I am currently studying a foreign language that is very foreign to me. As some of you are aware, I live and work in the Philippines as a missionary. One of the languages spoken here is Tagalog (Filipino), and I am studying the language now. Tagalog is heavily based on Spanish – of which I know nothing about. I took 3 years of French in High School and 1 in college. No Spanish. At all.
So, learning Tagalog is proving to be a very difficult thing. But I’ve realized something in the process. To really learn the language, you have to be willing to try to speak it in public situations. And that means being willing to make mistakes. It means being willing to be laughed at (and laugh at yourself). It means being willing to be dumb; admit that you don’t know.
The same applies to our leadership. In order to grow, we must be humble and admit that we don’t know. We must look to others for guidance. We can’t take ourselves too seriously. And we have to admit, to ourselves and others, that in certain areas – we’re dumb.
Once we arrive at that level of clarity, we can being to move forward.
And if you are surrounded with great people, your humbleness will give them a chance to help you – and lead in their own right.
To become a great leader, first be willing to be dumb, and then you can be excellent.
One of the most common analogies the Bible uses to help us understand our relationship with God is a parental one. The Bible teaches that God is our Father.
Now picture your relationship with your earthly dad. What if, for your entire life, you had a brief, one hour meeting with your dad once a week. How well would you know each other? More specifically, how well would you know his mind? Would you know his opinion on issues of life? Would you recognize his voice? Would you know the way he thinks?
Now imagine that you met with your dad once a day, every day, for breakfast. You had long talks about life, family, recreation, and many other topics. Then on the weekends, you got together some more. You spent hours with him then. How well would you know each other after keeping this routine for years?
See the difference?
It’s exactly the same with God. We can be sure God is speaking to us, if we are spending consistent time with Him. We will recognize His voice. We will understand and appreciate His instruction. We will know His opinions. We will be certain it is Him speaking.
And knowing God’s voice will help you as a leader make correct decisions.
As church leaders (lay or “professional”) we are all involved in making disciples. But if you haven’t defined “disciple” how will you know when you’ve done it?
Yes, yes a disciple is “a follower of Christ”. I got that. But what does that look like in your church?
In our ministry, a disciple has the following “qualities” or “accomplishments”:
Profession of Faith
Assurance of Salvation
Baptized by Immersion
Small Group Involvement
Worship Service Involvement
Serving Faithfully
Giving Regularly
We accomplish these qualities in individuals through a variety of different means including classes, mentoring, small groups, and preaching, to name a few. But the point is that we know what the finish line looks like.
What does a disciple look like in your ministry? Comment below on your “qualities”.
As a missionary and a pastor, I juggle many different responsibilities. My tasks can change from day to day, especially when there is a special event or service planned. But normally, 9 out of 10 times, these tasks fall into a certain category of ministry.
Keeping all of these categories straight in my head proved to be impossible. Knowing what to prioritize or how much work was left on a specific project was as hard, or harder, than the work itself.
Thankfully I found a solution.
For the last year I have been using Action Method by Behance to keep my ministry life organized and in sync.
A big stress in ministry is realizing (or being told) that you need to finish a certain task, but having no good way to record that “to do” for later. So you end up emailing yourself, making a note on your phone, or (cringe) writing a reminder on a scrap of paper. No more. Enter Action Method.
With Action Method you can:
Record tasks that you must finish later
Track progress on a specific task or event
Plan your “To Do” list for the day
See a snapshot of work to do, by project or by date
Here’s an example of how I use it:
I’m in a meeting for our church plant, and the discussion ends with the realization that I need to produce a new document for internal staff use. I don’t have time to produce it now, but it needs to be completed and emailed to the staff by next Wednesday . I create an action item in Action Method: “create and email new meeting format guide to staff”. I categorize it as “church plant admin”. Then, next Wednesday morning when I am creating my to do list for the day, I open Action Method and see this task. It’s also color coded, so I immediately know at a glance it’s a church plant item that deserves my full attention. When I’ve completed it, I click the check button and it disappears. Ah, satisfaction.
I use Action Method to tell me what I need to do and when I need to do it. It is my guide for accomplishing my goals – both daily and long range. Without it, I would be less effective, unorganized, and frankly a little frazzled.
What do you use to stay organized? Comment and describe your “to do” process below.
As a church planter, I am always thinking about ways to grow a fledgling young congregation. My team is always trying something new, looking for a different outreach idea or discipleship process. Is it because our current stuff is no good? No, in fact it’s the best we can get it (and we think it’s pretty good!).
The point is that as church planters we are pioneers. We have to be. We have to constantly be on the move, creating, tinkering, changing, adjusting. If we don’t, we fail. If we don’t, this church won’t make it.
In fact, I would say that no matter where you are in your ministry, if you stop pioneering, your church won’t make it either.
Every church should be a pioneer church. We should never stop looking for new ways to reach people, new methods to communicate the truth of Jesus Christ, new tools to disciple those we reach. So even if your church has been around for a hundred years, start thinking like a pioneering church planter.
Imagine you are pioneering a church plant in your city. You need to be effective in evangelism and discipleship to make it – to survive. What would you do differently than you are currently doing?
And Jesus, when He came out, saw a great multitude and was moved with compassion for them, because they were like sheep not having a shepherd. So He began to teach them many things. – Mark 6:34
Throughout the Bible, the first reaction that Jesus had to the lost was to teach them.
This is not often our first reaction today.
Today’s church wisdom says that we should first build a relationship before teaching them. Or maybe we should entertain them for a bit and see how they like us. Or let’s not mention Jesus at all so they can see we are just normal people. Then, we’ll share the Good News in time….of course!
The compassion that Jesus had for the lost, and what He understood about their lostness, drove Him to teach them the Truth. Instantly. Immediately.
Let us be committed to finding new, creative ways….to teach.
Then they brought little children to Him, that He might touch them; but the disciples rebuked those who brought them. But when Jesus saw it, He was greatly displeased and said to them, “Let the little children come to Me, and do not forbid them; for of such is the kingdom of God.Mark 10:13-14
I remember when my firstborn son Reece was two years old. He was in a constant state of exploration and adventure. He discovered something new every moment. And when he came to me, to Dad, he came un-jaded.
Children come with no agenda. They come expecting. They come hoping. They come trusting. They come only to love and be loved.
