to suffer well, and choose the handup as opposed to the handout.