
“Encouraging people to grow spiritually through meaningful engagement, loving God and neighbor.”
We at Nativity are called to Love God and Love Neighbor. This is Jesus’ greatest commandment, and his self-sacrificial love serves as a model for our own journeys. Supporting people in finding their own expressions of this love is the core aim of Shared Ministry.
Although each of us has our own unique path, there is richness in doing this in community. When we support one another in this work, we share the ministry of becoming. We come one step closer to reclaiming the Garden, a way of life in which we walk in harmonious relationship with God and neighbor.
The Goals of Shared Ministry:
- Promote a sense of belonging and fulfillment among the Nativity community by expanding our capacity to offer personal invitations to meaningful engagement opportunities and to tell the stories of their impact.
- Foster spiritual growth and mutual thriving by advancing the self-identified, overlapping goals of Nativity, its guests, members, community partners, and neighbors on our collective and individual journeys of loving God and neighbor.
- Cultivate efficient communication of these efforts and streamlining connections through our online ministry platform REALM.
- Bring together a network of Nativity members, guests, and community partners, working in tandem to identify needs and address them through new and existing ministry opportunities.
Why An Invitation to Shared Ministry is a Strategic Priority:
- We believe Shared Ministry is the healthiest way to support a thriving community within and beyond the walls of the church.
- When we all share in ministry, in ways that speak to us personally, we are in the best position to thrive as individuals and as a church with God at the center.
- When Nativity invites everyone to discern and use their spiritual gifts and passions, while affirming all our engagement options that are compelling and appealing to people and their interests, we support people’s spiritual growth through engaging their own callings to Love God and Love Neighbor.
The Anticipated Framework of Implementing Shared Ministry:
- There is currently a Shared Ministry Team made up of staff, clergy, Nativity Council members, and lay leaders who have been looking to implement Shared Ministry at Nativity. They now invite additional staff, Council members, and our Community members to explore this opportunity with them.
- The Shared Ministry Team also shares the opportunity for our community affirm that everything we already do at Nativity is Shared Ministry, from faith formation to worship programming, service opportunities to social justice, and financial giving to prayer offerings.
- In that vein, the Shared Ministry Team has been examining ways to support everyone in identifying where they are on their spiritual journeys, where they are called to next, and what engagement opportunities speak to them. So far, these ways to support everyone in their journey includes spiritual direction style conversations, the possibility of “gifts and passions” workshops, and group spiritual direction. Especially since Nativity has experience with these modalities and can customize these offerings, along with other potential tools and offerings as needed.
Furthermore, the REALM ministry platform offers functionalities that will help us match people to existing ministries, build out new ministries, and additionally refer people to the ministry offerings of our community partners when appropriate. REALM will also allow support Nativity in tracking the collective impact of Shared Ministry while continually enhancing collaboration and communication. Just a note, the congregation will not need to learn how to operate within REALM for us to take advantage of its functionalities.
For next steps, at the annual Staff and Council Strategic Retreat in February 2025, they will construct a visual project roadmap of what they hope to accomplish in 2025. This will include objectives, goals, invitations for others to support this strategic initiative, with other necessary milestones.
Please reach out to Deacon Kyle (Kyle@NativityChurch.Org) for questions, suggestions, comments, and offering of support.