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For I long to see you in order that I may impart some spiritual gift to you, that you may be established. –Romans 1:11

The Apostle Paul is known as the greatest evangelist of the Christian Faith. He referred to himself as a debtor to Christ, one who had no choice but to preach. While we accredit a great many of the churches planted in the early days of those following Christ to Paul we see another passion revealed in this passage. Paul speaks of coming to Rome to establish them in the faith. This word establish could also be read disciple them in the faith.

I am fortunate to be a part of a church that is reaching our city with the gospel. Every weekend we open our doors to thousands of people and most every weekend can celebrate new souls who have accepted Christ. Then what?

The Church serves the world in two capacities. We are light in the darkness as we share the good news to a lost world and we speak into believers lives to establish them. We have spent some time lately asking ourselves what does it look like to be established? How do we know if someone is growing in Christ? I have to confess as a card carrying member of Generation X, the anti-establishment, grunge music, reality bites generation, this notion of quantifying spiritual maturity makes me a little uneasy. My Father’s generation says give me a 10 point check list of maturity and we will do an audit. Those younger than me insist it’s not anyone’s right to judge, everyone can be right. Me, I am more prone to just say buzz off. (Possibly exhibiting my own spiritual immaturity.) BUT, I run headlong into another of Paul’s letters… “We proclaim Him, admonishing every man and teaching every man with all wisdom, so that we may present every man complete in Christ. For this purpose also I labor, striving according to His power, which mightily works within me.” (Colossians 1:28-29)

We proclaim, admonish, and teach so that we may present every man complete? This is the work of establishment and it is the calling of God on those of us in ministry. As that verse has bounced around in my head for the past year I have come to understand I will give an account to God for the people he places in my life and my ministry. So I am back to the question; what’s it mean to be established? I am not going to give you a quick answer only another question… Each of you has been called to minister to a certain age group. What does it mean to be established?

My son is almost two. When we visit Shannon at work, Christus Santa Rosa Hospital, we walk be a statue of Jesus. My son points each time and says, “Jesus.” When we sit down to eat he clasps his hands and says, “Pray.” As a parent of a little boy I’d say he is established, for now that’s pretty good.

360 degrees
If you haven’t already go out and get a copy of the 360 degree leader by John Maxwell. Our Pastor has recommended the book several times, I just re-read it and agree with him, it’s one of the best Maxwell books out there. 360 and 21 irrefutable laws of leadership are all you really need to read and you can be a Maxwell expert.

The 360 degree leader teaches us how to lead down to the people who work for us, to the sides for the people who are at the same level as we are and up to the people we work for. All the chapters are great, but if you have never read about leading up you are really missing something! Take some time this week and do a quick exercise to polish your 360 degree leadership…

For those who report to you…
1. What’s the single most important thing I want my staff to know?
2. How often and how effectively do I communicate #1 to them?
3. What’s the greatest challenge I face with leading them?
4. What’s the one area I would like to improve in leading my team?

For those you work alongside…
1. What is the focus of my teammates ministry?
2. How can I help them achieve their goals?
3. How can I more effectively collaborate with the people not in my specific ministry but on the same team?
4. What’s the greatest challenge I face leading those who are on my same level?
5. What’s the one area I would like to improve in leading to the side?

For those you report to…
1. What’s the single most important thing to my boss regarding our ministry?
2. How can I help she or he achieve that win?
3. What is my bosses personality type and how does that influence the way I communicate with she or he?
4. What value can I add to the over all organization?
5. What’s the greatest challenge I face leading up?
6. What’s the one area I would like to improve on in leading up?

If you have worked on staff at a church with more than three people attending you have probably had to deal with politics. You may be one of those people who have jumped form church to church looking for one without “politics” (you are also probably sneering as you read the word, as if anyone is actually reading my blog post… delusional at best, but I ramble). I have worked at small churches, medium size churches, and gigantic city size churches. the one thing i can say without question… if you are going to survive working @ a church you need to embrace the reality, Politics are part of the job. Does that sting? It doesn’t have too, it’s all how you look at it. Let me offer a new perspective on politics…

Politics - the process by which groups of people make decisions
At the end of the day that’s all it really is. When we work at making decisions with other people will we find it necessary to engage them and to rally them to a certain cause. At our best politics is the process of divine consensus where each person brings their own discernment to a decision and we emerge with a collective plan. At it’s worst politics create factions and tear churches a part. No matter your experience the idea of a politic free church is only possible in a people free church. If you are burnt out on ministry that may sound perfect to you… but technically the church of just you isn’t actually a church. Here’s a quick look at the good, the bad, and the ugly of church politics.

Promoting ministry vs. promoting yourself
Churches are notorious for holy wars. When the executive staff of my church meets we are each on a mission from God. We never have a shortage of divine inspiration, missions from God, or vision. We do however have to manage the resources of the church and must often focus in on one or two areas. In this environment promoting what God has called you to do is essential. If you are smart you have walked around to the other team members offices and asked their input on the idea. When you gather together with a staff team it will be necessary to promote your ministry, don’t slink back.

The down side of promo is when we work other team members or our bosses boss with our own personal interest in mind. Even in the less structured church staff world stepping outside the chain of command can be destructive. A couple of years ago Andy Stanley spoke @ Catalyst on phrase from Daniel. “The most high God is sovereign over the kingdoms of men and He gives to whomever he chooses.” Be careful of rallying people in your favor to win a dispute or promotion.

Honest assessment vs. Hostile takeover
From time to time your boss will ask your opinion of another staff member… BE CAREFUL!!! As a part of the team you have a responsibility to call it like it is when asked by your supervisor, but stick to the facts. It’s a nasty business but at times even church staffers will seek a hostile takeover. Unable to handle not being in charge they will stage a rebellion to remove another team mate. This is not the process of honest assessment, and is an example of politics at it’s worst. However, when a team member is struggling whether due to their own lack of performance, a poor job description, or a lack of solid leadership you may have to speak up. The best way to handle this situation is to be honest with your supervisor. You can reinforce the positive and draw light to areas needed for improvement. If you find yourself in this situation confess any motives that are less the Christ-like to your supervisor. In doing so you will give them a heads up about your personal feelings verse professional ones.

Collaboration vs. Factions
Unfortunately we don’t spend enough time working together in the church. We often allow walls to come up and ministries to be siloed form one another. If we hold the the body of Christ analogy the, the hand doesn’t know what the foot is doing. We need to move our staff teams toward collaboration while be aware of factions. I have been in churches where factions arise, its not pretty. The crazy thing, the most destructive factions i have seen are the ones created by the “spiritual” people. These are the ones who feel like God has given them a specific mission to fix the church. These guys are usually some of our most difficult to deal with. Beware of meetings between departments where talk of the ineffectiveness of elders or the pastor comes up, ministries that need to be fixed, or people who need to be ousted. While we need to work together, we can’t tolerate factions.

Politics happen, get over it. Learn to be Christ-like as you deal with other staff members and you will find politics a pleasant reality of collaboration.

After working on staff at a church for awhile you will usually end up in one of four situations…

1) I am aligned with my pastor, I like my job

2) I am aligned with my pastor, I don’t like my job

3) I am not aligned, I like my job
4) I am not aligned, I don’t like my job
What do you do?

#4’s Quit! You probably already did. Ohhhhh, wait, you still work there? Number fours who refuse to move on can be the most destructive force in the church. They grumble at the leader and at the organization. These guys are usually just cashing a check and hoping something really big changes. If you are a number four still punching your clock trust in God’s provision and move on.

It’s a crazy thing when you heart begins to change. Listen closely to where you are and make the moves you need to make. Unless you are able to thrive in your current location it will leave you jaded with how you see God and how you lead other people in maturity in Christ.

1) I am aligned with my pastor, I like my job

2) I am aligned with my pastor, I don’t like my job

3) I am not aligned, I like my job
4) I am not aligned, I don’t like my job
What do you do?

#3’s Change you, not your church! Number three’s are crusaders. These guys like to fight the man, i have been one most of my life. Up until the church i currently work at i fought the system, loving the people but angry with the leadership. You can work like this for awhile but you will find yourself resentful and more than likely will build a small faction of complainers who all “pray” for the pastor to get a clue, errrrr have his heart warmed. Number three’s can have their heart changed by God but as far as changing the church it’s the path of martyr’s. God may call you to this kind of ministry but for the most part, quit.

Here’s the deal with three’s… you will get fired! I have seen it over and again, right up till the end they are waving the flag of change and then they are cashing a severance check. The people in your church chose your church. The people not in your church chose another church. Go with them. You can’t be silent hoping no one will know. Your programming, preaching, and counsel will all end up running toward argument with the “man.” Quit when you are ahead. When God begins to change your heart put your resume out there or interview for another department in your church (if it’s your immediate boss you have the issue with). If you leave quick you will preserve your own integrity and have fond memories of the ministry you were a part.

After working on staff at a church for awhile you will usually end up in one of four situations…

1) I am aligned with my pastor, I like my job

2) I am aligned with my pastor, I don’t like my job

3) I am not aligned, I like my job
4) I am not aligned, I don’t like my job
What do you do?

#2’s Speak up! My pastor says if you like your job 51% of the time you have a good job. I love that saying. If you find yourself loving the organization but not liking your job set up a meeting with your boss. WAIT!!!! Before you go in answer some questions… 1) What specifically don’t you like about your job? 2) Are the task you don’t like necessary just not in your gifting or are they unnecessary? Do you have a better solution to accomplishing the task? Do you have something you are passionate about that will bring something to the pastor’s vision for the church?

Please don’t just meet with your supervisor and say, “I don’t like my job.” More than likely they were assuming you were doing just fine. If that’s not the case you need to give them some solid ideas as to how they could use you better and how the task you are currently accomplishing can be delegated. Two’s will eventually find themselves frustrated and resentful with the organization. They will either be fired or resign under a high level of burnout.

After working on staff at a church for awhile you will usually end up in one of four situations…

1) I am aligned with my pastor, I like my job

2) I am aligned with my pastor, I don’t like my job

3) I am not aligned, I like my job
4) I am not aligned, I don’t like my job
What do you do?

#1’s Life is good! When you find yourself in situation one thank God for the ministry he has placed you. If you are new to church work it may take a few months to settle into number one. You may find yourself going through all four of these feelings as the honeymoon of church membership ends, yeah that’s right it ends. More and more these days church staffers of coming on board a second careers. They have spent time in the business sector and want to shift gears to ministry. By far some of the greatest men and women i have worked with are in this category but they show a few bumps and bruises as they enter church life. I will talk more in future post about the frustrations associated with every job, including church jobs. For the time being if you are new on staff give it six months and you will probably level off to a one. Most of us work the majority of our careers as ones.

I know i should be writing something about thriving not surviving, but let’s be honest if you have been on staff at a church for more than a year you know we all go through times of just holding on. It’s likely if you reading this you have either gone through those times, or are currently in the mix of just trying to survive. Here’s a few key phrases those in survival mode use…

“I want to go, but God won’t release me.”
“I don’t agree with the church but i am staying for the kids.”
“I am broke and majored in history, what the heck else am i going to do?” (more of a thought)
“God hooked Job up eventually, right?”

There are really dark nights in ministry when what you thought would be the greatest job on the planet turned into just existing. When your current reality causes you to doubt your calling and maybe even if we are really honest, if God is checked in on your story at all. So what do we do? If we are going to turn the ship around we need to move from a place of frustration to excitement. The journey starts with surviving… then we get to thriving.

Rule #1 Alignment
“If your bosses reality is your reality then your reality isn’t reality.” - Unknown

I wish i could remember who wrote those words. Every time i revisit this issue of church staffing those words flow to the forefront of my mind. There are far too many crusaders in the church today, those people who think they are going to join a church staff where they don’t really agree with the pastor or the doctrinal statements and they are going to change it from the bottom up. It doesn’t work. Confession… i am speaking from experience. I beat my head against the walls of a mainline denomination for over a decade. There were tons of us working from the inside. Sure, every now and again God calls a guy out for this specific kind of ministry, but for the most of us we are just wasting the precious years God has given us to minister to people. For me it came down to a simple conclusion… i wasn’t called to save denominations, I was called to love people.

So rule #1 is alignment. What is your senior pastors vision for ministry? What’s your vision for ministry? Do they line up? I can hear some of you right now, “dude that’s the problem my senior pastor doesn’t tell us his vision.” Remember we are talking survival, you may have to dig a little. In fact, getting to know the heart of your pastor is one of the most critical decisions you can make in the turn around. If you don’t already spend one on one time with your pastor book some. Ask him about his calling to ministry; what his favorite part of ministry is; what’s been his greatest victory as a pastor; and what does he think is the most critical thing for your ministry. Listen to his heart and then spend some time praying through how you can align your ministry with his heart.

Our greatest frustrations arise when we labor against what God has called our leader to do. If we will tune our ear to our leaders heart then we will begin to celebrate similar victory and understand the ebb and flow of our church because we know the man in charge.

“The good to great companies built a consistent system with clear constraints, but they also gave people freedom and responsibility within the framework of that system. They hired self-disciplined people who didn’t need to be managed, and then managed the system, not the people.” - J. Collins Good to Great

It’s rare I shout amen to a business book, but Jim Collins is saying the exact thing I have been feeling for years. Basically, “don’t manage me bro!” My heart and mind are focused on the mission of the local church. The only thing I need from my leaders is the vision of our church and a system where we can get things done. Leadership is not management. With the right people on your team you don’t need to manage, just lead.

At the end of the day an employee who is not self motivated toward success is not worth the organizations time and energy. That’s right, “the world needs ditch diggers.” When we have to take our time away from creative energy to manage someone he or she has just become a liability. I could add, when job descriptions become a list of what you don’t have to do you are begging to be managed. Some people exist better in a system where a supervisor hands them a to do list every day and checks in with them every hour to see if they are doing it. I don’t, and I don’t want to work with that guy.

“Train, Transfer, or Terminate.” - J. Maxwell

He is right on, when we are facing any performance problem these are our three options…
Train: does the employee know the vision and what their objectives are?
Transfer: is the employee working in their gift set?
Terminate: enabling a poor performer communicates mediocrity to the team and keeps the employee form finding a place they can truly succeed.

So here’s my thought… if you need to manage me, fire me. If not then the system of management you build to protect your organization is the noose by which you will strangle your organization.

Nebuchadnezzar responded and said, “Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego, who has sent His angel and delivered His servants who put their trust in Him, violating the king’s command, and yielded up their bodies so as not to serve or worship any god except their own God.” Daniel 3:27-28

Growing up in the age of Technicolor cinema and THX surround sound I have never experienced a silent film. The closest I have come is in little flashbacks during documentaries I watch, on the history channel (which I watch because after you turn 30 it’s mandatory to watch boring documentaries so you have stuff to talk to the other old guys about). It seems every time the show the old films either Charlie Chaplin is doing a little dance or some woman is getting tied to train tracks. Apparently in the old west the only sure fired way of knocking someone off is with a train. Thank goodness for the nine millimeter, otherwise movies like the departed would have gotten really lame… some how Mark Walberg dragging Mat Damon out of his apartment down the stairs across the park and tying him to the “L” track and then waiting for the five o’ clock commuter train to come through would have been lame!

The reason the train was and I suppose is so scary is because the one thing everyone knows about trains is they don’t stop… they can untie the girl but they can not stop the train. You can get on the train, you can get out of the way of the train, but if you stand in it’s tracks you will get squashed. “You say yes sensei, or no sensei, maybe sensei and squashed” - Karate Kid

The scripture from Daniel is Nebuchadnezzar’s response to watching Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego survive the hottest fires of Babylon. You know the story. The refused to bow down and were sentenced to death. After being thrown into the fire the people looking on saw all three men alive and well with a fourth watching over them. The moral… God’s plan was for those men and their friend Daniel to lead the nation of Israel through the captivity. The train, God’s will, was on the tracks and no one was stopping it.

As you go about your day ask the Lord to speak to you about His will. Ask the Lord to bend your heart to what He is doing. Even the hottest fires of Babylon will not thwart the plans of God… “The most high God is sovereign over the kingdoms of men.” Make sure you are on the train.