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?

Lebron James - is the HATE justified?

Unbelievable!  Last night the Cleveland CAVS broke their own record for the most consecutive losses in one season.  After finishing the last two season with amazing winning percentages.

YEAR	W	L	PCT
2010-11	8	44	.154
2009-10	61	21	.744
2008-09	66	16	.805

While making it to the playoffs both of the preceding winning years, they eventually lost and left the playoffs. You probably already know the rest of the story. If not, read it HERE.  This is a catastrophic example of a team falling a part.  Would your team fall apart if one player was removed?  What would that do to your organization?

My biggest confusion in this whole thing is that so many people harbor anger at Lebron.  Sure, he may have left in a peculiar way - but hasn't it become evident that he is just a standout player that wants to play for an organization that isn't falling apart behind the scenes?  It is very apparent to me that the organization was not being led well from the top down.

Some lessons we could learn from this organization:

• The Right People - a well known philosophy, yet poorly practiced.  The members of your team need to complement each others' strengths and weaknesses.  Sometimes the most obvious hire or addition doesn't make sense because it is not a fit for your culture or match well with other key players. 
• More Than One - a team is made up of more than one person.  Putting 70% of your focus and resources towards one player will never bode well for an organization.
• Deep Bench - in order to achieve "long term" success; every member of your team needs to be pouring into and developing those around them.  This is strategically important with future leaders of your organization.  There tends to be a fear here; "I don't want to train my replacement" seems to be a common worry.

I don't know, maybe you disagree with me and you think the bulk of the fall sits at the feet of Lebron.  But it is hard to argue with why he wanted to jump ship, whether you like how he did it or not.  All players on a team, INCLUDING yours want to be on a team that is led well.  With solid vision, clear player roles and a high level of appreciation no matter what the role is.

Would your team fall apart if it lost a key player?
Have you let any player leaving your team take "HEAT" for something your leadership was responsible for?
Agree or Disagree? 

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.