With any Ministry you need a few good people with the same vision, to reach the target audience that specific Ministry is directed to. What did you guys do to to build a strong ministry team and how do you keep those involved "fired up" about spreading the Good News of Christ to others? How did you scout your Church for the right people for your Ministry leadership?
Sunday, March 30, 2008
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
7 comments:
You're right that it takes the right people around you to make things happen. To me, I have always felt that passion is more important than talent. People who are gifted are great, but people who have great passion will find a way to make it happen whether they have talent or not.
I think you have to have an inner circle of leadership; Jesus did. He chose 12 out of all the people He encountered. I think you have to keep that circle tight and let the bulk of decisions flow through there to make everything as fluid as possible.
Lastly, I think that once you deteremine who those men are, you must all get on the same wavelength as to where the ministry is headed. The men have to agree to the long haul and the plan before them; and then work the plan with the destination in mind.
This is still a struggle for me. At first, a few men were fired up to serve. Hats were bought, we met a few times to come up with a mission statement, calender of events, etc... Then they start dropping off. As of right now we really do not have a leadership team. It's me and an Associate Pastor. And thats okay. I have such a passion to reach Outdoorsmen with the Gospel it is contagious! I know that eventually other men will catch it. Our Church has no problem having Men step up and help at an event we host or any thing the Church does however, it seems like they don't want the 100% committment to the Ministry. Our Church has alot of different Ministries and an Outdoor Ministry is the newest. I am fine right now leading this ministry, but, eventually I will need Men to "step Up". How do you guys suggest I get them to commit?
I would go back to the point of origin. Have the men meet and ask them to share their reasons and passions for outdoor ministry. Why do they want to do it? Why is it appealing?
Get the passion out front and visible.
Then I would work very, very hard to come up with a ministry plan that is able to be measured from the beginning. My experience is that men have all sorts of energy in the beginning, but if they don't know where to harness and channel that energy, then it fades pretty quickly.
It's like bow hunting; you hit what you aim at.
If they don't know the target (success and how to recognize it) - then how can they know if they are actually doing something worth their time?
Get them to agree on a goal, and then create a plan to execute it.
A few things come to mind as I read this question...
I knew from the beginning that I could not do it all by myself, no matter how hard I tried. One thing I did in the early stages was try very hard to cast the vision that I had been given. Your excitement about the idea that God has given to you can be very contagious. After a while I felt like I could tell who was passionate about the outdoor ministry idea, so I decided to have a leadership / vision meeting and I invited guys who seemed to share the vision. We hammered out a passion statement and began planning for the future. It is very easy to want to select guys who you think will be good team members and overlook the fact that they may not be passionate about the ministry. I tried to get guys who were passionate and fired up. AS the leader, once you learn the talents and abilities of your guys, it's important to plug them into the ministry in ways that they can be used. I think that's an important part of keeping guys involved and interested.
I think planning is one thing that keeps guys hanging in there as well. I learned quickly that planning well in advance works wonders. No planning causes confusion, boredom and guys hit the trail and become MIA. Therefore, we try to meet regularly.
As men, we like to see results. We want the numbers. We want to see the score. And, men really do want to be a part of something bigger than they are. So, when we do stuff, we tell the score after it's over (we gave outdoor Bibles to 500 coon hunters, we put up 350 sheets of sheetrock, we fixed a roof to make a home safe for a single mom, etc.) Guys need to know that they are making a difference. When we do events, we also take pictures and make short movies to show the church what happened - guys like that too.
Once we started moving along good, we also designed a logo and had shirts made. The guys are really proud to wear them and many are using them to start spiritual conversations with lost hunting buddies. Keep in mind, that the ministry is more than a cool shirt though. Create something that the logo on the shirt stands for first.
I won't lie. I have been very frustrated many times during the outdoor ministry process. A good friend of mine told me one time that the most disappointing thing about ministry is disappointment. That's very true. Sometimes you'll be on a spiritual high and no one else seems to be there. Or the guys you think who are part of the team just fall out. Or there are times that you feel like you're having to do it all. Hang in there and keep you focus on God and the vision He gave you.
Just do what the Lord ask and get on the Jesus train and ride. Watch his work unfold as you ride through this life.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZzFs5rs7b1o
Remember we are not in charge or in control. All our power and strength come from GOD.
When I finally submitted my will to this truth, it was amazing to watch GOD work.
Like he said, if he takes care of birds why would he not take care of us. FAITH
Remember we are working on GODS time schedule not ours. It's not about us. Let GOD do what he does best.
Post a Comment