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I talked to a friend this past week who pastors a church on the  West Coast.  As he and i were talking about the good and bad decisions he has made since planting his church he made a comment that knocked me back in my seat.  His words were, “i know at least a dozen guys who planted a church and woke up two years into it and realized they hated the church they had planted.  Whether through adding too many programs or losing focus on the original calling there is always the potential of the creators curse.  I don’t have answers, but would love to hear ideas on how we avoid decisions that lead away from the original calling.

What are the four most essential elements for a person to follow a leader?

I recently completed reading the book, strength based leadership. It’s an excellent read if you have the time. Along with the book you are give a code to take a strength based leadership test. I have asked the guys who report to me to take the test and we are compiling their strengths as I type this. The book is yet another stab at the working in your strengths message the Gallup organization has been preaching for a decade. If you have not tapped into this philosophy on leadership and personal growth you REALLY need to. The writings of Tom Rath and Marcus Buckingham, both members of the Gallup staff, have revolutionized the way I work. Enough selling, let me get to the point.

As I read through this latest book I came to a section titled, “why people follow.” Without question this simple list was the most valuable page in the entire book. After polling 10,000 people over three years here’s what they found to be the most important elements needed to follow someone…

Trust
The chance of an employee being engaged @ work if they do not trust the leadership of the organization is just 1 in 12, according to gallup. If people don’t believe you are a person of integrity then they will not follow you.

Compassion
Gallup has asked 10 million people to respond to this question, “My supervisor, or someone at work, seems to care about me as a person.” People who agree with this statement are…
- More likely to stay with the organization
- Have more engaged customers
- Are substantially more productive

Stability
This is a rough one for the church. While we have ultimate stability in Christ we are always changing our programs. In order to follow people need stability. The one thing we can offer is stability in our commitment to those who volunteer or work for us. The program may change but how we feel about the person can be stable. Interestingly, employees who have confidence in their company’s financial future are nine times more likely to be engaged in their jobs.

Hope
Other words used to respond to this category were direction, faith, and guidance. As we lead people we have to remember the strong need they have to hope for the future.

I am the first to admit I read too many books. However, when I combine this information with Seth Godin’s excellent book, tribes, I am seeing a theme emerge. As leaders of paid staff and thousands of volunteers ask yourself how you are working to instill these things in the lives of the people who follow you. Have an awesome week!

Colossians chapter 4 contains some awesome insight for anyone who serves in a support capacity for ministry.  On our team we are blessed to have a number of gifted administrative staffers.  Recently I was asked to speak at their monthly luncheon.  Here are some thoughts if you are in a support role @ a church.

Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful. And pray for us, too, that God may open a door for our message, so that we may proclaim the mystery of Christ, for which I am in chains. Pray that I may proclaim it clearly, as I should. Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders; make the most of every opportunity. Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone. – Colossians 4:2-6

Verse 2 Develop a habit of praying for ministry
It’s easy to get in a rut as an administrator of ministry.  So often your job requires you to fill behind the scene roles and can easily disconnect you from the people your church is reaching.  As you work, consider the goal of each program you administer.  As the programs and people come across your desk pray for effectiveness.  As you see meetings happening pray for your leader’s to have vision and discernment.  Be vigilant about hearing praise reports.  Ask those you support to share the stories of life change and thank God for the people who were blessed.

Verse 5 Add stability in dynamic environments
Pastor’s, by nature, can be like herding cats.  We are all over the place, driven by vision, and usually thrive on change.  This can be like a wrecking ball to a church craving stability or a staff burnt out form all the changing.  As someone gifted with administration you are more than likely an excellent source of input to your supervisor.  While he or she may be all over the map try to bring some consistency to the team.

Verse 6 Bring water not gasoline to a fire
You are most often the first person to respond to a crisis.  Whether it’s a member of your church calling in with a family crisis or a staff member with a situation requiring the pastor’s immediate attention you can be the calming and affirming voice in crisis management.

I was recently blessed to hear a number of our support staff speak up about how blessed the were to be a part of our church.  Each recounted their roles, “behind the scene” in seeing life change happen.  In order for churches to grow in health it takes a myriad of gifts.  If you are gifted in administration then spend some time in Colossians and continue to grow as God has made you.

Disclaimer: For all my charismatic friends you will be deeply disappointed at the lack of theological sophistication

I have an iphone.  One of my geek pleasures was lining up the day it was released and being one of the first in my city to have one.  As much as i love my iphone i have had some issues with it’s ipod functions.  Up until the other day i just considered it to be a glitch and then it spoke to me!  

I was on the treadmill listening to some old talks from Catalyst.  I selected Groeschel’s talk from 07, one of the greatest, and zoned out on the treadmill.  After about 8 minutes of his talk on being a practical atheist the glitch kicked in.  The phone skipped over to a talk by John Maxwell, after about a minute it skipped to a talk by Andy Stanley then a couple minutes later back to Groeschel, then Francis Chan, then Rob Bell, and on and on.  As my resentment to the glitch began to grow i decided instead of stopping my run and throwing the phone against the washboard abs of one of the trainers, who seem to think if i pay them thousands of dollars i will end up looking like them despite my passionate love affair with kettle chips, i listened on.  I listened for about 30 minutes and heard the craziest collection of thoughts, something like this (i am paraphrasing these leaders, so i won’t use quotes)…

Leadership is a stewardship, it’s temporary and you are accountable -Stanley
I decided in my life to add value to people – Maxwell
I realized i didn’t care for the people in my own church – Chan
Doing the work of God was destroying the work of God in me – Hybels
If i blame myself for the decline in my church then i am likely to blame myself for the growth-Groeschel
When Jesus realized he was the most powerful person in the room he washed the disciples feet – Stanley
I had become a full time pastor and a part time Christian – Groeschel

Before long the talks started to run together and a theme emerged.  In leadership our primary motivation has to be for the people we are leading.  The only source of that selfless motivation is the Spirit of God alive in our own hearts.  Okay maybe this wasn’t God lining up the talks, but it at least proves Solomon correct, “there is nothing new under the sun.”

Tryptophan, yep that must be it…

Tryptophan is the amino acid in Turkey which contains a natural sedative… it’s why you get sleepy after Thanksgiving dinner. I must be extremely sensitive to this little amino acid, or consume ungodly amounts of Turkey each year.  For as long as I can remember Thanksgiving was the last part of each year where my brain was checked in.  I have spent many a December day staring out class room windows, dorm room windows, church office windows (not now of course, if you see me and I look like I am spaced out I am certain to be praying, or at least that’s what I will tell you).  Anyway, for those of us in ministry we have to fight the exhaustion of a long semester and the general malaise of the holiday season. 

The people who need to know Christ the most are coming through our doors in the next month!

The reasons for church attendance in December are varied; The great Christmas music, Holiday Traditions of Communion, or just the onslaught of emotional needs raised during this time of year.  Regardless of motivation the people entering our church this month need to see the light of Christ in our eyes and excitement as they pass through our doors.  I have fought a good fight, I have finished the race, and I have remained faithful. -2 Tim 4:7 Consider what you must do to finish this season well.  Here are some thoughts I recently read from a navigators blog post by Ken Boa.  Finishing well requires…

Intimacy with Christ
Our highest calling is to grow in our knowledge of Christ and to make Him known to others. Does our desire to know Christ exceed all other aspirations? If not, whatever is taking His place in the center of our affections must yield to Him if we are to know the joy of bearing spiritual fruit. A key secret of those who finish well is to focus more on loving Jesus than on avoiding sin. The more we love Jesus, the more we will learn to put our confidence in Him alone.

Fidelity in spiritual disciplines
Spiritual disciplines such as prayer, fellowship, study, worship, and submission are not ends in themselves, but means to the end of intimacy with Christ and spiritual formation. When left to itself, however, any one of these disciplines tends to decline and decay. An infusion of directed intentionality and effort is necessary to sustain order and growth and to bring repeated times of personal renewal.

A biblical perspective on the circumstances of life
Part of the purpose of our suffering and trials is to drive us to dependence on God alone. God responds by revealing more of Himself to us. This knowledge increases our faith and our capacity to trust His character and His promises through the times we do not understand His purposes and His ways. When we view our circumstances in light of God’s character instead of God’s character in light of our circumstances, we come to see that God is never indifferent to us, and that He uses suffering for our good so we will be more fully united to Christ.

A teachable, responsive, humble, obedient spirit
Those who finish well maintain an ongoing learning posture through the seasons of their lives. Humility and responsive obedience are the keys to maintaining a teachable spirit. Humility is the disposition in which we displace self through the enthronement of Christ in our lives and realize that all of life is about trust in God. Obedience is the application of biblical faith in that which is not seen, and that which is not yet. As we mature in Christ, we learn to trust God’s character and promises in spite of ambiguity or trials.

A clear sense of personal purpose and calling
God has called each of us to a purposeful journey sustained by faithfulness and growing hope. This calling or vocation transcends our occupations and endures beyond the end of our careers. As we seek the Lord’s guidance in developing a personal vision and clarity of mission, we move beyond the level of tasks and accomplishments to the level of the purpose for which we were created.

Healthy relationships with resourceful people
Relationships such as spiritual mentoring, servant leadership, and personal and group accountability are valuable resources that encourage, equip, and exhort. People who finish well do not do so without the caring support of other growing members of the body of Christ. These relationships help us to increase in intimacy with Christ, maintain the needed disciplines, clarify our long-term perspective, sustain a teachable attitude, and develop our purpose and calling.

Ongoing ministry investment in the lives of others
Spirit-filled living requires us to discover and develop the spiritual gifts we have received and exercise them through the Spirit’s power for the edification of others. Believers who finish well are marked by ongoing outreach and sacrificial ministry for the good of other people. Those who squander the resources, gifts, experiences, and hard-learned insights God has given them by no longer investing them in the lives of others soon wither and withdraw.

Use this as a checklist and ask yourself are you ready to finish well on 2008?  Are you laying a foundation to finish well in life?