Tuesday, September 30, 2008
Christian Cheese Videos
OK, so we at www.TheMinistryGroup.com take our ministry to churches very seriously. But, when we run across something like this, we just have to laugh. Our friend in ministry, Mark Oestreicher, listed a few videos that he and others found and labeled them "Christian Music Cheese". They are some of the best videos and will make you think about many things, but none very seriously. Sit down, relax, and watch the following:
Please share with your friends.
Thursday, September 25, 2008
Sharing your faith outside of church?
How many times to people in ministry get outside of the walls of the church and get a chance to really visit with someone? Visit about life? Visit about interest? Visit about faith? Yesterday I had the great opportunity to see some friends, some old and some new while shooting a movie (more about that later). The best part of the visits was that some of the people did not know about my faith, about my career in ministry, and about who I was. When people, some people some of the time, don't know you are in ministry, they seem to talk different, joke different, and express themselves in different ways. After they learn that you are in ministry, their language and physical body language changes. They treat you different. Not better or worse, just different. Why is that? Why is it that they will talk one way around strangers and one way around people form their own church? I think everyone of faith should take time each and every week and talk to new people about their faith. I don't mean go to a homeless shelter or soup kitchen (although we all need to do that more often), I mean meet people in a restaurant, a movie theatre, or your favorite shop and express your faith openly. And in the spirit of John Wesley "Share the Gospel, and if necessary, use words."
Go and share the Gospel and your faith with those you meet today. And if necessary, use words.
Please pray for me as I pray for you and your ministry.
Eric
http://www.theministrygroup.com/
Go and share the Gospel and your faith with those you meet today. And if necessary, use words.
Please pray for me as I pray for you and your ministry.
Eric
http://www.theministrygroup.com/
Wednesday, September 24, 2008
Out of the office, making a movie. ACTION!
When I am not helping churches and those in ministry find a great place to minister with The Ministry Group (http://www.theministrygroup.com/) , I am usually spending time with my family or helping out in my community. Every now and then I get a chance to do something different, and I love it. Some people dream of playing golf, fishing, or watching the game on the big screen. I enjoy acting in movies. Some of you may not know that I have been a background actor in television and movies since 2005. I have been in good movies, bad movies, and some that you have never heard of.
I will be out of the office and away from my phone today and next Monday working on a major motion picture titled "Leaves of Grass" starting Edward Norton, Richard Dreyfus, Susan Sarandon. I am going to guess that this is NOT a movie you will bring your church group to see. I have been cast as an airline passenger traveling in the Tulsa airport. Will you see me in the movie? I don't know. I may be up in front, or I may be put three rows back where you can only see the top of my head. Either way, it gives me the opportunity to talk with many people that I may not otherwise have had the chance to share my faith with. Sitting on the set for 10 hours gives you time to listen to people, find out where they are, and hopefully share a little bit of my faith journey with them. I will let you know later this week or next how the shoot went. If you want to find out more about some of the 20+ television and movie productions that I have been a part of, visit http://www.imdb.com/ and look me up.
Please pray for me as I pray for you and your ministry,
Eric Kelly McFarland
I will be out of the office and away from my phone today and next Monday working on a major motion picture titled "Leaves of Grass" starting Edward Norton, Richard Dreyfus, Susan Sarandon. I am going to guess that this is NOT a movie you will bring your church group to see. I have been cast as an airline passenger traveling in the Tulsa airport. Will you see me in the movie? I don't know. I may be up in front, or I may be put three rows back where you can only see the top of my head. Either way, it gives me the opportunity to talk with many people that I may not otherwise have had the chance to share my faith with. Sitting on the set for 10 hours gives you time to listen to people, find out where they are, and hopefully share a little bit of my faith journey with them. I will let you know later this week or next how the shoot went. If you want to find out more about some of the 20+ television and movie productions that I have been a part of, visit http://www.imdb.com/ and look me up.
Please pray for me as I pray for you and your ministry,
Eric Kelly McFarland
Monday, September 22, 2008
New Ministry Openings with The Ministry Group (at www.TheMinistryGroup.com )
We are currently searching for several ministry openings. All at this time are for youth ministers in Arkansas and Texas. If you, or someone you know, might be interested in finding out more, please contact us at www.theministrygroup.com or email me at eric@theministrygroup.com.
Please pray for me as I pray for you,
Eric
Please pray for me as I pray for you,
Eric
Sunday, September 21, 2008
How to prepare for a ministry interview. Pray, pray, pray and...
Suggestions from The Ministry Group (www.theministrygroup.com ):
Adequate prayer, preparation, and getting into the right mindset is crucial to prevent any form of pre-interview stress at your next ministry. It is silly to attend an interview without getting to know the basic things about the church. It is flattering if you can show some form of interest for the church by having the right information ready whenever a question arises. Senior pastors, and search committees appreciate ministry candidates who are well prepared for the interview. Even if you are interviewing for the Children's Ministry position, make sure you are familiar with the youth ministry, college ministry, adult ministry, worship ministry, etc.
You can get the church’s URL and spend sometime browsing the pages and note down the mission, the goals, and the ministries its members offer. Even if you are pretty sure at the ministry interview you are not going to be quizzed on how the church came to be formed (and we hope that you are not), it will give you insight into how the church operates and their philosophy on ministry. You can detect a lot of clues from the questions they ask during the interview, they reveal a lot about the goals they have and what they are looking for. If they value team players within the ministry, then brainstorm all the times when you have clearly exhibited this trait and share it with them.
It is important to know about the different ministries of the church if you are interested in a full time ministry position. The Senior minister, the PPR, or hiring committee will be impressed you have taken the time to research the church and its many ministries and they will remember how you made a great first impression. Before you visit a church, list questions to ask the interviewer about the ministry position and the church if there are things you are uncertain of because showing interest is generally, if not always, viewed as a positive trait. It is a positive thing to do, and reveals the level of desire and interest you have for the ministry and working with the members of the church, it will definitely help you score some additional points towards your new ministry job.
Another way to prepare for a ministry interview is to complete a practice run with a friend or family member. We here at The Ministry Group will help you with this. Visualize being interviewed and practice the role until you feel comfortable. There are many questions that are asked in a typical church interview (what are your strengths and weaknesses) don’t let them come as a surprise to you – practice so you can answer with confidence. It is common for ministers and churches to ask for previous work situations where you display instances having the trait they are looking for. How you answer these questions on previous experience can make or break your chances at being asked back for a second interview or to join this ministry.
Adequate prayer, preparation, and getting into the right mindset is crucial to prevent any form of pre-interview stress at your next ministry. It is silly to attend an interview without getting to know the basic things about the church. It is flattering if you can show some form of interest for the church by having the right information ready whenever a question arises. Senior pastors, and search committees appreciate ministry candidates who are well prepared for the interview. Even if you are interviewing for the Children's Ministry position, make sure you are familiar with the youth ministry, college ministry, adult ministry, worship ministry, etc.
You can get the church’s URL and spend sometime browsing the pages and note down the mission, the goals, and the ministries its members offer. Even if you are pretty sure at the ministry interview you are not going to be quizzed on how the church came to be formed (and we hope that you are not), it will give you insight into how the church operates and their philosophy on ministry. You can detect a lot of clues from the questions they ask during the interview, they reveal a lot about the goals they have and what they are looking for. If they value team players within the ministry, then brainstorm all the times when you have clearly exhibited this trait and share it with them.
It is important to know about the different ministries of the church if you are interested in a full time ministry position. The Senior minister, the PPR, or hiring committee will be impressed you have taken the time to research the church and its many ministries and they will remember how you made a great first impression. Before you visit a church, list questions to ask the interviewer about the ministry position and the church if there are things you are uncertain of because showing interest is generally, if not always, viewed as a positive trait. It is a positive thing to do, and reveals the level of desire and interest you have for the ministry and working with the members of the church, it will definitely help you score some additional points towards your new ministry job.
Another way to prepare for a ministry interview is to complete a practice run with a friend or family member. We here at The Ministry Group will help you with this. Visualize being interviewed and practice the role until you feel comfortable. There are many questions that are asked in a typical church interview (what are your strengths and weaknesses) don’t let them come as a surprise to you – practice so you can answer with confidence. It is common for ministers and churches to ask for previous work situations where you display instances having the trait they are looking for. How you answer these questions on previous experience can make or break your chances at being asked back for a second interview or to join this ministry.
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