General Jody’s MARCHING ORDERS

6) Communicate with your team.

Constant, effective communication is key to any successful team.  A football team on the field or an army in a battle all must have effective communication of the objectives, the goals, the obstacles, the targets, the location on the field, and what the next move is.  In ministry, if you do not know where your team is in their personal and spiritual walk, you can not help them thru the challenges.  If there is a change of direction or course correction, you can leave them stranded and lost if you are not communicating effectively.

You must communicate the good as well as the bad.  People often tend to wait until there is a problem to communicate with each other (especially as men) when in reality, it is as important, if not more so, to communicate when things are going well.  A pat on the back and a word of encouragement go a long way in building up the team.  This positive feedback also makes the negative more palatable when it is required.

Take the time today to communicate to your team just how valuable and important they are to you!  You, and they, will be glad that you did.

5) Celebrate the milestones and victories along the way.

Sometimes you may encounter a set back or an obstacle in route to your victory. Take time to celebrate the victories, the wins, the milestones along the journey. Constantly remind yourself of the goodness and faithfulness of God in the past and the fact that He will never leave you or forsake you. Think of the times He has brought you thru difficulty to victory. Remember that He is the same yesterday, today, and forever. Whenever you achieve a goal, or a significant obstacle is overcome, take time to celebrate and give God the glory.

Robert Cameron from Wave church spoke at PMT yesterday. He talked about Passion and about Leadership. Below are a couple of nuggets that i am still chewing on:

Passion comes by design. You attract what you respect. You must teach it, you can’t be passionate about something you don’t know. We don’t teach task, we teach the pleasure and thrill of being on the team. We have a choice to be on the team or not. If you choose to be on the team, do whatever you do as unto the Lord… do it with passion and for the glory of God. If someone is not serving with excellence and passion, train them don’t blame them.

We will never reach this generation the way we were reached. Turn or burn does not work. God is love and until they see genuine love, they will never receive salvation. Be creative. When was the last time you tried something for the first time. Expand and get out of the box. Always have the attitude of “I don’t know how we could have done it any better….but we will try.”

What is good in your ministry for 1000 people, may not work for 2000. You have to have the right people in the right position. Is someone on the team struggling? Are they in the right position or could they flourish in another position on the team (or even on a different team)? In order to effectively grow with the team, for the good of the team, you have to be willing to do whatever the leader ask. If your leader asks you to move to another position or another team, they are doing it for the greater good of the Kingdom not just for that particular area of ministry.

Cease listening to instruction, my son, and you will stray form the words of knowledge. Proverbs 19:27

We all need coaching and instruction if we have a desire to grow, learn, and become more useful to the Kingdom of God. Anything that is not growing is in the process of dying. In order to continue to grow, we must continue to learn. The best athletes in any sport still have a coach. The purpose of the coach is to encourage the player to become even better and point out minor corrections that can enhance their performance. Who is your coach? Who are you coaching? Have you stopped listening to instruction? The great thing about learning is that the more you learn, the more you realize just how little you know. Let this realization drive you to open up to receiving instruction from a trusted coach and mentor.

Have you ever spent time reading 1 Chronicles 11:10-47? It is here (and 2 Sam 23:8-39), that we find record of David’s top leaders. I find it fascinating the men that David was able to attract and retain. These men were fierce warriors, killing hundreds of other men with the spear in a single battle, defending a field against a Phillistine onslaught, killing an Egyptian giant by using a club to beat the spear from his hands and killing the giant with his own weapon, chasing a lion into a pit in a snow storm and killing it. These men were fearless, relentless, and devoted to their king. Thru their trials, they were prepared for greater battle and received honor amonst their peers as well as those whom they led.

What giants are you facing today? Do you feel as though you are in the midst of a large field with only a couple of friends holding off an entire battalion? Are you chasing the lion into the pit, or is it chasing you? It is easy at times to become weary by the battles of life, yet these men banded together, as brothers, and strengthened and encouraged each other. Their stories of deliverance and battles won gave them confidence in facing the next challenge. David could have never had the confidence with the sling and rocks against the giant had he not first defeated a bear and lion in much the same way.

When you are in the midst of life’s battles, remember how God has brought you thru things in the past. Be encouraged by God’s Word. Rally to the aid of your team members and friends. Spend your time in prayer thanking God for victory thru Christ Jesus. Come to the aid of someone who can not defend themselves. Spend yourself in a worthwhile cause. Die to yourself and sacrifice your life in service to the King of Kings. When you do, you find that the giants you are facing in your own life seem much smaller and less ominous than they did just yesterday. It is thru Christ that you find the strength to face them with confidence for with God ALL things are possible.

I really liked this post. Are we so focused on keeping things together in the ministry that we miss the obvious opportunities to recruit? It is easy to overlook things that you are not looking for. If you are looking for a volunteer, don’t get a preconceived notion of what that volunteer should look like (a parent, someone with a child in your class, etc.) You may be missing a phenomenal leader for your team by not stepping back at the big picture.

Before you rely on the church bulletin…

Published by Ryan Frank on March 18, 2008 in Leadership and Random.

Take thirty seconds and watch this video.

It will make you think twice before you rely on the church bulletin to recruit your nursery workers or drive VBS registration.

I ran across this post today and wanted to share it here. These statistics are staggering. Enjoy.

Fifteen percent

 

Published by Evan Doyle on March 9, 2008 in Uncategorized.

“Among young outsiders, 84 percent say they personally know at least one committed Christian. Yet just 15 percent thought the lifestyles of those Christ followers were significantly different from the norm.” (Page 48, unChristian, Baker Bookhouse, Grand Rapids, MI)

The first time I read that statistic it hit me hard. It’s really something to think about. According to Barna Research, approximately 120 million Americans are true born-again Christians. Think about that fifteen percent. That means that out of the 120 million Christians in America, just 18 million of those live like a Christian.

Let’s visualize that number. Say that everyone living east of the Mississippi River was Christian. Based on 2005 population estimates, the only region within that area that would be living for Christ would be the New York City Metropolitan Area. All I have to say is wow. That’s pathetic. Puny. Miniscule in proportion.

According to Barna Research, statistically speaking, Christians live very similar lives to non-Christians. Just as many view pornography. Just as many are adulterous. Just as many get drunk. Just as many use illegal drugs. Just as many get divorced. For all intents and purposes, as far as scientists are concerned, the modern Christian lifestyle is identical to the secular one. We’ve got a problem.

We can’t just ignore this. We may not like it, but it’s simple truth. Our job: to raise a generation of Christian children who don’t have that problem. To make them part of that fifteen percent. To be in the world, not of it. To reverse the problems Christianity has. To remind the world that Christians are true, loving, real, transparent people. You, as a children’s minister, have the task of fixing it. It won’t be easy, but one child at a time, we can change that with God’s help. That’s not the way I see it. That’s the way we all need to see it.

I have to agree with Pastor Steve Caronna, I would come to church here even if I weren’t a pastor here. As I reflect on the difference that this body is making in the community, of the lives that are being changed, and the hearts that are set on fire for God, I feel very proud and grateful to be a part of what God is doing at LWFC. God has given Pastor Steve a vision that is far reaching yet very specific…Acts 2:41-47.

Children’s Ministry is woven thru every part of the vision. Children are not just the church of tomorrow, they are a vital part of the church of today. We as parents and ministers have a unique opportunity to prepare them, to train and equip them, for ministry at a young age. We have the opportunity to prepare rather than repair at the youngest ages; to set their face toward God and create an atmosphere where God can “add daily to the church those who are being saved.” It is a daily repsonse, a daily choice, to love, encourage, teach, train, discipline, and disciple those whom God has placed in our care. While the choice is made daily, day by day, minute by minute, the consequences are eternal.

Wrong believing does hold you back. If you believe wrong, you will make decisions based on incorrect information. Here are some wrong beliefs that keep people from reaching out to the next generation:

1) Children’s Ministry is not “real” ministry. According to the Barna Research Group, 43% of people who claim to be born again believers made that decision before the age of 13 with 64% making that decision before the age of 18.

2)Kids don’t have real problems. Children today have more choices than ever before, they are experimenting with sex, alcohol, and drugs at increasingly younger ages. 40% of children will live with their mother and her “live in” at some time by the age of 16, research indicates. These are real issues.

3)They are too young to understand or be used by God. The devil doesn’t wait for them to get “old enough” to use. He starts trying to take them out from the womb (50 Mill+ abortions since Roe V Wade). He is hitting them with everything he has in an attempt to neutralize them and get them into fear, doubt, and hopelessness as soon as possible. The liberal social agenda mirrors that of Stalin who said “Give us the children and we can take the nation within one generation.” Just look at the TV programs and music aimed at our children and youth. The truth is that God made each and every child with a purpose and a destiny for His Kingdom.

So how do we turn the tide and change the thinking? Turn to the word of God and look at His instructions in Deut 6:7-9. What happens in your home has greater impact than what happens at Church. What we, as parents, teach our kids matters to God. We must start by leading by example and being the men and women that God is calling us to be. We must show them by doing ministry together with them and training them in the things of God. They will do what you do. Are you doing what you expect from them?