Let us help you take the Next Step!
What is “Next Step” Ministry?
“I have dedicated myself to the Lord’s Great Commission. Now what should I do?”
Ambassador for Christ’s ”Next Step” Ministry is designed to help you understand better the meaning of calling, and assist you in the growing of spirituality, knowledge, and experience, before your stepping into ministry.
Immediately after the assembly speakers call for personal dedication, our Next Step Ministry staff will host a follow-up meeting for those who sense God’s calling at the side of the auditorium. The follow-up meeting will orient you to the preparation of your next step, and help you make the counseling appointment.
By the means of one-on-one counseling, you will converse and pray with an experienced pastor, mission staff, or missionary. They will give you concrete advices based on AFC’s guideline and ministerial experiences. You may also come directly to our service counter for making the appointment. Each counseling session is for 30 minutes.
After the convention, our staff will continue following up with the dedicators. In August of 2011, we will host the “Next Step” Retreat. We hope to see you there again!
Please attend to our “Big Foot” logo. Let us help you step into your next step. May the Lord make it for you a journey of His glory. You are welcome to visit the Next Step Ministry’s service counter anytime during the convention for more information.
For more questions about our Next Step Ministry, please send email to cmcnextstep@gmail.com (USA) or cmcnextstep.uk@gmail.com (Europe).
Provides guidance to those seeking counsel on full-time or tentmaking Christian service
• Take Your Next Step into Ministry
Take Your Next Step into Ministry helps a person prepare a person for ministry whether he just sensed a call from God or he has already started his preparation. Careful questions lead the reader to properly evaluate one’s preparations in four areas: Experience, spiritual development, training and relationships. (16 pages)
English: web - pdf | 中文: pdf
• Your Basic Next Step Plan Video
Your Next Step Basics Training Video provides advice for a person seeking full-time Christian ministry whether it be the pastorate, missions or tentmaking. Five areas are discussed: exploration, preparation, decisions, training, implementation.
Video or audio (mp3) | 中文: video - audio (mp3)
• Charting Your Steps into Service
This timeline enables the NextStepper to chart the means by which God is both calling and training him. The chart not only provides an overview of one’s past but also to identify what areas of training are yet needed. A sample page is included. (2 pages)
English: pdf - web | 中文: pdf
• Plan of Action
The NextStepper can use this chart to clearly work out what next steps God might have for his or her life. One’s success depends on how much the NextStepper is able to integrate the various insights gained during the conference into his or her own life planning. A sample sheet is provided. (2 pages) English: pdf | Chinese: pdf
• Dispel the Misconceptions of The Missionary
Dispel the Misconceptions of The Missionary clarifies common misconceptions of missions especially related to the kinds of missionaries needed. Special emphasis is given regarding tentmaking missions. (3 pages)
English: pdf
• Get There From Here
Get There From Here highlights twelve steps to take to become a full-time missionary such as a church planter reaching the unreached. (3 pages)
English: pdf
• Waiting for Ministry
Waiting for Ministry explains how one group of people, so eager to get into ministry, are not able. They have worked through many issues to reach this point, but certain things hold them back. They are ready, but for some reason, incomprehensible to them, they cannot move ahead. God doesn’t seem ready! (6 pages)
English: pdf | Web
Testimonies
A Call to Serve in East Asia
A missionary explains how God called him to East Asia, shares about his ministry work and gives special advice on how to hear God’s call. (3 pages)
English: pdf
Next Step Counselor & Mentor Resources
Tools to effectively guide those seeking counsel on full-time or tentmaking Christian service
• Next Step Counselor Training Manual
The Next Step Counselor Training Manual provides an eight-page summary on how to counsel those seeking full-time service at a mission conference. Each counselee fits into one of three stages and according to his or her unique situation and calling, the counselor provides insights and suggestions for the counselee’s next step. (8 pages)
English: web - pdf | 中文: pdf
Video Instruction 1/2 - Three Levels of Training Video | mp3
Video Instruction 2/2 - One’s Calling and Next Step Video | mp3
• Train Up New Leaders for Ministry
Train Up New Leaders for Ministry provides a basic and specific plan to get a church leader to counsel a 'called' person into ministry. Why wait for seminary to train a person? They cannot provide the training God wants to provide them through you. Start now! This article shows how to mentor these highly motivated individuals in the context of your church. (14 pages)
English: web - pdf | 中文: pdf
• Charting Your Steps into Service
The counselor uses this timeline to chart the means by which God is both calling and training an individual. The chart provides an excellent opportunity to map out how God is calling an individual and helps identify what areas of training are needed. A sample page is included. (2 pages)
English: pdf - web | 中文: pdf
• Plan of Action
The counselor hands this sheet to the NextStepper at the end of the interview to encourage him or her to more clearly work out what God might have for his or her life. One’s success depends on how much the NextStepper is able to integrate the various insights gained during the conference and interview into his or her own life planning. A sample sheet is provided. (2 pages)
English: pdf | Chinese: pdf
• Take Your Next Step into Ministry
Take Your Next Step into Ministry helps a person prepare a person for ministry, whether he just sensed a call from God or has already started his preparations. Careful questions lead the reader to properly evaluate one’s preparations in four areas: Experience, spiritual development, training and relationships. (23 pages)
English: web - pdf | 中文: pdf
• Commitment Card
The commitment card is used near the end of the personal interview to help the NextStepper to make a commitment according to how God might be guiding him or her. Two copies are provided. One becomes the NextSteppers, one for the NextStep Team. (1p)
English: pdf | 中文: pdf
• NextStep Large Group Training Curriculum
What does the pastor or elder do who finds that several people have become NextSteppers in their church? Our church has been having this good problem for a number of years. The training curriculum simply tells you what we have done and gives you plenty of resources to implement a followup program with much less effort! Basically it shares how to lead a small (or perhaps not so small) group of NextSteppers through the year.
English: pdf
• The Flow: An Explanation
Many pastors are afraid of mentoring or training. No need to be! We have provided an overview of the training process that God wants to be occurring in the church. So even when someone is interested in full-time service, you need not panic. Instead discover where they are going and how far they have come. Work with them to design a simple plan to get there. The process called The Flow is quite easy to understand and examples are given on how to implement it.
English: pdf | 中文: pdf
Mission Conference Follow-Up Program Resources
• NextStep Follow-up Plan
Many pastors are afraid of mentoring or training. No need to be! We have provided an overview of the training process that God wants to be occurring in the church. So even when someone is interested in full-time service, you need not panic. Instead discover where they are going and how far they have come. Work with them to design a simple plan to get there. The process called The Flow is quite easy to understand and examples are given on how to implement it.
English: pdf
• Sign-up Counselor Card
This is a card for those at a table who are arranging personal interview appointments for the NextSteppers. This is placed here as a future resource.The three levels are indicated here.
English: pdf
NextStep Team
Hugo Cheng
Pastor Hugo Cheng himself is a live testimony of how God called him from a founder of computer graphic company to a full-time servant of lord. He is serving Pittsburgh Chinese Church Oakland as a full-time Pastor. He has 5 children with wife Heather. You can reach him via email him at hugocheng@verizon.net
Paul Bucknell
Rev. Paul Bucknell served in Taiwan during the 80s as a church planter and pastored at the Pittsburgh Chinese Church during the 90s. He now serves full-time as founder and President of Biblical Foundations for Freedom, an internet based training ministry. He and his wife Linda have 8 children. You can read more on his website or email him at pbucknell@foundationsforfreedom.net
Join the Next Step Facebook group!