Leadership Series “Giving”

Leadership has been on my heart lately. What is leadership? Many would argue to say that being a leader means that you are able to lead a group of people and while this is correct to some degree there is much more to the picture.

Over the next couple weeks I hope to be able to broaden your horizon to see that leadership is much more than just leading. It’s also about recognizing opportunities, inspiring action, transforming outcomes, changing and being changed. Leadership is not defined by power, privilege, rank, title, position, or authority but yet it’s defined by your character.

When I think of leadership I think of a few different words or definitions but if I could place my definitions into a “Web 2.0″ format I would sum leadership up in a six letter word. That word would be “Giving”. Leaders are defined by what they give. Some of you may disagree with this but if you sit down and chew on your thoughts you will soon agree that leaders tend to give a lot. They don’t just think of themselves but they think of others.

Whether you are giving a Word from the Lord or ministering to a lady on the street corner by giving her your mittens, scarf and stocking cap. You are giving. Leadership demands that you give. It’s what allows you to grow. When you sow … you reap. If you sow into your staff then you will reap a harvest not just of dedicated staff but of a ministry that will reach thousands and maybe even millions.

Now when I use the word “giving” I am not always talking about giving a physical gift to someone. Sometimes it’s giving them the Word, or giving them support, giving them the opportunity to be used in ministry, giving them a voice in ministry.

As I said in my last post “Neglect not the gift in your staff” you have to give your staff an opportunity to be used. True leaders will allow staff to grow in ministry and with the ministry.

Allow them to contribute ideas and suggestions. Delegate things to your staff. It gives them a sense of ownership. Allow your staff to make mistakes. People grow by mistakes. Give your staff room to grow.

In May of 2008 I took on many of the responsibilities that a children’s pastor usually handles. I allowed the children’s pastor the opportunity to just come and minister. She no longer had to do anything administrative , she didn’t have to train, she didn’t have to worry about staffing, or recruiting, she didn’t have to do all the mentoring on her own. I pretty much allowed her the opportunity to just get fed and to feed the children. I took everything else under my wing. I was the one running sound, I was the one doing all the administrative stuff, I was the one mentoring kids when they were cutting up during service. I was the one that was taking kids to the restroom during service. It was me … doing quite a bit and to be honest it became a lot to handle.

Ministry was never meant to be handled by one person. It takes a team, even Jesus had a team.

In August I had the wonderful opportunity of serving at SuperKid Academy. I was able to not only serve during the convention but also see how the ministry was organized and how such a small team of people could pull off such a huge convention. I learned a lot!!

In September I launched a brand new leadership structure in our ministry. The structure was very similar to the structure used at SuperKid Academy. I found the ministry to be over bearing. It was becoming to much for me to handle on my own and I needed help fast.

Like most children’s ministries we were having issues with getting adult staff to be dedicated to the ministry. They would say they would serve and then disappear. This is when I launched the new structure. I launched a new leadership pyramid. I created three different types of staff and you wouldn’t believe the results.

Below are the three different levels of staff:

Junior Ushers - This group is made up of children between the ages of 11 and 12.

Senior Ushers - This group is made up of staff between the ages of 13 and 17.

Head Ushers - This group is made up of staff 18 years and old older.

The Junior Ushers are our core leaders. They run the sound system, they take offering, participate in praise and worship, they mentor, they do registration, they do a lot of the basic tasks of the ministry.

The Senior Ushers are the Junior Ushers back up and authority. They lead the Junior ushers and help out in areas that need it.

The Head Ushers are the overseers of Senior Ushers. They are pretty much the quite ones of the ministry. They are there to make sure that everything is handled orderly and maturely. They are also there for security and for medical support.

Now obviously I haven’t done the best of job explaining the structure of our leadership pyramid as there is so much more to it than what is written above but it has been revolutionary to the children’s ministry department at World Outreach & Bible Training Center. The ministry runs so smooth and we have dedication now like we haven’t had before.

The staff feel ownership in the ministry. They see themselves working vision.

Our Junior Ushers have become some of the greatest mentors I have ever seen. We recently had a child come to KidZone that I could see what not having a good day. He seemed mad at the World. He carried a face that was angry and he kept to himself. One of our junior ushers (Quan, age 12) noticed this as well and pulled the child out of the service and started to minister to him. He was able to not only have the child open up his heart (to tears) but also minister to the young man. He was able to share his personal testimony with the child and feed him the Word of God. The child left the mentoring session laughing and the child hasn’t been the same since. He stopped allowing situations to rule his life based on the ministry inside one of our junior ushers.

I could have ministered to the young man but I doubt I would have had the impact that Quan did. Quan was the same age as the child and could related to the child better than I could. Quan went through the same issues that this young man had gone through just two years prior so he was able to really speak from his heart.

It’s time we allow our staff the opportunity to minister. We hold back thinking we have it all and know it all but like I said before, even Jesus had a team and his team wasn’t just followers. They were doers as well. They ministered and they didn’t even have the Holy Spirit living in them. We have the Holy Spirit living in us. What more can your team do? What opportunities can you offer? Real leaders allow others opportunities.

I would like to open this topic up. If you feel like you have something that you would like to share with everyone feel free to email me. It would be great to get some guest posts here on this topic!

Deep Calling Deep

So I am reading this book called “One Word from God can change your life”. The book is an excellent book but I wanted to share with you a couple paragraphs from the book. I believe it will change some peoples lives.

Many of us have even recognized the truth — that it takes faith to receive from God. So we’ve studied the Bible, confessed particular verses over and over and memorized every key to spiritual success. Yet to often, instead of causing us to flourish in faith and prayer, our endeavors have left us dry and spiritless. Why is that? It is because we can’t have real faith just by knowing principles. Real faith comes from knowing the Person behind the principles.

That’s why the Apostole Paul in his great statement of faith wrote, “I know who I have believed, and am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him against that day” (2 Timothy 1:12. Paul didn’t say, “I know what I have believed.” He didn’t say, “I know the principles and steps I have believed.” He said, “I know the Person of the Lord Jesus Christ.”

You see, real praying comes from the heart hungry to know God. It comes when we cry out, as David did in Psalms 42: “As the hart pants and longs for the water brooks, so I pant and long for You, O God. My inner self thirsts for God, for the living God…[Roaring] deep calls to [roaring] deap at the thunder of Your waterspouts; all Your breakers and Your rolling waves have gone over me” (verses 1-2, 7, The Ampliied Bible)

When a person is hungry, the deepest part of this spirit begins to call out to God for something to fill that hunger.

It’s important not just to know the Word but you gotta know him intimately. Find out what makes God laugh, blush, and smile.