Leading On Purpose

Here’s a question for your ministry team as you gather around the water cooler. Vibrant Faith Ministries finds that congregations often fall into one or more of the following four types of congregations identified below (based on how closely connected they are to biblical Christianity):

In Christian Smith’s book, Soul Searching, he reminds us that “we get what we are,” serving as a reminder that young people model the faith lives and practices of our parents, grandparents and other elders. I’m reminded that the same thing happens when we have current leaders train a new generation of leaders.
One congregation I served had an usher named Gary who was responsible for training all new ushers. Gary taught new ushers how to introduce themselves to visitors, strike up friendly conversations with them, and then say, “I’m glad you could worship with us – please join us next week” before they left the sanctuary. He shared how he kept a list of visitors’ names and even when he wasn’t ushering, he’d look for them on future Sundays to deepen a budding friendship. He shared how he remembered where they sat and would ask them if they’d like to sit in the same area again. In this situation, Gary knew how to extend hospitality and was the perfect candidate to train other ushers. This congregation was known for its extravagant hospitality and it was Gary and the ushers he worked with that reinforced that reputation.
When we accept mediocrity and complacency, it gets passed on to others. When we raise the bar and model effective leadership, that gets passed on too! In essence, what we accept is what we teach. You and your leaders are the primary curriculum for living a vibrant faith and modeling effective leaders. What might you do differently in the future to ensure that your leadership and faithfulness is worth replicating?

A pastor called me last week to find out how I could help their congregation grow. I asked him two basic questions, “What kind of growth are you looking for?” and “What does your congregation offer people that would compel them to want to participate in its mission and ministries?” This led to a great conversation about “why should people bother” being part of the church.

As leaders, we must first answer this question for ourselves. I’m looking for a faith community where I find hope and experience belonging; where I can learn how to extend and receive forgiveness; where I can discover a sense of purpose and direction; where I can learn more about who this Jesus is and how I might follow him more intentionally.

What serves as the “goal post” or primary purpose of your ministry? What do you want people experience when they walk into your home or your congregation? How would you answer the “Why bother” question for your congregation? Your youth group? Your small group ministries? Your home as a mission outpost? Please share your wisdom.

One of the roles of a coach is to help leaders determine what they need to focus on and what they need to quit doing. In these cases, we’re usually talking about activities to add or remove from our lives but it’s also important to consider what we need to let go of mentally. These beliefs and assumptions can serve as chains that hold us back from doing our best work. I think it’s time for congregational leaders to stop caring about . . .

1) What other people think of us (Do you want to be liked or make a difference?)
2) What other people want for you (Don’t waste your time living someone else’s life!)
3) What other people have (Quit comparing yourself to others.)
4) Trying to be perfect (Avoid getting carried away by perfectionism.)
5) Being right (Quit defending your positions; spend time seeking to understand.)
6) Trying to control things (Don’t worry about things you can’t control!)

By finding ways to quit caring about the things that aren’t important, we’ll have more time to care about the things that do matter. So, what do you need to quit caring about?

Navigating change begins with identifying a congregation’s most pressing issues. Time is then spent visualizing God’s preferred future which is summed up in a brief narrative. Then 30-day, 90-day and 180-day and 360-day goals are created that will lead to the fulfillment of the vision. The list of goals include who’s responsible for each action step. Finally, goals and action steps are monitored regularly, with leaders taking time to celebrate their progress, address shortcomings and learn from their mistakes.

Most congregations struggle with defining their current reality, articulating their preferred future, and with having a roadmap to guide them in their efforts. Where does your organization struggle when navigating change? What do you need to pay closer attention to in the future?

I like nothing better than starting out my day with a cup of French Roast coffee. I savor the sound and smell of brewing coffee and that first cup seems to launch me into my day with a sense of hope and possibility.

Many congregational meetings and events I’ve attended recently seem to lack energy, hope and vision. Leaders appear frazzled, worn out, and disconnected to their role of ushering people into God’s presence. They need a jolt of spiritual caffeine.

How do your words and actions point people to Jesus and help others wonder what God is up to in their lives? My day starts with prayer and ends with prayer. It’s filled with inspiring passages and a few jokes to lighten my spirit. It’s filled with caring conversations and time to count my blessings. These daily rituals and faith practices bring back my mojo, helping me be energized by the Spirit and a blessing to others. Please share how to you maintain a fresh-brewed faith that’s open to the Spirit.

My oldest son asked me yesterday if I had ever considered getting a tattoo. I told him, “No, I don’t subject myself to pain if I can avoid it.” It’s the first time I’ve talked about tattoos with my family but it’s a common topic of conversation at Vibrant Faith Ministries. We talk about how people often dabble in faith practices, hoping to create a culture of vibrant faith, but what they experience is often just skin deep – like a tattoo. If vibrant faith is to become part of our home and congregational DNA, where it permeates everything we do, then we must go deeper. One place to start is with cross+generational ministry. How do we create worship experiences that engage and involve all generations? When we celebrate milestones, do we make sure that children, parents, grandparents and great grandparents are all part of the celebration? Consider going through the last 12 month’s of church newsletters, picking out all the events that could become more intentionally cross+generational. Where might you go deeper with cross+generational ministry, milestones ministry or practicing the Four Keys? How might you ensure that practicing faith becomes part of your DNA and not just a tattoo?

This past week 22 students attended Certification School held at Wartburg Theological Seminary. The school includes high ropes activities which are reflected upon afterwards. We discussed how easy it is to be immobilized by fear, and how we, as Christian leaders, must move beyond it.

Suggestions for moving beyond fear included creating a network of colleagues and cheerleaders to encourage us to along the way. Others mentioned keeping focused on the reward rather than the risk. Another suggested staying focused on the next step and blocking out everything else.

In what ways does fear immobilize your ministry? What can you and others do to move beyond it?

There was a time in my life when I was responsible for “recruiting” a sufficient number of teachers in order for the Sunday School program to run smoothly. As time went on, however, I began to realize the importance of “calling” the right people into teaching ministry as a way of helping them discover, develop and deploy their gifts for God’s glory.

When you invite people into ministry, do you do so through the lens of one’s vocation? Do you look at it as a vehicle for bringing out the best in others? As a training opportunity to develop their gifts?

Inviting people into ministry is not about filling slots but rather about helping people live into their sweet spot while serving others in the name of Christ. What are your motivations for inviting volunteers into ministry? What are your plans for developing their areas of giftedness? In what ways would your inviting process be different if you invited volunteers to serve based on fulfilling their vocation rather than fulfilling the needs of your program?