Ministry Opportunities For 59 Year Olds

What a great way to start this day…

*Well, it’s not really the “start” of my day. The start of my day was (per usual) wrangling two small children, bundling them in layers and layers of winter clothes, and driving them up to daycare (while singing our ABC’s at the top of our voices).

But once that was all sorted, I settled in in front of my laptop, opened my web stats site (I use GetClicky.com because it shows real time stats) and saw that I someone found Kingdom Strategist by searching Google for:

“ministry opportunities for 59 year olds”

Let it sink in for a minute… ministry opportunities for 59 year olds, how awesome is that?

I’m not talking about the fact that my blog is some what relevant to that search (but I’m glad that it is).

I’m talking about the fact that someone, somewhere is searching for that in the first place! It means that there is a (presumed) 59 year old somewhere who is feeling God’s call to ministry and they are actively looking for opportunities. That makes me smile.

It also brings a few things to mind.

First, why did they find my web site?

If you search for “ministry opportunities for 59 year olds” on Google, you’ll see that most the results are career-related, seeking to help people in this age demographic in their job search. Kingdom Strategist shows up because of one of my posts sharing my Business as Mission research. The specific article looks at the demographic make up of the Business as Mission movement and actually includes the specific phrases “59 year old“, “ministry” and “opportunity” (though not in sequence).

So, it was accidental yet not entirely erroneous that Kingdom Strategist would show up. Business as Mission is a ministry opportunity for 59 year olds. It’s also a ministry opportunity for 63 year olds, 41 year olds, 33 year olds, and 25 year olds. But of all the ministry opportunities out there, Business as Mission is better suited for people in their 50′s and 60′s because Business as Mission leverages an individual’s knowledge, experience, professional network, and net worth… so generally, the older you are, the more of these you have to draw from.

What are the ministry opportunities in Business as Mission?

This particular visitor did spend a good bit of time looking through my site, I hope I inspired some ideas for ministry opportunities. But I want to make sure that I help people to get started in Business as Mission (if that’s where God is calling them).

If you have a business background and are looking to become more involved in advancing God’s kingdom, Business as Mission might be a good fit. Here are some great resources for you to learn more about Business as Mission:

Websites:

• Business as Mission Network
• Business as Mission LinkedIn group
• YWAM Business as Mission resources
• Faith Venture Forum

Books: (affiliate links)

• “God Is at Work: Transforming People and Nations Through Business” by Ken Eldred
• “Business As Mission: A Comprehensive Guide to Theory and Practice” by Neal Johnson
• “Great Commission Companies: The Emerging Role of Business in Missions” by Steve Rundle and Tom Steffen

And of course, I recommend Kingdom Strategist for strategic and practical Business as Mission resources. I also provide Business as Mission consulting services and would be happy to work with you as you get started in Business as Mission. I specialize in market and opportunity assessment, business planning and strategy development, and Business as Mission strategic advisory.

Second, churches, ministries, and missions organizations are missing a HUGE opportunity to connect, care for, and mobilize inspired Christians.

Like it or not (pastors), studies show that search engines are the first place people turn when they need answers or advice (link opens PDF report). The Church needs to recognize this and make sure that they are represented (through search engine optimization) in the search results.

Now I know that churches, ministries, and missions organizations have a hard enough time accomplishing their core objectives, especially given the hardship that the current economic climate creates. Who has the time or the budget to learn about, set up and manage a comprehensive web effort?

That is why I am working with Monk Development to develop strategic web solutions specifically for churches and ministries that:

• are built upon years of experience, thought leadership, and proprietary research;
• that support and strengthen kingdom advancement (while discouraging the negative influence of Internet usage to spiritual growth);
• and that fit constrained budgets.

Sounds like a tall order, right? Let’s just say it hasn’t been easy… but worthwhile ventures seldom are.

If you are a part of church, ministry, or mission organization, I encourage you to check out the following resources:

Solutions:

• Monk Development (www.monkdevelopment.com)
• Ekklesia 360 (www.ekklesia360.com) – Complete web solution for churches.
• Cause 360 (www.cause360.com) – Complete web solution for non-profit organizations.
• Church Web Optimizer (www.churchweboptimizer.com) – Church Web Optimizer is a powerful combination of core services such as: Search Engine Optimization, website content strategies, local search listings, audience research, website analytics and online strategy consultation; designed specifically to help churches in advancing the Gospel.

Resources:

• Church Website Guide (www.churchwebsiteguide.com) – Church Website Guide is an initiative created by Monk Development to evaluate, study and educate churches on how best to use the Internet to further the gospel. We see it as proper stewardship as thousands of churches use our church website content management system.
• Church Tech Review (www.churchtechreview.com) – Church Technology Review is a website for churches and technology enthusiasts to find the latest technology solutions for Christians. Find out the newest Church Web 2.0 companies or read reviews of church-focused technology prior to selection.
• The State of Ministry Online (www.stateofministryonline.org) – State of Ministry Online is a collection of studies, surveys and research to benefit how ministries do ministry online.
• The State of the Church Online – (in development) – State of the Church Online is a collection of studies, surveys and research to benefit how churches can be the church online.
• Goodmanson.com (www.goodmanson.com) – Church and church technology thought leadership from Drew Goodmanson.

And, of course, if you would like to discuss any of the things I’ve talked about here, I’d love to connect with you. Feel free to leave me a comment below, letting me know a little bit about yourself and your interest and indicating the best way to get in touch with you. (This offer is open to people of all ages… not just 59 year olds.)