Discipleship and Service

written by Haley King, Children & Family Ministries Coordinator (September 6, 2023)

Discipleship and service should be evident in every Christian’s life. I would even go further and say that these two things are essential in a believer’s life. From the moment you give your life to Jesus, to the moment you meet your Savior face to face, you should be growing and positioning yourself to look and act more like Him. Discipleship is a means to that goal but so is service. You cannot be a true biblical disciple of Christ without being a servant. If we are called to reflect Christ, then we are called to serve. Was that not the example Jesus gave in his earthly ministry? Mark 10:45 makes this clear — “For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” We also should be giving our lives. Maybe not in the same way that Jesus gave his physical life for us, but we should be giving our time and talents to Him by serving and being discipled. 

The title of this blog is discipleship and service, not discipleship or service. If you are not doing both, I would challenge you to reevaluate your goals and motives. I feel blessed to work at a church with a pastoral staff that sees the value of both discipleship and service in a Christian’s life. We feel strongly about offering discipleship opportunities because we understand the earthly and eternal value that it has. Jesus states in John 8:31-32, “If you abide in My word, you are truly My disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” Being a disciple of Christ is abiding in, studying, and saturating yourself in the truth of God’s Word. This is why Coats Baptist goes beyond just offering a Sunday morning worship gathering but provides numerous opportunities for you to be discipled.

Opportunities to serve are no different. The church is always in need of more nursery workers, teachers, musicians, greeters; the list could go on and on. To be transparent, the biggest stress and hurdle of my job as the Children’s Ministry Coordinator is the lack of believers willing to volunteer and serve in the children’s ministry. As a disciple of Christ serving should be on the forefront of our hearts and minds but unfortunately that’s not always the case (myself included). We should all have a desire to serve in our local church because we want to be like Christ in that way.

If you are not currently involved in a discipleship opportunity (outside of the Sunday morning worship gathering) or currently serving in a ministry I encourage you to do so. Prayerfully consider which small group you should be a part of and which ministry you want to serve in. It's not a matter of IF you should be in a small group but which one? It’s not a matter of IF you should serve but where? 

Below you will find a list of some of the discipleship AND service opportunities at Coats Baptist Church. If you don’t see something you’re interested in, please let us know so we can help you find the right spot.

Discipleship Opportunities — Find a group here. 

  • Sunday Morning Worship 9am (currently studying Acts)
  • Sunday Morning Small Groups 10:30am 
  • Sunday Evening Worship 6pm (currently studying Philippians)
  • Small Group Opportunities Throughout the Week | Times Vary 

Wednesday Evening Programs/Bible Studies 6:00pm-8:30pm

  • Children’s Choir (PreK-5th Grade) 6:00pm-6:30pm
  • Truth Trackers (PreK-5th Grade) 6:30pm-7:30pm
  • Youth Group (6th-12th Grade) 6:30pm-8:00pm
  • Adult Discipleship 6:30pm-7:30pm
    • Prayer Meeting & Bible Study with Pastor Jimmy
    • Shaped By The Screen: Christian Considerations in a Digital Age with Pastor Neal Thornton
    • Women’s Bible Study with Stephanie Womick

In addition, if you are interested in being a mentor, or in being mentored, contact Pastor Jimmy for more information.

Service Opportunities —

Children’s Ministry

  • Nursery Worker | Sunday Mornings & Evenings, Wednesday Evenings
  • KIDsermon. Assistant | Sundays 9am 
  • Sunday School Teacher/Sub | Sundays 10:30am
  • Truth Tracker Teacher/Assistant | Wednesday Evenings 6:30pm-7:30pm
  • Children’s Choir Helper | Wednesdays 6pm

Youth 

  • Small Group Leader
  • Sunday school Teacher/Sub 
  • Chaperone/Volunteer

Worship Ministry

  • Worship Band (singer or musician)
  • Worship Choir
  • Tech Booth

Prayer

  • 4:31 Prayer Ministry
    • Sundays at 8:00am in room 404 (the classroom nearest the rear worship center entrance)
    • Tuesdays at noon in the conference room (in the office area)
    • Wednesdays at 6:30pm in room 203 in conjunction with Pastor Jimmy’s Bible Study + Prayer Meeting

Other

  • Welcome Ministry
  • Helping Hands Ministry
  • Safety Ministry
  • Benevolence / Hope Ministry
  • Social Ministry
  • Bereavement Ministry
  • Senior Adult Ministry

In addition, if you are interested in being a mentor, or in being mentored, contact Pastor Jimmy for more information.

You can find more information on these discipleship and service opportunities at our website! If you have any questions, please reach out to me or one of our pastors. You can find our contact information here. 

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