For several years I've had on my heart to serve in greater capacity at Bible Study Fellowship. I've been growing my network with leaders in HQ supporting the mission as a lay leader for 19 years. I've been a volunteer developer and tester for their international platform BsfOnline.org where our goal is to Eradicate Spiritual/Bible study Dead Zones. We are doing this by enabling native language BSF groups in 46 languages to-date and creating Online Leaders meetings that correspond with Saturday mornings in Americas, Africa/Europe, Middle East, Asia and Pacific Islands as well as other times outside traditional BSF leaders meetings.
On January 14, I got to meet with HQ staff and 100 other leaders to talk about Leadership training. Hollie Roberts gathered our ideas for developing a new path for Online Leaders Meetings and I saw the outcome in our week long Leaders Summit June 2-6. I heard Hollie and Tad both share about a 10 fold increase in IT output and applied for volunteer developer role before I left the Summit. Talking with several leaders in the organization I understand the difficult nature of mobilizing 65k lay leaders and supporting them with Training and Technology. I'm a firm believer that information at the right time, inspires confidence and commitment and enables frictionless implementation. There is nothing stopping BSF from being the most accessible Bible study on the planet.
What draws me to this organization is they encourage a full meal of God's Word every day. Not a Bible verse and some reflections but whole chapters, themes and cross references that provide context. The structure is called a "four-fold approach", 1) study independently and with family daily, 2) come together with others to discuss and grow in application, 3) listen to a lay person expand the text via lecture, then 4) read college level commentary. What makes this work is that we come together next week and start with what we learned and applied from the previous week. They model dependence on God by not not asking for resources but prayerfully acknowledging where God is leading, supplying People and Resources to accomplish His purposes.
We have a saying in BSF. It's heart work, not home work. True generosity flows from transformation, not transaction. Scripture calls us to give as stewards, not owners, offering our time, treasure, and talent as acts of worship to the One who owns it all.
Here are 10 questions I expanded on from Christian Leadership Alliance to assess whether my ministry efforts follow God’s Word:
- Example: Are you leading by example as a transformed giver? (Acts 20:35, 2 Corinthians 9:7, 1 Chr 29:3; Luke 6:40)
- Ownership: Do you acknowledge that God owns it all? (1 Chr 29:14), That we were bought with a price more precious than money? (1 Corinthians 6:20, 1 Peter 1:18-19), That we now worship God with our whole lives? (Romans 12:1-4, Galatians 2:20)
- Heart: Are you growing givers’ hearts to be rich toward God? (Luke 12:20-21,Matthew 6:19-21), How much is enough to be confident that the Lord provides? (Matthew 6:25-34, James 5:1-3)
- Perspective: Do you remember this earth is not our home? (Philippians 3:20-21, Hebrews 11:13–16, Hebrews 11:24–27, Hebrews 12:22–24,28)
- Language: Do your words reflect biblical stewardship, not worldly ownership? (Genesis 1:26-28, 1 Peter 4:7-11, Luke 12:48)
- Worship: Is giving framed as an act of worship to God? (Romans 12:1, Galatians 2:20; Phil 4:17)
- Purpose: Do you teach that giving is a tool, test, and testimony? (Luke 16:1-9)
- Faith: Do you trust the Holy Spirit to stir hearts not pressure or persuasion? (1 Chr 29:9; 2 Cor 9:7)
- Unity: Are you cooperating with other ministries, not competing?
- Trust: Do you truly believe God will supply all your needs? (Phil 4:19)
When we align with God’s ways, giving becomes joyful, abundant, and eternal in impact.
The ultimate goal? To reach the day when we say, “Give no more there’s enough!” Exodus 36:6-7 notes when the people were restrained from bringing anymore, “because what they already had was more than enough to do all the work.”
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