by Gina | May 12, 2015 | Ministry
Wha?
Why in the world is she thinking Summer?!? It’s November!
You’re right. But in kids & student ministry, now is the time to start planning for the summer.
Summer Camp is on the agenda. Within the next few weeks we’ll discuss registration, camp costs/budgets, & camp theme. Haven’t landed on a theme yet but seriously considering the new series from Orange’s Summer XP, Jump! Last summer we used their 8 week series, Chase the Light in place of our normal weekend curriculum (252 Basics). It was a fun break from the normal weekend routine and the kids got a lot out of it.
If you’re not thinking Summer yet… well, it should hit your agenda soon. I know things are cra-zy. They’re just as crazy at Faith Promise Church. But I’ve yet to to regret looking ahead. I always regret it when I don’t.
I’ll keep you posted on the summer fun we brew up.
by Gina | May 12, 2015 | Leadership, Ministry
Recently I heard from Andy Stanley at a #Leadercast event.
I’ve yet to hear an Andy Stanley teaching that didn’t make me laugh, challenge the way I think and leave me resolved to change something. That day was no different.
Speaking about bold leadership, Andy defined bold leadership in a simple word picture…
A middle school girl in pursuit of an iPhone.
In this scenario you will see the 4 characteristics of bold leadership:
- Clarity – she knows exactly what will make her life better
- Focus – she has unreasonable focus around that which will make her life better
- Stubbornness – there are no alternatives to that which will make her life better
- Resourceful – she will find a multitude of creative possibilities that will result in receiving that which will make her life better
As Andy unpacked this word picture, I couldn’t agree more. I have a middle school girl and there was a time that she was without an iPhone. It was a time of great injustice in her life… but her parents finally saw the light and the injustice was made right.
[bctt tweet=”Bold Leadership is clarity around an unreasonable commitment to what should be. -Andy Stanley”]
Here are my take-aways from Andy’s talk, where it hits home for me and changes I want to make in my leadership moving forward.
“Bold leaders refuse to be cowed by how.”
That statement hit home with me because my over-wrung fear of failure wants to ‘how’ an idea to death before it even gets off the ground. When someone around me presents an idea, I’m faced with two opportunities.
- ‘How’ it to the ground and ensure it never has a chance at working.
- ‘Wow’ it into conversation giving it ample opportunity to work.
There are really 3 ways I ‘how’ an idea away. Maybe you do this too:
- Been There, Done That – I’ve tried that idea before and it didn’t work. Or maybe it worked but not to the effect I desired. Either way, I can ‘poo-poo’ an idea away based upon past experience. The problem with this response is how it affects the person who suggested it. It yanks the wind from their sails and I’ve all but guaranteed they’ll hesitate to bring me their next idea. And the next one might be a game-changer.
- No Budget – One of the biggest factors in ministry is budget. There are only so many dollars available and it’s our job to use them wisely to make ministry happen. I will ‘how’ an idea away because I think we can’t fit it into our budget. But I can fail to remember that when people get behind an idea, they can be highly creative with limited funds.
- No Margin – I can be overly protective of people’s time. Maybe that’s because I have my own challenges with taking more on than I should. I can ‘how’ an idea away because I think the one that suggested it shouldn’t add another plate to spin.
All 3 of these are idea-killers and they diminish the creative capacity that exists within those I lead. And I cannot continue to lead in this way. So, I’ve resolved to make some changes. Here are some thoughts on the changes I wan to make:
Meeting Prep – I go into every meeting, coffee or lunch with an agenda…. my list of items that need to be addressed. But part of my mental agenda needs to be an agreement to listen. To listen for ideas that will make our ministry better. If I’m watching for them, I’ll be more likely to recognize them.
Say ‘Wow’, not ‘How’ – This was Andy’s direct suggestion. Rather than meeting an idea with the question ‘How?’, respond with ‘Wow’. If I refuse to shoot down bad ideas, I increase my chances of hearing more. And the next idea could be a game-changer.
Ask ‘What if..?’ questions – There is so much value in getting beyond the ‘borders’ of budget/time/volunteer constraints and simply dream. [bctt tweet=”What if I had all the volunteers I could want? What would I do differently?”]
Can I be really transparent? I want to be known for bold leadership. For choosing to do what is hard because its the best thing to do. I want to be as unrelenting as a middle school girl in pursuit of an iPhone.
What about you?
by Gina | May 6, 2015 | Ministry
Have you ever talked to a little boy with marbles? Each marble has a story. If you take the time, he’s willing to tell you the story for each one.
“Marble stories” are cute, funny and they tell you a little something about their world. Last week I posted here about a Culture of Engagement. A strong Culture of Engagement among your volunteer team intentionally positions volunteers to interact with the kids in their care. To hear the “marble stories”. These stories remind us why we do what we do and inspire us to dig in a little more.
As my volunteers continue to engage, here is what I’m looking for now:
- Are they walking away with “marble stories”?
- What avenue is in place to share those stories with us (staff)?
- What tool will I use to share those stories with the rest of my volunteer team?
by Gina | May 6, 2015 | Leadership, Ministry, Volunteers
Well… maybe I’m not ordering the constellations. But, as a ministry leader, my role is to oder the stars on my team and set them up to shine. [bctt tweet=”But, as a ministry leader, my role is to order the stars on my volunteer team and set them up to shine.”]
A recent post on Volunteer Organizational Charts prompted a few requests for an example. Below is a link to a pdf version of an Organizational Chart that represents the Elementary team at one of our campuses. I hope this helps.
Here’s a brief explanation to help you decipher some of the lingo.
Page 1 is an overview of all worship services at this campus, the specific Volunteer Coach, Team Lead and Small Group Leader roles needed for each grade. It’s a projected need based upon past attendance trends to help me remember how many leaders I need in order to prepare for what I’m asking God to bring.
- Coach – this role is responsible for leading and shepherding a group of Team Leads. Generally a Coach will play a dual function. They will run certain areas of ministry during a weekend worship service. In the case of this Org Chart, these Coaches run the show during a worship service and ensure the volunteer team has what they need and policy & procedures are upheld.
- Team Lead – this role is responsible for leading and shepherding a group of Small Group Leaders. A Team Lead plays a dual function in that they are also a Small Group Leader leading their own group of kids. During the worship service, they take lead on delegating and ensuring kids land in the right group, strategizing when a leader is out, apprenticing new leaders and keeping their thumb on the pulse of their team.
- SGL – the Small Group Leader is the most important role we have. This person is responsible for leading and loving their group of kids.
Page 3-6 represent each service team by time. Each team is ultimately led by the Elementary Volunteer Coordinator (staff position). All other roles are filled by Volunteers. Here are a few things to note…
- Last names were removed to protect the innocent. 😉
- “WIG!” means Wildly Important Goal. That means we are still recruiting.
- Some of the “WIG!”s are there for growth. We know that if we continue on an upward growth trend then we need these roles when the attendance surge hits again in August/September.
- Other “WIG!”s are because we just haven’t found the right person yet. We’ve learned over time that it’s so much better to have an empty spot in a leadership role rather than the wrong person filling it. It’s hard on everyone involved. So if we don’t have the right person to elevate to a leadership role… we wait, we watch and we let time reveal who that person is.
Elementary Organizational Chart
An important note re: our Coaches and Team Leads. We’ve learned that the more we define the behaviors of a role, the more successful someone is in it. What I mean is… [bctt tweet=”the better we explain to someone what to do to be great, the better equipped they are to be great.”]
When we invite someone into a Coach or Team Lead role, we equip them with 5 behaviors that will make them successful. Read 5 Things to Help Your Volunteers Lead Better.
by Gina | May 4, 2015 | D6, Ministry
When it comes to ministry, how can we do it all?
How do we care for our own families in the midst of caring for other families?
Focus on your own &%@$ family.
An interesting way to launch into the things that are most critical to long term success in ministry.
This was the focal point of Doug Field‘s conversation at the D6 Conference a few weeks ago. Doug opened up and shared his own thoughts on ministry at the initial points of his career. Surrounded by ministry leaders that lived on the ‘performance treadmill’, he remembers what it was like to go home and be so tired he didn’t want to engage with those under his roof.
How do we reconcile ourselves with the fact that we say we value family yet our example as ministry leaders does not reflect that value. Leadership is primarily example. We are called to live out what we preach and teach and set a pattern for others to follow.
When we return to New Testament scripture, Paul describes the nature of his leadership in ministry. He consistently makes family analogies.
“…but we were gentle among you, like a mother caring for her children.” 1 Thess 2:7
The image of a spiritual leader in the church is not the image of a CEO but the image of a good mother/father. Someone worthy of imitation. Yet what do you do when values collide and you have to choose between leading your ministry and leading your family?
Doug suggests that many take the path of least resistance. Building a ministry is easier than building a family. In ministry, you can keep others at arms distance. Affirmation is readily available.
But at home the guards come down and affirmation is not as prevalent. Building your family is tougher than building a ministry… yet there are actions we can take to make sure we focus on our own &*% family:
- Change the channel – we’re stuck on one channel broadcasting the unrealistic expectations of your leadership. How do you change the channel?
- Redefine spoken and unspoken expectations placed on you.
- Deflect the idea that “the devil doesn’t take a day off”. The devil’s not the role model.
- Saying No is tricky in an environment that values you saying yes to everything and everyone
- It’s easy to say no to the bad things, but tough to say no to the many good things. Every yes to the church is a no somewhere to your family – what’s the worst thing that could happen if you say no
- Unplug from Church
- There must be a time when you’re at home and totally available to your family and not to ministry
- Work at making your home safe where you can retreat, disconnect and be totally available to your family
- The challenge isn’t to come home from church. You can change your location but may never leave there mentally
- Don’t answer the phone with your kids in the car. Capitalize on the opportunity
- Struggling with the idea of ‘building the church’ – When you leave the church they will not remember you
- There are other people that can shepherd the flock. But no one can speak into the life of your kids or shepherd their heart better than you
- Serve ice cream
- Put as much effort into making your home attractive as you do making your church attractive. Make your home a fun place to be.
- What could you do to make your house fun? When can you start?
- What are you doing to make it a privilege that mom or dad are in the ministry
To do accomplish these 3 things you have to take the reins. If you’re waiting for your church environment to change, it’s not going to happen. An indicator of your future is looking at the performance of the past.
A great comparison… look at the life of Jesus. He didn’t go everywhere. He didn’t meet everyone. He didn’t heal everyone. He said no to some very good things.
Doug closed his session with 3 dreams he holds for those of us in ministry…
Hold your kids more than you hold your phone
Date your spouse with more passion than you give to build your ministry
Works more to build energy and fun into your family than you do your ministry
This is the second time in 2010 I’ve had the privilege of hearing from Doug Fields. The first time was at the Orange Conference sitting with my team. I got a few elbows in the midst of his talk.
Sitting by myself 6 months later at D6… I was elbowing myself. These are notes to return to on a regular basis.
