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.

4) Keep moving toward the goal.

Always keep the vision, the goal, before you and move towards it constantly. When you stop, it is easy to get pinned down under fire. If you keep moving, it is easier to advance and take ground.

The enemy will continue to try to knock you off course and out of alignment for what God has called you to do. If you stop pressing forward toward His high calling, it is easy to get entangled by the cares of the world and get sidetracked or bogged down in “the other stuff”. If you are constantly growing, moving forward, taking ground for the Kingdom the momentum will continue to carry your forward. Constant, steady advancement will get you to the finish line quicker than to hunker down and wait it out.

3)  Never do it alone.

Whether it is ministry or an attack, never go in alone; always have someone with you to help, to train, or to teach.  When you are alone, it is easy to miss something or get blindsided.  If you have a partner, you are able to move faster, cover more area, support each other, and take more ground.  The enemy would love for you to get off by yourself so that you are an easier target.  It is easier to get discouraged and give up when the pressures (or paintballs) are closing in around you. Moses had Aaron and Hur to hold up his arms in the midst of battle.  Even the Lone Ranger had his Tonto.

This week, I had the opportunity to attend survivor camp with 4 other adults and 13 middle school students at Uwharrie National Forest near Troy, NC.  We had a great time, no one lost, few injuries.  One of the activities was paintball.  What a great classroom for leadership teaching!  Here are a few observations:

1) Have a plan and stick to it.

When you go into battle, someone needs to look at the lay of the land, formulate a plan of attack (or defense), communicate the plan, and trust the troops to execute the plan.  no matter how good the plan may be, if it is not executed well, it wont work.  Plan for contingencies and work thru the obstacles.

2)  Equip your team for success.

If you do not have the right equipment, no matter how well trained or prepared you are, it is extremely difficult to win.  If your gun misfires, you run out of paintballs, you are not well hidden, or you don’t have protective gear, you will have a difficult time winning.

When you lead your team, are you preparing them, equipping them, training them, motivating them, and coaching them for success?  The prep you do off the field makes all the difference in the heat of battle.  Does your team know the lesson, do they have the props, are the ready when they get to the classroom?  Make sure that you are doing your part as the leader to equip your team for success.

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.