Member-Led Ministry
The members of Humble Area’s First Baptist Church wanted to connect their neighbors to the gospel. Mobilized under the mantra, “Gather, Grow, and Go,” HAFBC members prayerfully engaged the community with a variety of formal and informal ministries. One such ministry, Study Buddies, paired local elementary school students with an after-school tutor at the church on Wednesday nights. A church member would pick students up from the school in a bus and drive them to the church, where the children worked with their tutor before Wednesday night activities. The program was widely successful, leading to tangible improvements for the students, exponential growth for the church’s Wednesday night activities, and numerous salvations.
One of the most remarkable characteristics of the Study Buddies ministry is the fact that it was entirely member led. One church member developed a vision for the ministry. With the church’s blessing, she then reached out to a local elementary school to explain her vision. Afterward, she garnered dozens of volunteers and organized the weekly endeavor. Over time, the Lord provided more people with a passion for the ministry, and its leadership team grew from one to three, resulting in an even greater impact. The church, as an organization, provided a location for Study Buddies to meet and a bus to pick up students; however, the planning and execution of the ministry sprang entirely from the gifts and passions of a few faithful members.
That’s member-led ministry. God has uniquely gifted each of you with resources, talents, and passions. For some of you, God has given you skills and passions that align with existing ministries. You can use your gifts to connect people to the gospel through music, connect students to the gospel in youth ministry, connect immigrants to the gospel in ESL, or to serve in some other capacity that strengthens fellow believers and reaches the lost. For others of you, God has given you a passion for a ministry we don’t have yet. He has placed a burden on your heart, and he has positioned you to launch a ministry.
We want to support you. We want to resource you. We want to provide the meeting place and the bus. We want to supply the necessary funds. We want to help you mobilize volunteers. But most importantly, we want you to use your gifts and abilities to pursue gospel ministry.