Today i had a new intern come join us. He’s the third guy to join the program since it started two years ago (2007). When i first started this program, i knew an important component would be to have a clear job description for the intern – so that they would know what they are suppose to do as well as what is expected of them. 

The exercise of sitting down and writing out their job descriptions (and each is different – because we try and tailor a role/s based on giftedness, and areas of strengths) is a very necessary and effective way to clarify what we expect the intern to do. 

The Job description includes: 

1. The purpose of the program

2. The Roles (and this would be fairly specific – the role title, what tasks they are to carry out, and the dates of completion (if available))

3. The outcomes (what i hope to achieve by the end of the time together) 

4. The assignments and reading list (yes, our interns need to study too!) and what is expected in their written assignments/report. 

i’ve gotten clearer and more confident in knowing what to spell out in these JDs with each intern we’ve had. 

we’ve also written out JDs for our ministry heads, and Area Pastors and LifeGroup leaders. And i find this exercise very beneficial in starting strong.

The ‘L’ Factor

Dr Ian Jagelman’s third installment on church leadership is an important and practical book for any pastor/leader in the church. 

He sets out to develop a leadership pipe-line or pathway of leadership development. 

Some thots i have from reading this book.

Recruitment | Selecting a leader with potential is vital. Skill can be developed but how do we find those with the right raw mix that can be developed and polished into great leaders. An example given is that in the UK and US armies, generals are spotted, trained and developed right from officer cadet school. Dr. Jagelman suggests that these are things to consider:

1. Intellectual Strength
2. Core Belief
3. Complexity
4. EQ

today i got a chance to be at the GLS held at River Life Church , even though it was for only half of the day’s sessions (the morning half was spent with me at our Church’s 22nd Anniversary celebrations at Hort Park.)

and just being in that environment, where i got to think (again) about leadership, my first conclusion is that i haven’t been thinking much about leadership, and my leadership for that matter. i have assumed that i am leading – but i think the reality is that i am doing ’stuff’, being in meetings, meeting people etc, but i’m quite convinced (as i write this at least) that i am not leading with intent. 

it’s time to start. (again) 

but it’s not that easy because i don’t really know where to start and how to begin (seeing how that there are so many things to get done and so many places to be at!) 

but i need to be intentional about building teams, keeping motivation, clarifying roles, establishing system, casting vision, building a great children’s and youth programs!  …

etc 

etc

[taken from Rick Warren's Pastors.com]

Seven questions to ask every ministry leader
by Rick Warren

We have a lot of haphazard ministry being done in our churches around the world. Good people, who love the Lord, aren’t thinking through what God has called them to do. Ministry is too important to be done haphazardly. We can’t just say, “I’ll give it my best shot!” We need to think through what the ministries in our church are all about. Our ministries must be good stewards of all they’ve been given. For that to happen, we’ve got to plan ministry strategically.

There are seven important questions that need to be answered when you’re planning an effective ministry. These are questions for any healthy ministry – whether it’s your music ministry, greeters, small group leaders, or any other ministry team.

1. Why are you here?

Every ministry in your church should have a clear idea of what it’s all about. Each one needs a purpose statement. You develop that statement by asking two questions: What is the business of this ministry? And what is none of this ministry’s business?

What’s the business of Saddleback? We attract members, teach them to worship God, develop them to Christlike maturity, and mobilize them for ministry in the church and a life mission in the world. We do that in each stage and segment of their lives. If something doesn’t fit within that mission statement, we don’t do it.

Every ministry within your church needs a purpose statement like that. Ask each ministry: What do you do and what do you not do?

2. What purpose of the church does your ministry fulfill?

Every ministry in your church should be tied to at least one of the five purposes of the church. Is this ministry designed to exalt Christ (worship)? Is it designed to reach out to the community (evangelism)? Is it designed to deepen relationships within the church (fellowship)? Is it designed to build people into Christian maturity (discipleship)? Is it designed to serve the needs of the church family (ministry)?

As a pastor, you need to make sure that each of your ministries does one of these five things. If it doesn’t, your church doesn’t need to be doing it.

3. Who are you trying to reach?

You need to figure out who your ministry is trying to reach – the Community, the Crowd, the Congregation, the Committed, the Core, or the Commissioned. Ministries trying to reach the Community are evangelistic in nature. Ministries that serve those during weekend services are focused on the Crowd. Ministries focused on church members will work with the Congregation. Ministries that help people grow spiritually will center on the Committed. Ministries that meet the needs of people within the church or try to get people involved in the ministry of the church will focus on the Core. And the ministries that help those who’ve committed to be involved in missions (the P.E.A.C.E. Plan for us at Saddleback) will need to focus on the Commissioned. (For a further explanation of these audiences, see my article from the last issue.)

You need to know who your ministry is trying to reach. The Community has different needs than the Committed. The Congregation has different needs than the Core. Knowing who your ministry is trying to serve will influence how the ministry operates.

4. Where do you believe God is calling your ministry to be in six months?

This is the stage where your ministry leaders dream. Where would they like to see the ministry six months from now? If your ministry leaders can’t think about the future, they aren’t ready to lead the ministry. Ask your ministry leaders to get away with God and talk to him about the ministry’s future.

5. How does your ministry do what it has been called to do?

Did you know that your body has nine systems in it? When any one of those systems gets out of order, it’s called an illness or disease. The church (the body of Christ) has systems in it as well. And for us to be healthy our systems have to work properly. How do your ministries do what they’ve been called to do? Ask your ministry leaders to think and pray about how to do ministry more effectively.

6. Who can you partner with to do what God has called you to do?

Your ministry leaders need to constantly be on the watch for people who can join them in ministry. Ask your ministry leaders to begin praying for at least one person who should be joining their ministry team.

Jesus said, “The harvest is plentiful but the laborers are few. Pray for laborers.” Ask your ministry leaders to begin praying for more laborers.

7. In what way do you serve people?

Your ministries should serve the people in your community. Are you meeting physical, emotional, mental, or spiritual needs (or a combination thereof)? All of those needs are valid. Part of understanding the identity of your ministries is to know how each of them serves people. Then look for ways you can add value to the services those ministries provide. In other words, look for ways each of your ministries can do a better job providing for the physical, emotional, mental, or spiritual needs of the community.

(taken from Pastors.com. this excerpt is written by Tobin Perry and draws lessons from Ferguson, the lead pastor and co-founder of Community Christian Church in Naperville, Ill.)

He encourages all ministry leaders, including pastors, to immediately find people to apprentice. What do you look for? First, you look for ministry leaders that have the right ministry gifts for the role. If you’re looking to apprentice a pastor, you may look for people with teaching and shepherding gifts. If you’re looking to apprentice a chaplain, you may look for someone with the gift of mercy.

Second, suggests Ferguson, look for people you can trust and build a friendship with. “When that happens, you really have something special, an apprenticeship that can really make a difference,” Ferguson said.

While Ferguson believes that formal leadership development has a role to play in the process, it has been over-emphasized in the past. The key ingredient to strong leadership development is the one-on-relationship built between mentor and mentee.

“No matter who the ministry leaders are at our church, no matter what role they play, we’re always encouraging them to have someone that they are mentoring,” Ferguson said. “At the same time, each of those leaders has someone who is coaching them. We try to build in opportunities for those life-on-life relationships to happen, knowing that in time the apprentice will be taking on the ministry by himself or herself.”

As leaders begin replicating themselves, eventually the church will reproduce whole ministries, worship services – and even take the churches to new sites once all of the necessary components are replicated.

“But that happens one leader, one small group at a time,” Ferguson said.

the ability to articulate and paint a verbal picture of a preferred future is a key function of leadership, yet quite often i have found, that it’s the least area that leaders work on. once  a year i force myself to sit and work through the vision of where we are heading as a church/congregation. and i will be honest that it’s a hard process to go through.   

andy stanley’s “visioneering” and “making vision stick” are great books that help. and learning from bill hybels and the willow creek team, are always insightful and helpful, but nothing can substitute from the hard task of sitting and thinking and praying and waiting, and listening. and then of formulating and thinking some more, and percolating, and mulling, and praying, and talking, and listening some more.    

we’ve decided at our church that we would be a church that seeks to engage the world around us, and not to lose focus on that mission. yes, there are lots of churches that are suppose to do that, what’s unique about ours? i don’t know if being unique is the goal! i just think that it’s important for us to be great at what we’ve been called to do. i think it’s more important for us to have been obedient to God. we’re going to reach people far away from God! we’re going to continue to be relevant to ‘outsiders’, and we’re going to need to continue to look for ways to keep engaging those outside the faith.  

God has a dream. in that dream, people would have relationship with Him. we’ve pretty much messed it all up for the word ‘go’. but in every generation God looked for a few who would say that they would be about their Father’s business, that they would serve the Lord , and He used them to reconcile people far away from God back to himself.

“we must become the change we want to see” – Gandhi

Anthropologists who study “culture” define it as an integrated system of ideas, beliefs, traditions, customs and ceremonies. This defines the way we as humans think and therefore determines the way we act. Every organization – in fact every family as well as individuals, have a culture about them. The most effective way to change culture is through effectual leadership. Cultural change is the essence of leading.

So how do leaders change culture? I think there are three basic methods

Leaders model the preferred culture
Leaders teach and train people in the organization the preferred culture
Leaders must confront the existing culture

Food for thought for all culture changers?

recently my parents had our sofa set upholstered.
it came back soon after.
it looks really nice.
the only thing is that it just doesn’t feel like the old one.

but it will take time.
before we will all get use to it
and this new sofa
will conform to us and us to it.

and then it will feel great again.

a leader is a cultural architect. it is a combination of engineering and artistry. it is not just about doing, but about creating. an ark. that others may enter in, and be safe, and free, and alive.