The Value of the Goal Check In

Ever make a goal and forget about it or slowly stop chasing after it?  That usually means one of 2 things:

1.  You never captured the goal in writing.

2.  You never communicated it to someone that could hold you accountable.

These are 2 obvious keys to measuring the success of a goal yet poorly practiced.  

This week I will begin checking in with the staff on the goals they set at the beginning of the ministry year separate from their team goals.  It is such an honor to check in with these God-gifted and talented people.  I have such affection for each of these hard working individuals and I love discussing their goals with them, especially when it is an area I have no gifting in.  I am humbled to help lead people who are more talented than me.  

This year we each have a goal in the following 4 areas:

• One to represent a goal with the teams you work with.  Either how you are developing, progressing or leading them.
• One to represent a goal among the staff and your relationships with them.
• One to represent a goal with the specific ministry you lead.  This can include events, weekly initiatives, culture, etc
• One to represent a goal with a leadership attribute you recognize needing your focus and attention

The Church is not perfect; neither are we

"and that's the amazing thing about grace.  Regardless of how we struggle or how we fall, regardless of how many people are affected by our actions, God is a God of healing.  God is a God of restoration and life."  - Anne Jackson

The Church isn't perfect; neither is Grace; neither are you.  Yet some Non-Christians (and Christians) hold us (or each other) to that standard and chastise us when we [the church] fail.  On the flip and more importantly, some Christians need to stop acting like the picture of perfection while positioning themselves as anointed judges for those outside the church while critiquing every move of those leading the church. One of the most beautiful creations God has given us is the Body of Christ; His Church.  Isn't it unbelievable how much we can fail others, yet how beautifully God builds his Church with all of us that fail each other? I think He wants to see our responses each other as we fail and to understand how He responds to our failures everyday in the most beautiful and humbling way. As a human, man - I find this difficult as I am sure you do to. 

If we say we have no sin, we are only fooling ourselves 1 John 1:8

There are really 2 groups here:  those of us who have accepted the love of Christ, the gift of salvation and the most undeserving blessing of grace and those who haven't.  I hold those who have accepted His grace to a higher standard of responding to failure than those who haven't. 

I am humbled every morning to wake up an imperfect father/husband/leader/child of Christ to help lead a group of imperfect people who help lead a group of imperfect people to serve and worship God in a way that is honorable to Him, not ourselves or others.  And all of this is under the umbrella of grace, love, mercy and forgiveness granted us through the death and resurrection of Christ.



The Church has led poorly in the past and will again.  We lean on our own understanding too much and we are a group of people struggling with sin. We have made some bad decisions in the past year and we will make bad decisions again.  We will fall and we will fail in our pursuit of Jesus.  None of that changes the beauty of what God designed the church to be.  Its not a good enough of a reason for some of us to bounce around from church to church.  And it's disheartening to know when some of us act the way we act it invites hypocrisy statements from those outside the church. 
 
It also means that if God accepts me in the imperfections I struggle with, He also accepts others and the imperfections they struggle with; so should I; so should we. 

So let all imperfect people accept the gift of grace and mercy and pursue Jesus together with a passion from us that only He deserves!  That is a beautiful picture of the Body of Christ!

We will fail each other at times, but our Lord never does - "It is better to trust in the Lord, than to put confidence in man." - Psalm 118:8

Disciplining My Wayward Nature

We live in a world that is ME-focused and far too often I find myself falling into the trap of inconsistent practicing of some spiritual disciplines. 

Thanks to some books I have recently read including The Next Christians, by Gabe Lyons I was reminded of the following disciplines.  As I began to rank them as to what was my weakest vs best practiced discipline I began to realize how difficult it was to label my "best practiced" discipline.  That was disappointing for me because I know in my heart that consistent practicing of these restores me from my wayward tendencies.

1. Immersed in Scripture (instead of entertainment) - TV, Talk radio, NPR, Facebook, music, film, Internet, iPhone games, video games, social activities, etc
2. Observing the Sabbath (instead of being productive) - Ignoring yesterday and tomorrow to be present in the moment. Disengage from a highly productive culture so God can restore us.
3. Fasting for simplicity (instead of consuming) - Discomfort from not having to give us a more thoughtful way of living that gives others a glimpse of what restoration is all about.
4. Choosing Embodiment (instead of being divided) - "Less is more" concept in giving others our attention.  Mastering the practice of being fully present in your relationships, meetings, one on one conversations and community. 
5. Postured by Prayer (instead of Power) - Prayer by its very nature settles the soul in a me centered world.  Reminds us that we are not in control and that we are not the ones responsible to "make it happen".  

I think we all recognize the importance of these practices.  We(I) need to rank how we are doing with these on a regular basis so was can be on the front edge of living to be the most appropriate examples of restoration.

E.T. phone home

Text, Twitter, Facebook, Chat......With the latest and greatest forms of communication, have we lost the art of when it's appropriate to just make the call?

God has really been pushing me in this area. Because people matter (Thanks Mark), we need to meet them where they are at during specific times. Certain things just require a phone call and nothing else (other than in person). I have leaned too far away from phone calls and need to move back.  Phone calls mean more to people in certain situations and you will get the best response when asking something of someone.

In you ministry, business, family:

• What times/issues do you need to be more sensitive to making a phone call and not send an email?
• Who on your team needs your attention this week over the phone?
• Who in your congregation or organization needs to hear from you in a different form than text?

So don't make the phone an alien form of communication.  Remind yourself to make some phone calls each week even if it may take more time.

Now, if you get a voice mail and they never call you back, that's another conversation ;-)

Let's Talk About Sex, Baby - no really let's talk.

Sunday night our youth at Grace had an interesting night to have discussions about sex, how its affects them and compare what the world tells them about it vs. what God's word says about it. 

After getting input and feedback from Kristin, our Youth Director about the night, I am still dumbfounded by what was was most shocking part of the night.

It wasn't that they asked questions about if homosexuality is a sin and how to act towards others, it wasn't that they had questions about masturbation, it wasn't that they had questions about addictions to sex; none of that, although those questions were asked.
Instead, the most shocking learning from the night was that MOST of them have not had any conversations with their parents about the subject of SEX.  What?!?

I'm not an expert in parenting as I only have 2 children under 7, but I know I need to have the tough, uncomfortable, the awkward conversations with my child or teen before they hear it on the playground, the lunch room, the Internet or at their friends house.  We have already begun this at our boys early age and I probably need to get better as well.  It is also not the church's job to completely do this "dirty work" for you.  It is our job to partner with you in this and help resource and equip you to have these conversations.

The Family Team at Grace is here to partner and equip you in this.  If you are looking for resources or want to have a conversation about this and how to talk about this at different age levels, please contact Larry Shallenberger or any of our other Family Team members. 

But by all means, talk to your children and teens about SEX or someone else will and you may find yourself talking after the fact instead of proactively.  Its a conversation not a "get it out of the way" moment.

One Day Staff Retreat

What is happening on staff at Grace you ask? Last Thursday, the staff had our one day spring retreat. It is great to get around this team and talk:

Vision: Heard from Derek on what God has been laying on his heart for the future at Grace. We talked about what excites us, what scares us, what isn't clear, what's missing and how vision guides us. We looked at Acts 20-21 and had each staff member pare down 2-3 measurable vision statements for their department that they could not be dissuaded from.

Remember, vision leaks so fill the buckets often~

Momentum Gaining and sustaining it. Sometimes coming out of a momentum filled time (like launching another campus) its easy to fall back into cruise mode. But it is key to continue to sustain momentum when working with the hearts of people in the community. We looked at Exodus 18:17-26 and the importance of having the right leaders around you to accomplish your vision for momentum on your teams, in your ministry area and how are you developing them.

Remember, If you don't learn to lead under, you probably won't have as many opportunities to lead over. (wish I could remember who said this)

Systems, Processes and TEAM'S We watched Stanley's talk on Liberating your Organization. This isn't about creating systems for people to pursue a relationship with Christ better. It's about having a quality foundation for your teams to lead and for ministry to happen effectively. Its about systems that free you and not restrict you as a leader so the day to day can be efficient and time can be spent walking with others as God changes their hearts.  Ultimately, there are so many other factors that come into this at the global church level involving hearts and the Holy Spirit.

Remember, its the staff's job to create the right environment for "things" to happen., but God still is the one moving the hearts.

So it was an awesome day, God wins every time.

The Round Up - Balancing Efficiency & Trust in Ministry Staff/Volunteers

Here is the round up of a blog series where I explored the balance of getting efficiency out of those leading in ministry, pushing them (and myself) to high standards, holding them to a firm/fair/consistent working environment; while having heaps of trust in the amazing people I lead with who have skills and talents I will never have or understand - and watching them flourish into what they do so well into the gifts He has blessed them with.

As we passed another Easter season and I was brought to reflection, adoration, worship and love (as were many others) because of so many God-gifted staff members and volunteers at our different campuses, I was reminded of 2 things:

1.  I am led to this because others worship God well by serving Him within the gifts He has gifted them with.

2.  The art of balancing efficiency and trust in staff and volunteers so that God is honored is an art that needs practiced well.

Here is the round up - Click on any link to go to that post.

Balancing Efficiency & Trust in Ministry Staff/Volunteers Intro

 

#1 - Care for the people who care for the people. (2 of 5)

 

#2 - Drive the people that drive the people (3 of 5)

 

#3 - Serve the People that Serve the People (4 of 5)

 

#4 - Trust - is it achievable? (5 of 5)

The Round Up - Grace Staff Teams/Volunteers

So here is the round up of the new ministry teams at Grace Church.  These are not our only teams, but for now our 5 main ones.

We

• Have been blessed not only with hundreds of people who volunteer their time to serve God well in their gifts, but we have over 30 (almost 40) people in these key roles on these teams.  My highlighting of these teams does not take away from the amazing commitment from everyone who makes the church the church.
• Are blessed and humbled by the fact that most of the over 400 volunteers spend their time being Christ outside the walls, not here at Grace.  Which, quite frankly is what matters and what we are here for other than discipleship.
• Have so many sub teams that complement each of the champions in each of these ministry areas
• Have central staff that has their hands in every team and campus to help support and lead in any way needed.
• Have support staff and volunteers as well.

Staffing Structures and Team Updates (part 1 of 5)
Weekend/Creative Team Update (part 2 of 5)
Operations / Stewardship Team Update (part 3 of 5)
Family Team Update (part 4 of 5)
Next Steps/Elder Team Updates (part 5 of 5)

I love being a part of a church that worships God not only by loving Him, but by serving Him through serving others. THANK YOU TO ALL THE PEOPLE WHO MAKE THIS MINISTRY HAPPEN!

Grace Church Staff Updates - Next Steps/Elder Team Updates (part 5 of 5)

(Part 5 of Grace Church Staffing Structure Update)

Finally we look at our last teams:

Next Steps Team
WHO? – Live Champion, Invest Champion, Volunteer Champion, Equip Champion, Communication Strategist, Coaching Director and Care/Support Champion. Each champion has sub teams.

WHAT? – Every faith journey is different and there is no such thing as assembly-line spirituality. God is a hand-crafter, not a mass-producer. We do believe that, no matter where you are on your journey, there is always a spiritual next step to take. Part of that responsibility is with the church, through programs, classes and events. The other part is up to you. Think of it this way: "You can do it. We can help." One of the ways that we can help is through "L.I.V.E.", which are four common characteristics of growing disciples:

* LIVE in community * INVEST in others * VOLUNTEER your time * EQUIP yourself

CURRENT GOALS –
• Create compelling growth environments
• Personalize – people over programs
• Tracking
• Synergize
• Develop sub-teams
• Communicate Next Steps options

We want to do everything we can to meet people where THEY are, not where we are. And in doing so help them find their way on their walk through coaching, care/support and these 4 values of a Christ-filled heart.

Lastly we have one of our most important teams. The Elder Team under the direction of our Senior Pastor, Derek Sanford. This team has huge responsibilities in the vision of Grace, the care for the people of Grace and prayer and watch over this biblical community.

What Multisite Churches can learn from McDonalds

Pink's Travel Tips -- Tip #11 from Daniel Pink on Vimeo.

McDonald's reminds us (those doing multi-site churches)a little bit about the importance of knowing the environment you are going in to. Innovation becomes key to knowing what is a constant between your sites/campuses and what is site specific.

In the video, did McDonald's change the product or environment in some locations because of their values?

Where are you serving the Big Mac where you should be serving soup?

Grace Church Staff Updates - Family Team Update (part 4 of 5)

(Part 4 of Grace Church staffing structure update)

Here is an overview of our team that has experienced the biggest “makeover”

Our Family Team:

This team has really had the most adversity to overcome as they are all in new roles and ¾ of the team are new to our staff.  To put it bluntly, we unintentionally allowed our growth after the move to draw our attention to reaction to growth as opposed to being proactive with the overall vision of certain teams like the family ministry team.  

We have been very much feeling the need to connect our children’s, youth and post high school ministries by more than being in the same building.  It’s all FAMILY.  When kids move from 5^th to 6^th, they are not going from GraceKids to GraceYouth (although you are technically); instead we want them to feel they are just transitioning in the family ministry.    We want everyone to understand and fully live out their family role in their immediate context.  So at the same time we are equipping students, we also want to celebrate life moments (baby dedications, bible presentations, salvation/baptism, purity, etc.) and equip/partner with parents to help them lead well in their unique family and parenting situation.  All this well raising up the importance of discipleship in every role.  Students will begin to make their faith their own as we are here to help them grow.  Post high school, we will connect them to the church in accordance with their specific situation. (ie. young married, singles, college ministry, professional, etc)

WHO? – Children’s Director, Youth Director, Young Adults and Family Equipping Pastor

WHAT? – To connect ministries and create a culture where spiritual growth is consistently transferring from Sunday mornings to the “living room” Monday through Saturday - where parents and leaders feel a partner mentality and all members of the family are chasing after Jesus.  Keeping children and youth more involved in the services (i.e. testimonies, children’s choir)

CURRENT GOALS –

·         Equip each generation to live out the mission of Jesus in their immediate context.

·         Compelling aspects of the services

·         Celebrate with families when appropriate.

This team is ready for the challenge and are more than qualified for it.  SO PROUD OF THEM.

Grace Church Staff Updates - Operations / Stewardship Team Update (part 3 of 5)

(Part 3 of our Grace Church Staffing Structure Update)

Next we move on to our Operations/Stewardship Team:

WHO? - Operations/Administrator, Stewardship Director and Campus Operations Director

WHAT? – Create an atmosphere of warmth and personal welcome, providing a “safe” environment for people to take their next step toward Christ without any distractions from the car to the seat.  They will achieve this through teaching and practicing good stewardship, utilizing volunteers to care for people and facility need and s reacting to any budget and growth changes. 

CURRENT GOALS –

·         Fully resource the mission of Grace while removing distractions between people and the Gospel

·         Meet the Budget – Not spend more than we have brought in while still enabling ministry to meet objectives

·         Develop volunteer teams to passionately maintain distraction free environments

This team is key to creating a culture and awareness of things we sometimes don’t like to talk about ($$) and things most don’t pay attention to unless they are in disorder.  Love the heart of this team.

Grace Church Staff Updates - Weekend/Creative Team Update (part 2 of 5)

(part 2 of Grace Church Staffing Structure Update)

As part of our transition, we also made a concerted effort to flatten the staff/ministry structure to allow for a team environment and prepare for future growth.   This will take some time for the staff to completely adjust to, but we have had positive success so far.

Here is an overview of our Weekend/Creative Team at Grace Church:

WHO?- Worship Pastor / Leaders, Tech Director, Communications Director, Senior Pastor, Guest Experience Champion, Creative Video Director

WHAT? – To create a spiritually charged worship environment where people are compelled to attend, inspired to fully participate and motivated to bring others.

This team has the incredible honor of creating a distraction free environment to lead themselves and others to a moment of corporate worship.  This is more than music though; this is through the sermon, the guest experience, any communication, creative videos, involvement from others in the congregation, etc. 

CURRENT GOALS –

·         Open Source services with life stories, congregational involvement, etc.

·         Compelling aspects of the services

·         Reaching non-believers while remaining gospel centered

Looking forward to the innovation this team has brought us and will continue to in the future.

Next we will talk Family Ministry Team

Grace Church Staff Updates- Staffing Structures and Team Updates (part 1 of 5)

Wanted to repost this update from last fall for Grace Church members / attenders.  My next few posts will be breaking down what each team mentioned below will be tackling at Grace.  So excited about what is happening!


(previously posted 10.11.2010 "Thats Not My Job, its Ours...")

Recently at Grace Church we experienced a rather unique transition of leadership at the top. Our Senior Pastor, Al Detter felt called to step aside and hand over the vision and direction to our Executive Pastor, Derek Sanford. What’s unique is that as Derek became the Senior Pastor, Al is remaining on staff in a Care and Support/Campus Pastor role. For more on Al’s decision and this rare story, go here and here.

As a result of this transition, my job and our staff structure has changed. We have moved to a mostly flat staff structure compiled of ministry teams with like-minded individuals. The teams we currently have in place are:

Weekend/Creative Team - To create a spiritually charged worship environment where people are compelled to attend, inspired to fully participate and motivated to bring others.

Family Ministry Team - Stir up a spiritual fervor across generations so that each member of the family is passionate about knowing, loving and serving God.

Next Steps Team - Grace exists to make more and be better followers of Christ. This team will help take us and you there.

Operations/Stewardship - To fully resource the mission of the Gospel while removing distractions between people and the gospel.

Invest/Influence - The outreach events, mission fields, culture channels, workplace ministry, ServErie and other community outpouring where we use the example of Christ’s Love towards others.

Care and Support - Health, healing and support for our congregation through the “gifts of the Spirit” and the “love of the brethren”

As Derek intends to stay involved with our staff in the areas of vision casting, ministry planning, and evaluation, I have stepped in to help with that as well as manage the day to day decisions and ministry implementation. Along with the team changes, we implemented an up and coming concept in organizations and ministries across the nation which eliminates job titles. Apart from the clarity that job titles provide, they can also be a barrier for those who have them and for those trying to communicate with those who have them.

All that customers, congregation members and guests care about is; who do I go to for what, where can I get ________ information and how do I get an answer to my question. At Grace, we have struggled with providing an easy road map to navigate the staff and not feel distant while getting the answers and resources needed. The intention has never been, “oh that’s _____ ‘s job”, but that is often how it has been perceived. Danielle Hartland has spearheaded the effort to change that by removing the titles from our communications and replacing it with ‘what we can help you with’ and we are making a concerted effort to connect people to the appropriate staff and not direct people. 

We are so excited about these two initiatives! Here is the list:

How do you feel about this? What does your organization or ministry implement to remove these barriers?

MLK: A time comes when silence is betrayal

I wish I could have a long lunch with Martin Luther King Jr .  I have been so fascinated by him lately as I have been listening to and reading a selection of his sermons. 

 

I listened to this one; Beyond Vietnam -- A Time to Break Silence - last night and was just blown away.  You can listen to or read it HERE (don't make the mistake of not listening to it). This man has proven time and time again to be an amazing example of Christians who respond to social justice, need for peace and love for those without hope.  

So today I ask:

• Where can you be a light to ones without voice today?
• In what social areas has the "Church's" silence turned to betrayal of an issue?  
• In what areas has the "Church" been wrongly speaking out of, if any?

He ends it so well with these suggestions:

"If we continue, there will be no doubt in my mind and in the mind of the world that we have no honorable intentions in Vietnam. If we do not stop our war against the people of Vietnam immediately, the world will be left with no other alternative than to see this as some horrible, clumsy, and deadly game we have decided to play. The world now demands a maturity of America that we may not be able to achieve. It demands that we admit that we have been wrong from the beginning of our adventure in Vietnam, that we have been detrimental to the life of the Vietnamese people. The situation is one in which we must be ready to turn sharply from our present ways. In order to atone for our sins and errors in Vietnam, we should take the initiative in bringing a halt to this tragic war.

I would like to suggest five concrete things that our government should do [immediately] to begin the long and difficult process of extricating ourselves from this nightmarish conflict:

Number one: End all bombing in North and South Vietnam.

Number two: Declare a unilateral cease-fire in the hope that such action will create the atmosphere for negotiation.

Three: Take immediate steps to prevent other battlegrounds in Southeast Asia by curtailing our military buildup in Thailand and our interference in Laos.

Four: Realistically accept the fact that the National Liberation Front has substantial support in South Vietnam and must thereby play a role in any meaningful negotiations and any future Vietnam government.

Five: Set a date that we will remove all foreign troops from Vietnam in accordance with the 1954 Geneva Agreement."

Balancing Efficiency & Trust in Ministry Staff/Volunteers (Part 5 of 5)

#4 Trust - is it achievable?

a : assured reliance on the character, ability, strength, or truth of someone or something b : one in which confidence is placed 

 To gain it from those you lead you must:

• Be fair, firm and consistent
• Treat you leaders as equal partners
• Provide Clarity
• Serve them, resource them and champion the great ideas
• Be an example of Integrity
• Be honest, transparent and open
• As difficult as it is, don't slander leaders to other leaders (especially when leader need to talk to you about a concern with another)
• Be wise in what you promise; no matter what, you need to fulfill them

To have trust in your leaders

• CELEBRATE SUCCESSES
• HAVE THE HARD CONVERSATIONS - Don't let questions about something fester in your head.  Go seek clarity.  When you don't do this out of fear of offending, your "questions" turn to distrust.
• UNDERSTAND THEIR REASONING - Learn how they make decisions, why they make them and what are their top priorities.
• HAVE THE RIGHT PEOPLE ON BOARD - As hard as this seems, if you can not get to a point where you can trust, you need to remove them from the team.  Of course, you need to have taken all of the healthy steps with that person to remove the distrust.  Your ministry, vision and mission will never succeed when you have leaders you do not trust on your team.

Andy Stanley refers to leadership as a stewardship. Most of the initiative is on you both to gain trust from those you lead and to have it in those you lead.  It falls on you.

Balancing Efficiency & Trust in Ministry Staff/Volunteers (Part 4 of 5)

#3 - Serve the People that Serve the People

To lead means to be servant of all , and a servant does not look to influence but to put the needs of others first and to care for those needs.......by seeking others needs above your own you draft a new leadership arc. ~ Tim Willard

43But it shall not be so among you. But whoever would be great among you must be your servant, 44 and whoever would be first among you must be slave of all. 45 For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many. Mark 10:43-45
 
Some of you may feel I already covered this with the "Care for the People" post, but I feel these are similar yet separate philosophies.  Can you serve without care?  Can you care yet not serve? All throughout the Gospels we find many examples of Christ serving others from washing feet while on His knees to carrying the burden of our sin by His grace on the cross.

The worlds view is to gain influence through wealth, power and crushing the competition.  Christ was able to gain influence over prostitutes, liars, the lonely, the heartbroken, the poor, the evil, the rich, thieves by serving, simply and humbly, serving them.  Putting their needs first.  If we want others to follow, we must earn the right to influence them - RARELY will this happen without putting the needs of those you lead first and being a humble servant to them.

• This has to be genuine, those you lead can read through insincerity.
• While being a servant to your team, don't neglect your own duties (find balance), as that would also lead to not serving your team well. :-)
• Admittedly, this is probably one of my areas needing most improvement when compared to the example of Christ.  I was not that good at this outside of ministry, so how can I expect to do it well in ministry without serious attention, consistency and a genuine heart.

Balancing Efficiency & Trust in Ministry Staff/Volunteers (Part 3 of 5)

#2 – Drive the people that drive the people

We have all heard the phrase, Work Smarter; not Harder.  I still have not figured out how I completely feel about that statement, yet I have used it before – even on myself.  I just don’t know if it is 100% accurate.  Maybe, but with a few riders added on:

1.       Hard work still required -   Sometimes you just need to belly up and work hard.  Can I get an AMEN?

2.       Everyone needs led well - Most people that answer the call to ministry are motivated by their calling.  Often times, an unproductive worker isn’t lazy – they just need to know exactly what you want done.  Everyone wants to know their expectations and hear them evaluated.  Just giving someone a yearly raise not only wastes their time and yours, in the long run is a short term high for motivation that barely lasts after its reflection in the first paycheck.

3.       The Jesus Model - He is the perfect example (no pun intended – who am I kidding, yes it was) of the keys to working smarter.   

a.       Build Teams – Jesus knew that He couldn’t do ministry alone.  That is why he found the right group of imperfect people to team with.  He didn’t try to do everything himself.  Quite often, He pulled greatness out of them that they didn’t know they had.  Are you doing that with your teams?

b.      Pray for guidance, wisdom - Before Jesus chose the 12 disciples he spent an entire night in prayer and surely had spent a long time processing through it before that.

c.       Relationship – He built a relationship with them.  You can't be led well by someone who doesn’t take interest in you.

What I can learn from this besides A LOT

• ·         Work hard with the staff in situations where they are working hard.  Lead by example.

• ·         Give staff clarity, especially during confusing times of change

• ·         Make sure staff leave my office (especially during times of evaluation) knowing where the stand, that they are appreciated and areas of improvement.

• ·         Pray for the staff and the teams they lead.

• ·         Get better relationally with everyone.

What you can do

• ·         VOLUNTEER – Jesus didn’t do it alone, neither should the staff of your church.  You are as much a disciple as they are.  We are all called to ministry in some form or another.  

• ·         Work harder and SMARTER when you are serving in ministry.  People over tasks

Balancing Efficiency & Trust in Ministry Staff/Volunteers (Part 2 of 5)

#1 – Care for the people who care for the people.

For lack of a better phrase, fellow staff members need to be my #1 care.  Ministry like any other job has its highs and sometimes lows.  Every staff member/employee of any non-profit organization or ministry willingly took a step, answered a call, accepted the mission to care for people, answer the calls of emergency situations, be present in times of crisis, love, coach, empower, provide empathy, lead through change and encourage.

Ministry is so rewarding; to be able to witness life change and have the high honor of influencing people, but when not managed well it can lead to BURNOUT.  And BURNOUT leads to disdain.  We can get so caught up in all the aspects of ministry previously mentioned that it can begin to affect 4 important areas – Physical, Mental, Spiritual and Social (relational, family) (Anne Jackson, Mad Church Disease).  This cannot happen.  When we let this happen, we are ineffective to those we minister to and not representing Christ well. 

Therefore, I will

• ·         Encourage and lead staff to be efficient in the day to day tasks,  work harder and smarter with the processes we oversee so that when the people take priority when situations and the day calls for it. 

• ·         Challenge myself and staff in the 4 areas that can be affected along the road to burnout.

• ·         Think through a healthy way to get staff spouses and family members involved in goal setting etc.

• ·         I need to keep an open door as often as I can at the office and LISTEN better.  I really need to learn from others by listening as we converse in my office or theirs.

What you can do

• ·         Pray for the ministry staff that leads you

• ·         Encourage them, fill up their tank – they need it sometimes

• ·         Trust them

What's My Line Again?

Check out this video out for 2 Sentences that can help invigorate your motivation in career, family, life, ministry:

Two questions that can change your life from Daniel Pink on Vimeo.

If you really want to find true motivation, you need to ask yourself, "what's my sentence?". I love this concept.

I have come across a lot of individuals who completely understand this concept.

• Some have defined their sentence by turning tragedy into triumph, stories and life change
• Some have found purpose in their careers
• Some have found a redefined role in their families.

Sometimes, I fail miserably at my "sentence".  But that is okay!  Sometimes one of the hardest things to do in life is define our purpose, to clearly state God's purpose for our life.  If you feel you are missing that, take some time to define your sentence.  Just doing that gives you a clearer definition of what a win looks like for yourself.

What's your sentence?  Life, Career, Ministry, Family?