Summary: Proverbs 14:4 reads, "Where there are no oxen, the manger is clean, but much increase comes by the strength of the ox." Our goal is not a clean stall. Our goal is a huge harvest. The calling of the harvest trumps our neurotic desire for order.

Read Article

Proverbs 14:4 reads, "Where there are no oxen, the manger is clean, but much increase comes by the strength of the ox." In the ancient agrarian world, animals brought a massive advantage. To have an animal meant you could accomplish so much more.

Today we refer to a car as having a certain amount of "horse power." In times past, an animal brought with it a certain amount of power to increase the harvest and get the job done. Here, the writer of Proverbs is referring to "ox power." The power and advantage brought through the strength of an ox. The writer of Proverbs says that it is really a tradeoff. On one hand you get a significant increase through the strength of an ox, yet with it you get, poop. Yes, good, ol' fashioned ox poop.

Our goal is not a clean stall. Our goal is a huge harvest. A natural side effect of a huge harvest are messes. A tidy stall in and of itself is a bad trade for a compromised harvest.
Let me shoot straight with you. The calling of the harvest trumps our neurotic desire for order.

Listen, if you want order more than you want the harvest, you may find yourself doing it alone. Doing it alone equals a field white for harvest with no one to get the job done. The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. More workers means more messes. We as farmers must manage the messes and rise above the stall to see the harvest. Do you want a harvest more than you want order? Absolutely. Therefore, we had better embrace the reality of a poopy stall.

Summary: Embracing the pain from a brother is worse than pain from a hateful outsider. Have you ever experienced the pain of friendly fire? If you are going to serve in ministry, this is bound to happen. The goal is to be Christ-like and not fire back evil for evil.

Read Article

Friendly Fire is what happens when someone is shot by their own army. It is tragic. It happens in war. It can happen in ministry. David said in Psalm 55, “For it is not an enemy who hurts me, then I could bear it. But it is you, my companion, my familiar friend. We used to take sweet counsel together within God’s house.” Friendly fire hurts.

Embracing the pain from a brother is worse than pain from a hateful outsider. Have you ever experienced the pain of friendly fire? If you are going to serve in ministry, this is bound to happen. These things happened to me and it was devastating.

The first few times, I literally could not sleep. I was strung out and listless. Third time, it hurt but was less shocking. Fourth and fifth and tenth time, it was no less sad, but experience has its advantages. Cold and callous I am not. Yet I have a deeper understanding of the human condition. I understand a deeper degree of our collective human plight. I also share in the sufferings of Christ. I take deep honor and beauty in being counted worthy of taking shrapnel for the Kingdom. We can be called to absorb someone's painful and friendly fire. Ministry requires the development of thick skin.

Personal shots are going to come. David said again in Psalm 109, “In return for my love they accuse me, but I give myself to prayer. So they reward me evil for good, and hatred for my love.”

Friendly fire will happen within the ministry. The goal is to be Christ-like and not fire back evil for evil.

Summary: Your objective is not to say to your senior pastor, "all of our spots are filled." We have a higher calling. I would rather be short staffed than poorly staffed. You may think that you are just trying to fill a slot. However, you can actually do more damage to the mission by staffing poorly, than if you never enlisted them in the first place.

Read Article

Proverbs 26:10 says, “Like an archer who wounds everyone is one who hires a passing fool or drunkard.” Not everyone is qualified to serve. I would rather be short staffed than poorly staffed. No one would ever grab a stranger off the street and say, “Hey, Have you ever run heavy machinery? Oh, you've never operated a backhoe? No problem jumping the seat, figure it out as you go. Please dig a hole right by my house and don’t mess it up. Thanks!” Only a fool would do that.

Just as the proverb says, only a fool would grab someone off the street and hand in the bow and arrow and enlist them into the specialized area of warfare. You may think that you are just trying to fill a slot. However, you can actually do more damage to the mission then if you never enlisted them in the first place.

Notice that the one who causes damage, is the one who hires the person who has no idea what they're doing. The admonition is not to the archer, but to the idiot who hired an unqualified person to wield the bow and arrow. Should we expect perfection? Absolutely not. That doesn't exist.

However, certain people should not take apart my car engine. Certain people are not qualified to start up a chainsaw. Certain people are unqualified to sit in the cab of an 18 wheeler and back it up 15 yards. Certain people are not qualified to sit down with the group of preschoolers and tell them a story from the Bible. Is this harsh? Nope, it's wise. Your objective is not to say to your senior pastor, "all of our spots are filled." We have a higher calling.

The harvest is plentiful, and the workers are few. We will certainly never feel like we have enough. But just like Gideon, God comes through for us and does the work of 3,000 through 300. May we trust him. Don't just allow anyone to hold the archer's bow. Be intelligent, be shrewd, exercise due diligence, pray your heart out, and trust the Lord.

Summary: You may experience a new church attender approaching you with big, sweeping changes they feel are needed in your ministry. They approach boldly and offer grand solutions to all your problems. Though they have not been a part of your fellowship more than a few hours over a few weeks, they feel they have accurately assessed our faults and failures. They know nothing of our history. They know nothing of our culture as a church. Remember this: do not give away the keys.

Read Article

Here is a similar scenario: You are driving a 15-passenger rental van with two other adults and 12 kids from your ministry. You stop for gasoline and the necessary potty break before carrying on with your trip. A man walks up and assertively shakes your hand with a grip firmer than most. Within 2 minutes of meeting, he has told you his qualifications. He gives you his resume that he feels should breed confidence, yet it only brings skepticism. You have an awkward feeling of a too-slick-to-be-good vibe.

Now that you are entering your 3rd minute of knowing each other, this man insists on having the keys to the 15 passenger van and tells you he is ready to drive these people away. “Trust me. I know where I am going. I have done this before. I am highly qualified, as I just told you, and you will love where I will take these people. OK…? Alright then…”

You are aghast, yet he continues with his hand extended, palm up, clearly wanting the keys to this rental van which holds people you have been given charge and authority over. He insists, “Listen, we don’t have all the time in the world here. I’ve got this. Give me the keys.” Your insides are a mixture of shocked confusion and righteous indignation at his audacity. Your hesitancy causes him to instantly elevate. “Listen. I have driven 15 passenger vans nearly my whole life; I know what I am doing!” Now he starts looking at you with a level of intensity generally reserved for confrontations.

Here is the scenario: A guy or gal has been at our church for a whopping 2 weeks. They approach boldly and offer grand solutions to all our problems as a children’s ministry. Though they have not been a part of our fellowship more than a few hours over a few weeks, they feel they have accurately assessed our faults and failures. They know nothing of our history. They know nothing of our culture as a church. They literally know nothing, except that they know everything.

I have had this experience. I have had a strong personality who is new to our church INSIST that they should be handed the reigns of decision-making and leadership after our first or second meeting. Remember this: do not give away the keys.

Summary: You need to rethink recruiting. You are giving someone an opportunity. You aren’t taking something from them. Don’t sell the commitment and sacrifice it will take for them to help you. Share the wonderful opportunity they have to make an impact on the Kingdom of God.

Read Article

You need to rethink recruiting. You are giving someone an opportunity. You aren’t taking something from them. Don’t sell the commitment and sacrifice it will take for them to help you. Share the wonderful opportunity they have to make an impact on the Kingdom of God.

I switched to asking them to give something up to choosing a higher end, even for their own growth and life. There is a deep sense of community when you serve together. I have grown closer to people through serving in 5 days of an intense kids camp than I had warming a seat in an adult class over 5 long years.

As a follower of Jesus, I wanted community. What I received in terms of connection and authentic fellowship via the holy spirit in serving WITH PEOPLE far surpassed what I was being told was going to meet my need for fellowship.

I am not opposed to community groups, life groups, adult Bible fellowships or any other variant. They are critical. They have their place. However, there is no match to partnering together via the Holy Spirit and seeing God move in ways that are remarkable.

Therefore, I want to share with people how relationships can be fostered THROUGH serving. I share how people can grow closer to God THROUGH serving. Can you shift your thinking about recruiting and position it as a benefit and blessing to the person you are recruiting?

Summary: Asking someone to serve does come with a measure of wisdom, discernment and honor. But, do not prematurely sabotage your mission as a leader by saying “no” for someone.

Read Article

One of the biggest mistakes I have ever made in Children’s ministry is assuming someone will say “NO” to an opportunity to participate as a volunteer. We often prematurely sabotage our own mission as leaders by saying no for someone. We think they are likely too busy. And so, we say “NO” for them. We don’t even ask. Never say no for someone. Ever.

I learned a great lesson through recruiting 1000’s of people. You just don’t know unless you ask. You may think, “They are serving in the Women's Ministry and are so busy there! Why bother.” Are you all-knowing? Do you know what is happening in everyone's life and can you peer into their soul? The answer is no.

Since you are not all-knowing, you literally have no idea what God might be doing in their lives. What you are getting ready to ask them might be exactly where God has been quietly moving in their heart for weeks and weeks. You may be the one to bring it all into focus. Your invitation to serve might be the exact thing they need to make a transition from the deacon board into a teaching role. You just do not know what God is doing. James tells us that you “receive NOT because you ask not”. May that not be true of us.

Granted, asking someone to serve does come with a measure of wisdom, discernment and honor. Honor and discernment should dictate my moves. And yet, I want to stress with you one important lesson. Do not say no for someone.

Summary: As a ministry leader, your job, as set forth by Scripture, is to equip the saints for the work of service; to build up the body of Christ. Find the currently faithful, diligent, and godly. If these people have been faithful doers, even in small things, the Bible says that they will be faithful if they were given more. Your job is to identify “the faithful few” in your ministry and invite them to a greater involvement.

Read Article

I was a children’s pastor. I had a large paid staff working with me. However, I did not start out working with a large paid staff. I systematically developed a process by which key volunteers transitioned into paid staff roles. This took time, intentionality and a persuasive voice to the right people at the right time.

I’ve been called to be a pastor. Paul makes an astounding statement in Ephesians 4:11-12 about pastors: “And He gave some as apostles, and some as prophets, and some as evangelists, and some as pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of service, to the building up of the body of Christ.”

My job, as set forth by Scripture, is to equip the saints for the work of service; to build up the body of Christ. My job is to build people. Jesus said, “He who is faithful in a very little thing is faithful also in much.” Look around your ministry. Find the currently faithful, diligent, and godly. If these people have been faithful doers, even in small things, the Bible says that they will be faithful if they were given more. Your job is to identify “the faithful few” in your ministry and invite them to a greater involvement.

Personally share with “the faith few” what sets them apart. Boldly invite them to join you on a leadership adventure. Begin to conduct this volunteer leadership team as if it was they were the exact full time staff you dream to have someday. Establish structures, rhythms, and personal habits as if you currently had a large paid staff. Soon, you might find yourself being able to hire one of these people.

Summary: You may have discretion over your own “operational budget,” even if you don’t make the final decisions on the “staffing budget.” You could create a detailed plan for how to leverage a small portion of your operational budget to develop a "stipend staff member." This can help reward commitment and hard work among top tier volunteers, and create a deeper ownership of ministry.

Read Article

In a church, the budget is divided into different categories. There is a "staffing budget" for staff salaries and an "operational budget" covering curriculum and supplies. Senior leaders do not like to add employees, inflating the "staffing budget." However, a children's pastor, even a small church, has discretion over their operational budget. Layout a detailed plan for how to leverage a small portion of your operational budget to develop a stipend staff member.

Consider a paying a stipend of $25-$50 per month to your top-tier leader. A small monthly stipend achieves two important things. First, it rewards commitment and hard work. Second, you as the leader have slightly turned the tables by making them an "employee" and in a very subtle way they feel deeper ownership and responsibility to the ministry.

There is an interesting psychological transformation that happens when you begin to pay an individual, even a nominal amount. The individual feels an intrinsic sense of value, as well as responsibility. Since they know this is being paid to them by the local church, not a fortune 500 company, they will not expect thousand dollars a month. However, a simple $25-$50 "thank you" for the load they are carrying can actually work wonders for their psyche and carrying capacity. In conclusion, a little pay can honestly go a long way. Consider how to create a small stipend program for key areas.

Summary: Some people create their own storms and then get upset when it's raining. A wise person can humbly look back and see the path that led to this storm. Reflective leaders can see and own their actions.

Read Article

Some people create their own storms and then get upset when it's raining. You know what? There are times where I have made a series of poor decisions and I am the recipient of the thorny fruit of that decision. My decisions can cause a yucky storm! And what about you? Have you ever found yourself in a storm of your own making? Are you sitting in a storm RIGHT NOW of your own making?

A wise person can humbly look back and see the path that led to this storm. Reflective leaders can see and own their actions. Actions that brought about a storm.

Have you ever experienced a person who, as they say these days, is a hot mess? Well, sometimes those people are sitting in a storm of their very own making. It can be easy, as an outsider, to identify that some ELSE’S actions have caused a storm to exist around them. But do you want to know what is NOT easy? Do you want to know something that is super hard? Tracing back your own steps and identifying where YOUR actions may have been the precipitating factor in starting the painful storm you are currently walking through.

Are you willing to own that if you find yourself in a pickle, It's maybe because you opened that jar of pickles? I want to be thoughtful before opening a jar of pickles. Sometimes it is not a jar of pickles, sometimes it is a can of worms.

So today, if you're experiencing a storm, what part of it might have come from your hand? A lot of these things are absolutely outside of our control. There are storms that come our way that have absolutely nothing to do with our behaviors or with our work ethic. However, some storms are storms that come into our lives because we're slack handed and not doing our best. So, before you start getting mad at the storms, take a look back and ask yourself, “Was I the instigator of the very rains that I'm experiencing?”

Summary: Trying new things comes at a cost. The reason it comes at a cost is that we don’t typically start anything as an instant expert. Be brave enough to suck at something for a while. In time you will get better.

Read Article

Are you willing to suck at something new? Are you willing to try something and suck at it for a while? I find this to be quite hard. I don't like the feeling of being all thumbs and when I start something new. It's very painful. But I've come to conclude that I'm going to be brave enough to risk sucking for the short term. I'm going to push through my feelings of insecurity and my feelings of being 10 thumbs. I need to overcome the fear that this just might NOT work out.

I'm going to be brave enough to suck at it for a little while. I want to cut new ground. I want to do new things. But trying new things comes at a cost. The reason it comes at a cost is that we don’t typically start anything as an instant expert. I might have some natural proclivities or natural giftings in an area. But anything truly new is typically hard going at first. New territory doesn't feel comfortable. Are you cool with not feeling comfortable? Are you cool with sucking at something so as to get better?

Honestly, this is a new concept for me. I am just embracing it. I am embracing that the startup cost of anything new is – that I will likely suck at it for a while! I want you to embrace it as well.

I do not have to be perfect as I start something new. And, truth be told, being good right out of the shoot is essentially impossible. Hear me loud and clear: You don't have to be perfect right out of the gate. Be willing to suck at something. Be brave enough to suck at something for a while. In time you will get better.