Wayne Schmidt, Author of ‘Ministry Velocity’

By: Mia Anderson

Rev. Dr. Wayne Schmidt
Rev. Dr. Wayne Schmidt

Rev. Dr. Wayne Schmidt has written many books that help churches in terms of ministry, council and leadership. He currently serves as the Vice President of Wesley Seminary in Marion, Indiana. However,

Schmidt has a long history serving in the church. He was the senior pastor at Kentwood Community Church in Grand Rapids, Michigan for 31 years where he watched his congregation grow exponentially and become more culturally and socioeconomically diverse. Schmidt has planted several churches and has learned from his experiences a wealth of knowledge about ministry, leadership and the difficulties that come with accepting the call to serve the Lord through pastoral ministries.

Ministry Velocity is a book that focuses on creating the most momentum possible in the Church regardless of our expectations and schedules, focusing solely on God’s plan. In the foreword to his book, Schmidt writes:

You’ve been there—alone in your office, perhaps tired and frustrated, wondering, Why doesn’t God do something? As leaders in local churches, we often invest ourselves deeply in ministry. We preach, counsel, pray, and lead with great tenacity. Then, too often, we’re disappointed when God doesn’t respond to our efforts in the way we’d hoped. Our ministry results are less spectacular than we’d envisioned. There are more setbacks that we’d ever dreamed. There is progress— but it’s slow. I don’t know a pastor who hasn’t yearned to be more fruitful in ministry. And I know few who haven’t felt disappointed or discouraged when those hoped-for results seemed slow in coming.

To illustrate this point, Schmidt uses the story and example of Joshua with all of his victories, shortcomings and leadership opportunities. “It is natural for churches to go through a time of growth and a time of stagnation,” Schmidt said. He hopes that congregation members, ministry students and pastors will use this book in churches, small groups and Bible studies. If whole congregations are learning about momentum and stagnation in the church, it is possible for the Church to become much more healthy and to flourish.

 

Stop by the Alumni Booth, located at the entrance of the Assembly Hall (Booth #602-04) on Monday, June 6 from 2-4pm to meet Wayne Schmidt and receive a free e-copy of Ministry Velocity.

Written by Mia Anderson, Blog and Social Media Manager, and Writer for the Alumni Office. Mia is a Senior at IWU studying Strategic Communication with her concentration in Public Relations. She will be getting married and moving to Indianapolis after she graduates in December 2016! Mia loves hearing others’ stories and sharing them with the world. Visit her personal website at www.MiaLAnderson.weebly.com.

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