Delegate or Details

Finding your sweet spot and building an organization looks different for

Team

every leader.  Sweet spots being those places where everyone can operate at their highest level and knock it out of the park every time. Some things you delegate because you can’t do them and be still effective.  Some things you delegate because you just straight up can’t do them.  For some folks in leadership positions giving away ministry and empowering others is difficult. They want to see their fingerprint on every aspect of the organization and they can’t sleep at night being out of control. Me on the other hand, I generally have no trouble giving away leadership responsibilities, while coaching and supporting those who are developing.  But when have you given away too much? What are those things in your organization that only you can do? What are those things that need to be really involved in and not depend on  or wait on someone else to do? My buddy Steven had a great post today examining this thought called Coach Your Special Teams.  Very Thought Provoking. Give it a look.

Proverbs 13:20-21

He who walks with wise men will be wise, But the companion of fools will be destroyed. Evil pursues sinners, But to the righteous, good shall be repaid.

The New King James Version. 1996, c1982 . Thomas Nelson: Nashville

 

Should They Stay or Should They Go?

You work so hard. You pour you life in them. You give your time to them. You earn the right to be heard. You devise crucible situations for them. God overwhelms your heart when they triumph over their fears and inadequacies.  But how do you react when God wants to take them and multiply THEIR ministry?

It’s sad to see leaders who are developing talent and other leaders to support their own ministry rather than to support the kingdom of God. This world is so lost and hungry how can I ever have a negative thought about God “taking” one of  “my” leaders.

Yet I used to. Sometimes in a subtle way, that the Holy Spirit quickly checks, I still do. However what gives me joy and fulfillment in ministry has evolved over the past six years as I have understood the biblical role of pastors and the model of selfish leadership that Jesus gives us.

If there is any organization  in the world called to train, empower and launch leaders into the world its the church. If we hold onto resources that God whats to reallocate to another ministry or another church or another continent, then we are not only being disobedient to God, but very practically speaking we are hindering the work of God as he tries to keep real live people out of a real live Hell.

Good leaders don’t devise systems that are unsustainable after they are gone.

Ephesians 4:11-13 And Christ gave gifts to people—he made some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to go and tell the Good News, and some to have the work of caring for and teaching God’s people. ^12 Christ gave those gifts to prepare God’s holy people for the work of serving, to make the body of Christ stronger. ^13 This work must continue until we are all joined together in the same faith and in the same knowledge of the Son of God. We must become like a mature person, growing until we become like Christ and have his perfection.

The Holy Bible : New Century Version , containing the Old and New Testaments. 1991 . Word Bibles: Dallas, TX

 

Guest Blogger: Max Day

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Matthew 21:15-16. 15But when the chief priests and the teachers of the law saw the wonderful things he did and the children shouting in the temple area, "Hosanna to the Son of David," they were indignant.

¹⁶"Do you hear what these children are saying?" they asked him.
"Yes," replied Jesus, "have you never read,
" 'From the lips of children and infants
you have ordained praise'^[a]?”

 

7 Posts Every Man Must Read

Counting The Cost of Sexual Immorality by Randy Alcorn of Eternal Perspective Ministries

One by One by Craig Groeshel of Life Church

Disturb Us Lord by Kevin Campbell of  Elevate Church

Prioritize the Presence of Godby Steven Furtick of Elevation Church

Things Leaders Should Never Apologise For by Perry Noble of New Spring Church

The Person God Uses by Clint Freeman of Rock Springs Baptist Church

Difficult vs Simple by Mark Batterson of National Community Church

 

Random Friday

I was privileged to speak at Easley High School  FCA this morning.

Very cool to see Coach Hunters room overflowing with students.

We received a challenge from scripture to step up and lead a school that is desperately looking to follow someone who is the real deal.  God challenged Joshua in this way  in Joshua 1:1-9.

Carolina Creme doughnuts are the best in entire universe. I can say that  because  I’ve  been to each doughnut shop in the entire universe.

I hope Clemson can get this thing turned in the right direction. I don’t think we are far off.  I didn’t think we were very far off for the last nine years either.

I’m almost done with Tom Sawyer. I probably should have read it a long time ago. Although I’m not finished I highly anticipate it will go on my “Favorite Books of All Time” list.  Huck Finn will soon follow.

The First True Love Waits Message went well I thought. I’m always nervous when I preach on Love, Sex and Dating. Not because of the subject matter, but because  misuse of a common phrase can cause riotous laughter among teenagers.

I never worry about keeping a teenagers attention during a message on sex.  There is seldom eye contact, but you know they hear every word.

Godly leaders invest, empower, and launch people out into the ministries and places to which God has called them.  Selfish leaders horde people and resources because they are afraid to lose what they’ve built, instead of trusting God to sustain what He has built.

The student ministry is instituting a “youth worker only” policy for adults during Collide on Wednesday. It’s been a long time coming, but it’s hard to man the 7,000 doors that lead into the High School Worship area.

Parents and other guests will still be welcome on a weekly, call ahead basis.

I love my wife and kids. There are others who can fill  my ministry role, but only I can be their Husband and Daddy. I refuse to be the guy who is married to ministry instead of his family.

The second line of the above paragraph came from Terry Carlton. Check out his blog. He’s a pretty smart kid.

I Cor 3:8 Now he who plants and he who waters are one; but each will ^areceive his own ^1reward according to his own labor.

a 1 Cor 3:14; 4:5; 9:17; Gal 6:4

1 Or wages

New American Standard Bible : 1995 update. 1995 . The Lockman Foundation: LaHabra, CA

 

Openness in Ministry

The advent of twitter and Facebook brings about a new challenge for those of us in ministry. The constant challenge to be real in an on demand public forum.  How do you express a real thought or a real feeling without coming under scrutiny from those with different expectations of what you should be or do? At any time you might hear a comment for not giving off the “right” impression. After all people in ministry aren’t allowed to have a day when things just don’t go right, or simply be in a bad mood and if you do, sharing about it is out of the question.  Then again if you express your overwhelming confidence and joy about what Jesus has done in your life you may be accused sunshine pumping and those people who ALWAYS have bad days are never happy with people who manage to actually get some fulfillment out of life.

Bottom line is that everyone has their idea of what a minister or pastor or staff person should be and be in public. Some think you should always be positive even if it’s a lie. Some think if you don’t have anything positive to say then just don’t say it. But I’m choosing to be myself. Will I share every cross thought that goes through my mind to the whole world? Certainly not. but I will never lead people while hiding behind the “I never struggle” mantle. In this journey I choose to be an example of how to overcome and most of the time that means being open enough to accept encouragement from others. We are in this faith journey together and I’m asking you to follow me as a fellow struggler pursuing the same goal not as an already glorified saint. The Apostle Paul says it this way…

Romans 7:21-25

^21 So I find this law at work: When I want to do good, evil is right there with me. ^22 For in my inner being I delight in God’s law; ^23 but I see another law at work in the members of my body, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within my members. ^24 What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death? ^25 Thanks be to God—through Jesus Christ our Lord!

The Holy Bible : New International Version. 1996, c1984 . Zondervan: Grand Rapids

 

Guest Blogger: Naomi Day

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Matthew 21:15-17     But when the chief priests and the scribes saw the wonderful things that He had done, and the children who were shouting in the temple, “Hosanna to the ^Son of David,” they became indignant and said to Him, “Do You hear what these children are saying?” And Jesus said to them, “Yes; have you never read, ‘^Out of the mouth of infants and nursing babies You have prepared praise for Yourself’?”

New American Standard Bible : 1995 update. 1995 . The Lockman Foundation: LaHabra, CA

 

5 Posts

Here they are in no particular order, 5 posts that challenged me, shaped my thinking, or caused me to scream: Preach It Brotha!

1. Mark Batterson: Compliments and Criticism

2.Scott Rodgers: Faith, Risk, and Stupidity

3.Clint Freeman: Do You Worship Your Church

4. John Piper: Hell Never Produced a Single Pleasure

5.Steven Furtyck: Prophets Priests and Kings Part 1 Part 2 Part 3

 

Why Coeur D’Alene?

Mike Terry and the Children at Bluegrass Park

Here’s a short letter I gave to those juniors and seniors interested in participating in Summer missions this year. To my knowledge the High School Ministry has never participated in an out of region, truly national mission, until now.

Why go to Idaho to do missions? One simple reason: our Lord commanded it. In Acts 1:8 Jesus said, “but you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth.” Also in Matthew 28:19-20 Jesus said, “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Many have the notion that you don’t have to go “far away” to do missions, to which my reply is “you are absolutely wrong… and right”. Any level of missions to the exclusion of another is not what the Lord commanded. He clearly commands us to go near and far, not one or the other. What are the mission centers of the world? Churches! The Apostle Paul modeled it. If there is to be any work done that will remain, churches must be present. Para-church ministries are good, but it is the church that will reach the world. If there is a thriving church in a community, reaching their Jerusalem, we are called to come along side such a church. In our case, 2500 evangelists should leave our campus with the gospel on their tongue. What other Missions need to be done in Easley if our church obeyed our Lord’s command? My friend there is no other mission. The Church is the mechanism for reaching the world. So that brings us full circle. We are going to our Samaria to partner with Lake Pointe Baptist Church, so they can reach their Jerusalem. We are taking 6 of our 365 days as witnesses and spending them in Coeur D’Alene, Idaho. And the other 359 will be spent in Easley, SC. Why Coeur D’Alene? Because there is a church plant and Pastor whom God has placed there. He is the type of God fearing, honest, knowledgeable, competent individual we can trust to multiply our effort long after we are gone. The region is also one we desire to make an impact in. The Pacific Northwest is one of the most lost regions of our nation. Pastors and Church planters in the area are begging for missionaries to come, before its too late. On a personal note, Mike Terry is one of my heros in the ministry. Fewer families have sacrificed more to do what God has called them to do.

Revelation 5:9-And they sang a new song, saying, “Worthy are You to take the book and to break its seals; for You were slain, and purchased for God with Your blood men from every tribe and tongue and people and nation.

 

Start a Movement

Hilarious video that can teach a lot of great leadership lessons. Enjoy!