Next Steps after #d62012

I have had some time to think, pray and process after returning from the D6 Conference in Dallas this past week.  This great conference put on by Randall House is on my schedule every year.  I shared a few of the themes that emerged for me this year here as well as some favorite quotes here. 

I don't know about you, but after a conference my head is filled with tons of ideas. In a similar way, my heart is sifting through the ideas to decide how it will impact future ministry.  As I have prayed and processed, here are a few practical ways that the D6 Conference will impact ministry at Hesston MB Church.

• EQUIP PARENTS-This theme emerges every year and I continually am seeking ways to do this at Hesston MB.  This year, I felt strongly about the importance of equipping parents with practical skills to help pass on faith at home (blessing, prayer, devotions, etc).  I keep thinking about doing this, but it's time to do it now. This will include "Equip Me" classes based on Take It Home by Holmen & Texiera.  I had always planned on this for the children's ministry, but it has expanded to include adolescence, purity, and rites of passage with pre-teens and teens.
• DADS-One of my passions is equipping dads to be the spiritual leaders in the home.  A beginning step at Hesston MB was D6 Dads that have been meeting for about 3 years now.  These groups meet various times of the week about twice a month.  D6 Dads pray together, read a book together, and challenge and encourage one another in the journey of fatherhood.  This year, D6 had several speakers and workshops talk about mentoring.  I am starting to process if a small change needs to be made with D6 Dads to move from a "small group" format to a "mentoring" format or maybe both.  Each man or dad would be encouraged to find someone to mentor them and find a middle school/high school student or dad to personally mentor.  This is just in the beginning stages, but seems like a good shift.  I will keep you posted if that change is made in 2013-2014.
• MARRIAGE-You don't have to look too far to know that marriage is under attack in America.  And I am not just talking about culture, but within the church as well.  The Enemy is seeking to destroy marriages all around us.  What is the church's response?  Why do couples suffer in silence when facing difficulty in marriage?  I am continuing to look at how the church can better respond to this situation.  Currently, we have marriage mentoring and Marriage 911 in place at Hesston MB.  It is now time to strengthen these ministries and help couples get involved.
• ABIDE-I would be remiss to talk about all these practical steps and forget the focus and theme of D6 2012 which was Abide.  This theme rang loud and clear.  I wish every person in ministry could have heard Pete Wilson share from his heart about abiding.  A few quotes he shared have continued to pop into my head.  They were:
• "What matters most is not what you accomplish, it's who you become." 
• "Constant contact with our Creator is essential to fulfill our calling."
• "Same God of the universe that gave you this calling is going to equip you to fulfill this task."

I am excited about the future at Hesston MB.  I look forward to abiding with Christ as I begin to implement what God has put on my heart this year at D6.