Summary: We are all short-timers on this earth. I believe that those who seek to make more of themselves through ministry multiplication will receive great reward. The greatest leaders in the Bible sought to duplicate their lives. We should do the same.

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Duplicating one’s self not only takes double the work, it takes an immense amount of time. I believe our greatest and most lasting contributions will not be through big events or programs. I do not believe our legacy will be realized through the big splash things nor through glamorous gains. I believe it will be realized in the slow and steady replication of our efforts in the life of another person.

Spending your life with the duty of duplication is not glamorous. It lacks the fire falling and the fanfair we all seem drawn toward. It typically involves concentrating on fewer numbers of people. Yet it is done for the hope of a greater return. Ministry multiplication takes time. It is often unseen. It likely concentrates on but a few people.

You see, we are all short-timers on this earth. I believe that those who seek to make more of themselves will receive great reward. Moses did it. Elijah did too. Jesus had the 12 and yet he poured even more into Peter, James and John. Paul had Timothy. The greatest leaders in the Bible sought to duplicate their lives. We should do the same.

Summary: The legacy of Elijah was not in the miraculous, rather the mundane and monotonous ministry of multiplication.

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Elijah was quite a character in the Bible. Donning camel skin and a leather belt, Elijah’s ministry was known for the miraculous. Most people think the pinnacle of his ministry, both figuratively and literally, was on Mt. Carmel when fire comes down from heaven.

However, did anything really change in the nation as a result of that episode? Did the nation have a change of direction? Did hearts turn back to God by the thousands? Truth be told, no. Nothing really changed after fire fell from Mt. Carmel. Ahab and Jezebel still reigned on thrones of wickedness and there was no real change in the heart condition of the people.

Once fire fell from heaven, Elijah ran away from Queen Jezebel’s threat and laid under a broom tree, broken and dismayed. After listening to God’s “Still Soft Voice” in the mountain crag, Elijah was to anoint Elisha as his successor. Elijah was to pass the baton. He was to pass the mantle of leadership to another. Elijah was given a directive from God. Multiply yourself in Elisha.

The legacy of Elijah was not in the miraculous, rather the mundane and monotonous ministry of multiplication. What about you? Do you think that the kingdom will only move forward through moving mountains or have you concluded, as I have, that ministry multiplication IS the stuff that ultimately moves mountains?

Summary: Your ministry story likely has an odd and serpentine path that finds you where you are today. You are not alone. Others have gone before you. Can I challenge you to reflect back on your life and try to see how God has written some distinct chapters of your one and only life?

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How did you find yourself in ministry? Each of us have a unique and different story, right? We often have this zig-zag storyline that leads us all to today. Your life might follow a similar pattern. My story sure does. The chapters of my story would read like this:

Chapter 1 - “Rebellious Teen with a Tumultuous Past”. Chapter 2 - ”An Encounter with Jesus Changes Everything”. Chapter 3 - “Dreams of Ministry - Detoured”. Chapter 4 - “The Wilderness of Chemistry Teaching”. Chapter 5 - “Called to the Deep End of the Ministry Pool...But Can He Swim?”

How did you find yourself in the role you are now holding? I doubt you were on the path toward leading volunteers at the ripe age of 5 years old. Your journey is probably similar to my story and most other’s story. I imagine your story has an odd and serpentine path that finds you where you are today. And sadly, the harder parts of your story might mirror the harder parts of my story as well.

You are not alone. Others have gone before you. Can I challenge you to reflect back on your life and try to see how God has written some distinct chapters of your one and only life? Today, I want you to seek to live a life that would be worthy of a book or screenplay or even a movie.

Call someone, right now, and pray with them. Call someone and ask them how THEY are doing today. Write a line or a paragraph in the story of your life today and make it a good one.

Summary: Volunteer leadership is strenuous. I want YOU to stand the strain well. I want you to be able to be in this for the long haul. The only way, and truly the Biblical way, is ministry multiplication.

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Jethro was the father in-law of Moses. Jethro coaches and counsels Moses to create a tiered system of qualified leaders to manage, expedite and multiply the ministry Moses had been given. It is simple in structure, actually. Moses handled the hardest of cases. Yet he was to train and equip others to help shoulder the load.

Exodus 18:21-23 says, “But select capable men from all the people—men who fear God, trustworthy men who hate dishonest gain—and appoint them as officials over thousands, hundreds, fifties and tens. Have them serve as judges for the people at all times, but have them bring every difficult case to you; the simple cases they can decide themselves. That will make your load lighter, because they will share it with you. If you do this and God so commands, you will be able to stand the strain, and all these people will go home satisfied.”

Notice the end game of what Jethro is suggesting: “...you will be able to stand the strain…” Volunteer leadership is strenuous. I want YOU to stand the strain as well. I want you to be able to be in this for the long haul. The only way, and truly the Biblical way, is ministry multiplication.

Summary: I want you to see the grand end of all our labor as leaders of volunteers is to see ministry multiplied. You may not have any formal training for ministry. That is OK. Join the club. But our greatest goal is to build into a few and see ministry multiplied.

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Do you know the story of the duck born into the eagles nest? Just by virtue of being raised at a young age by a parent eagle, the duck just assumes the posture of an eagle. That duck knows no different.

For me, I had been plopped into the deep end of the swimming pool. I was way over my head. I had no formal ministry training. I was a high school chemistry teacher for Pete’s sake! I was that duck, outside of my league. However, my mentor was an eagle. He showed me the ropes of how to soar and how to be as regal as an eagle. I must say, I simply knew no different. I literally thought each and every pastor was working tirelessly to multiply themselves in ministry. I mean, it was found in scripture, right?

Interestingly enough, I thought the concept of multiplying oneself in ministry was standard issue in every pastor. Not the case. I want you to see the grand end of all our labor as leaders of volunteers is to see ministry multiplied. You may be just like me. You may not have any formal training for ministry. That is OK. Join the club. But our greatest goal is to build into a few and see ministry multiplied.

You need a team. Your need to find one area this week and seek to invite someone to learn THAT ONE aspect of the ministry. Show THEM the ropes and let them try it. You will be glad you did.

Summary: I was trained early in ministry that my job was to effectively work myself out of a job by training others in every aspect of the ministry. However, I often met pastors and leaders who were fried, burnt out or burning out. They did not have a team. YOU might be running ministry all on your own. It is time for you to start small, but start duplicating your efforts and multiplying your ministry.

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I was trained early in ministry that I was not to DO my job. My job was to effectively work myself out of a job by training others in every aspect of the ministry. Over time, I had multiple people who could lead music. Initially there was just me and my guitar. At first it was Josh the Game Leader. Over time, I had half a dozen people, who, at a moment's notice, were well-equipped to lead games according to the ministry values I had imparted.

We had players who had been trained and were effectively doing that which I had been doing by myself 20 months earlier. Finally, I had a team. Finally I had breathing room. Finally, we were able to take on some new areas of growth and not just barely maintain.

Several years into the ministry, I began to meet other pastors and leaders in a similar role that I had. They were fried, burnt out or burning out. They did not have a team. They were often “one-person-shows” and were so frazzled that, honestly, it was somewhat stressful to be around them. Listen, if it was stressful for me to be around them, do you think any volunteers would want to join in? Likely not. I began to see this “one-person-show” more and more. This was not an isolated incident, but something far reaching.

Therefore, it stands to reason that YOU might be running ministry all on your own. It is time for you to start small, but start duplicating your efforts and multiplying your ministry.

Summary: The role of a pastor is to build up the body to do the work of the ministry. Your job is NOT to DO the work of the ministry. What are you doing today? Who are you seeking to teach how to do that? It is your job to build the body, not just do the work yourself.

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I had a mentor. He repeatedly pounded into me, “The role of a pastor is to build up the body to do the work of the ministry. Your job is NOT to DO the work of the ministry. Biblically, your role is to build up OTHERS to do the work of the ministry.” At each meeting, he asked me two questions. The first question: What had I been doing and working on? The second question was never far behind: Who was I training to do what I had been working on?

He asked me these questions every single week. Knowing that I was going to peppered with this second question about multiplying myself in ministry each and every week, I sought to do what he kept telling me. I found qualified people and began to systematically pass on portions of the mantle that was under my authority. This was double the work, mind you. I was barely staying ahead of the ministry workload. Yet, I was being told that I needed to be training and handing off ministry to others in each area of ministry AT THE SAME TIME as keeping everything afloat. Yet, he persisted in his plea...and he was my boss.

Several years later, I was sailing along with a robust team of people, deeply engaged in the ministry. These leaders had risen to the top and I painstakingly taught them to be volunteer pastors and shepherds in different areas of the ministry. I multiplied myself several times over. Now there was a very deep bench of key players.

Let me be that same voice of reason and challenge. What are you doing today? Who are you seeking to teach how to do that? It is your job to build the body, not just do the work yourself.

Summary: We think of Moses as this iconic patriarch of the Old Testament and often forget that he was a person with a family and limitations. His story can be an example to us. The wisdom of his father-in-law in ministry delegation not only multiplied the kingdom of God, but saved his family.

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I want to share a story. Many of you may know this story. However, I want to take a more personal and intimate look at this all too familiar story. This is a story of a leader. This leader had been handed a massive mantle of leadership. This leader was Moses. We think of Moses as this iconic patriarch of the Old Testament and often forget that he was a person with a family and limitations. We quickly overlook the intimate and personal details of a regular man with a wife and two kids.

While in the deserts of Midian, Moses meets Zipporah. With the blessing of her father, Jethro, Moses and Zipporah marry and have two kids. Then, their world turns upside down. Moses is called into leadership. Moses led an interesting life. Though raised in the courts of Pharaoh and banished to the deserts of Midian, Moses now finds himself in charge of a huge group of people.

However, do you realize that the load of ministry in Moses’s life began to deteriorate his family life? Do you realize that Ziporah and the kids LEFT MOSES and went back to her father Jethro? Has ministry taken a toll on your life and family? It did mine. And yet, Jethro, the man of wisdom set forth a plan of ministry delegation that not only saved Moses’s marriage, it multiplied the kingdom of God.

Don’t seek to put in more hours. Seek to develop more leaders.

Summary: The key is to view our lives not as adding only to the kingdom, but to view ourselves as multipliers in the kingdom. This happens as we systematically pass on duties, decisions and discipleship to other leaders.

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When I was a kid I loved to play with calculators. Maybe you did too. I used to take out a calculator during math class, probably when I was supposed to be listening to the teacher. I would mentally check out and push 2+2 and hit the equal sign over and over. Have you ever done this? It is so satisfying.

Do you want to know what was even more fun as a kid? Discovering the power of multiplication. Sure it was fun to add numbers as fast as my fingers could push the buttons, however, it was even cooler to push 2x2 and hit the equal sign over and over, seeing the escalating outcome. We are called to multiply our efforts and not simply do the work ourselves.

The key is to view our lives not as adding only to the kingdom, but to view ourselves as multipliers in the kingdom. This happens as we systematically pass on duties, decisions and discipleship to other leaders. You should not be the only one in the church with the figurative “keys to the car”. Even if someone is not as gifted and talented as you, I want you to hand them something in the kingdom. GIve away the keys to the car. Sure, you can ride shotgun and give some pointers. But let someone else drive and feel the rush of the road. Who could you multiply ministry through this week?

Summary: Success in ministry is not about what you do. Success is ministry is what happens if you were to never come back.

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If there is one statement or phrase that typifies my philosophy or heart in ministry leadership, it would be this: “Success in ministry is not about what you do. Success is ministry is what happens if you were to never come back.”

Success in ministry is duplicating yourself. It is that simple. It is that straightforward. Success in ministry is about you transferring your leadership life into another life. Here is a test: If what you have built is thriving 18 months after your hands have released it, you have been successful. If it will only succeed if your hands are required to prop it up, you have your work cut out for you. If you have to be present to ensure its success, you should start to reframe your idea of success.

HOW ABOUT YOU. Imagine the impact you could have if you slowly and methodically trained a small handful of leaders and equipped them. What if you trained them and gave them small outposts of ministry authority. What if your greatest impact was in the lives of those you built up as leaders and not only the lives of the children or teens in your ministry. Consider who you might seek to develop and where you can pass on the blessing of ministry to another.