Posts Tagged 'Ministry'

open, honest and vulnerable

Published August 14, 2008 Church , Leadership 3 Comments
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Camp has been awesome this week. God is doing so much in these kids’ lives - it’s amazing to be a part of it.

I was talking with one of our volunteer leaders last night and we got on the topic of leaders getting attacked in their spiritual walk. Truth be known, all leaders have a spot where Satan attacks them regularly. Could be confidence. Security. Pride. But, no matter what it is - it’s a spot where a leader can get beaten down.

I realized that for too long in my ministry I have kept these things quiet. Unwilling to share them. This is the goal of the enemy. If the enemy can isolate the leader from his people - mission accomplished.

One of the turning points for me has been sharing my struggles on this blog. I’ve shared my story on sliding back in the Christian life, talked about my struggles through the fast and opened up about the mistakes I’ve made in unity. I’ve also been able to share very candidly with my team at the church and open up more to our volunteer leaders. I’ve found, the more open I am about my struggles, the more honest I am with people, the more vulnerable I become, the more the conversation opens up and the Spirit begins to move in people’s lives.

How about you? How have you seen God use your struggles to affirm, encourage and teach others? How have you grown from hearing someone else’s story? How do you stay open, honest and vulnerable?

questions for today

Published July 25, 2008 Church , Leadership , Life , Worship 0 Comments
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I over-stretched myself during this last season in ministry. I’m sure at some point I’ll have a story to tell, but right now it’s all about getting back on mission and creating a sustainable, healthy, spiritually rich lifestyle.

A while back I posted some thoughts from the Isn’t She Beautiful conference at Mars Hill. In reviewing them, I found some thoughts I’m working through right now:

  • What is sustainable?
  • What are my rhythms and patterns?
  • The Eucharist is about the past of decent, while our culture is about the path of ascent. (1 Corinthians 9:19)
  • Who is Christ to you? Your journey is absolute.
  • You need a day to take care of yourself. (Luke 5:15)
  • Maybe we should make the instrument of measurement “less” instead of “more.” Less poverty. Less insecurity.
  • What are the things you have to get out or you’ll combust?

How do you balance and what do you do to stay fresh?

recovering

Published July 7, 2008 Life 0 Comments
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The team took a half day today to recover from the busiest week we have in ministry all year. We can’t stay down too long, our biggest event of the year is just four days away - but the short time to rest up and catch up on stuff at home is welcomed.

I’ve spent the day on cmconnect.org, twitter and catching up on people’s blogs - great to disconnect from what I’ve been doing and reconnect with some folks I haven’t talked to in a bit.

What do you do to recover after busy times in life?

power of a team

Published July 1, 2008 Church , Community , Leadership 1 Comment
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I did a post a while back where I said, Anything I do alone in ministry is a failure. If you hang around me long, you know I am fasinated by the power of a team.

There is something amazing about connecting with people in such a way that we accomplish something together we never could have accomplished alone.

One of my goals as a leader is to stay ahead of my team. If I can pave the way for where they are headed - for what is next - then I feel like I have succeeded in serving them. The tuff part is, the more talented the team, the more work it is to stay ahead of them. Here’s what I’ve found that helps:

  • I must have alone time to refuel/recharge/refocus before I can lead effectively. This alone time is less about leadership of the team (quote above…) and more about self leadership in preparation for leading the team.
  • I have to cast the vision to individuals before I cast it to the group - this allows me to see their reaction, learn their concerns and shape the way I cast to the group. (It also means there is always someone for which staff meeting is a rerun of a conversation we had the other day.)
  • I will often get the vision for what is next and  work with one or two people on the team to pave the way for the rest of the team. Getting ahead is not easy, but if I work with the most gifted people in the room, it is significantly more simple.
More often than not, I’ve found my time with God alone, having the opportunity to hear people’s responses the first time I cast vision and working with a small group of people, changes and shapes the vision as it comes to life. This is the power of a team. 

ministry as a team

Published June 3, 2008 Church , Community , Leadership 1 Comment
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Anything I do alone in ministry is a failure.

As a leader, a pastor - someone God has given the task of caring for His Church - if I’m doing ministry alone, I’m failing.

Ministry is all about mobilization. 

It is about raising up other pastors and training them to lead people. It is about empowering people to do things they would never have dreamed of doing. It is about brining the Body of Christ together to accomplish something no one person could accomplish apart from the Body of Christ.

But so many times I find myself doing ministry alone. Raising no one up. Accomplishing small things because there is no team to accomplish great things.

On a side note, Solo-ministry is a big reason why it is so difficult for me, and so many other pastors, to take a day off. God has called me to lead the teams He has placed me over - and He’s called me to take rest in Him. So it’s simple:

If I’m doing what God has asked and it’s taking more time than God has asked, I haven’t surrounded myself with the people God would want.

(Thanks to Anne Jackson and this post for stirring that last thought.)

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You wont find much here. There is no product to buy, no club to join and no reason to send your money. This blog gives glimpses of my journey.
Pieces of my walk with God.
Echoes of redemption.
Hopefully my journey will help you on your journey.

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