Monday, September 18, 2006
Building Effective Ministry Teams
Most congregations who are intentionally engaging in revitalization know that the right approach is to develop ministry teams. These ministry teams have to be made of up congregational members who are spiritually growing, personally invested and have a personal stake in the churches vision becoming reality.
It is also true that most pastors have not been a member of a hi-impact ministry team. We have learned to function on committees and handle the challenges of the church board but functioning as a member of a results producing, goal achieving, spiritually guided, spiritual gifts valued and mission driven ministry team is an anomaly for most pastors.
The lack of experience does not deter the highly motivated revitalization pastor. He or she looks at the model of Jesus with the disciples and takes off changing the names of all of the churches committees to ministry team. Meanwhile the new ministry teams continue to function as committees because there is no well defined process for the members to follow to facilitate the transformation.
This article will not give the definitive process it will highlight the first step that pastors can use to begin the process. I am going to draw from secular sources and the scripture to help begin the process.
“Identify your team's strengths
Get the team together and explore each other's backgrounds, expertise, likes, and dislikes. Match your discoveries to the work, so tasks go to whoever is most likely to finish them well and quickly.” Says Stever Robbins in a recent Harvard Business review article, Great Leadership for Great Teams
This is often a scary thing for pastors because it also exposes their weak spots. I believe in using a spiritual gifts profile, a personality based profile and a leadership profile to accomplish the mission. There are several good spiritual gifts profiles available. Some are online and a few are free. Choose a profile that is right for your congregation and the setting in which you would like to administer the profile. For one on one coaching an online profile is most preferable to provide the best return on investment with your time. For retreat settings a paper version will work to open the retreat and then for you to teach on all during the retreat. If you are using it in a Bible Study or small group teach on the spiritual gifts first and then administer the spiritual gifts inventory.
The personality profiles are just as available as the spiritual gifts. The difference is many of the personality profiles require a qualified person to interpret them. I am a partial to the DISC personality profile. It is easy to administer and easy to interpret. There are several companies that you can Google and find the right one for your congregation.
Team Based Ministries do work. Jorge Acevedo Pastor, Grace Church, Ft. Myers, FL give a wonderful testimony about how moving his congregation to team based ministry has blessed his church. Bill Easum is the guru of team based ministry and introduced me to Wayne Cordero at New Hope Christian Fellowship who wrote the book that has molded and shaped my views on team based ministry, Doing Church as a Team.
I am firmly committed to the process of team based ministry and would like to challenge other ministry leaders and pastors to begin engaging the process.
Turning Committees into Teams
Be Adventurous !
Rev. William T Chaney Jr
Pastor
West Baltimore UMC
5130 Greenwich
Baltimore, MD 21229
(410) 945-8397
http://wtcreflects.blogspot.com
http://nugleadership.blogspot.com/
West Baltimore UMC: Transforming the 40 West Corridor by Being and Making Disciples for Christ
Most congregations who are intentionally engaging in revitalization know that the right approach is to develop ministry teams. These ministry teams have to be made of up congregational members who are spiritually growing, personally invested and have a personal stake in the churches vision becoming reality.
It is also true that most pastors have not been a member of a hi-impact ministry team. We have learned to function on committees and handle the challenges of the church board but functioning as a member of a results producing, goal achieving, spiritually guided, spiritual gifts valued and mission driven ministry team is an anomaly for most pastors.
The lack of experience does not deter the highly motivated revitalization pastor. He or she looks at the model of Jesus with the disciples and takes off changing the names of all of the churches committees to ministry team. Meanwhile the new ministry teams continue to function as committees because there is no well defined process for the members to follow to facilitate the transformation.
This article will not give the definitive process it will highlight the first step that pastors can use to begin the process. I am going to draw from secular sources and the scripture to help begin the process.
“Identify your team's strengths
Get the team together and explore each other's backgrounds, expertise, likes, and dislikes. Match your discoveries to the work, so tasks go to whoever is most likely to finish them well and quickly.” Says Stever Robbins in a recent Harvard Business review article, Great Leadership for Great Teams
This is often a scary thing for pastors because it also exposes their weak spots. I believe in using a spiritual gifts profile, a personality based profile and a leadership profile to accomplish the mission. There are several good spiritual gifts profiles available. Some are online and a few are free. Choose a profile that is right for your congregation and the setting in which you would like to administer the profile. For one on one coaching an online profile is most preferable to provide the best return on investment with your time. For retreat settings a paper version will work to open the retreat and then for you to teach on all during the retreat. If you are using it in a Bible Study or small group teach on the spiritual gifts first and then administer the spiritual gifts inventory.
The personality profiles are just as available as the spiritual gifts. The difference is many of the personality profiles require a qualified person to interpret them. I am a partial to the DISC personality profile. It is easy to administer and easy to interpret. There are several companies that you can Google and find the right one for your congregation.
Team Based Ministries do work. Jorge Acevedo Pastor, Grace Church, Ft. Myers, FL give a wonderful testimony about how moving his congregation to team based ministry has blessed his church. Bill Easum is the guru of team based ministry and introduced me to Wayne Cordero at New Hope Christian Fellowship who wrote the book that has molded and shaped my views on team based ministry, Doing Church as a Team.
I am firmly committed to the process of team based ministry and would like to challenge other ministry leaders and pastors to begin engaging the process.
Turning Committees into Teams
Be Adventurous !
Rev. William T Chaney Jr
Pastor
West Baltimore UMC
5130 Greenwich
Baltimore, MD 21229
(410) 945-8397
http://wtcreflects.blogspot.com
http://nugleadership.blogspot.com/
West Baltimore UMC: Transforming the 40 West Corridor by Being and Making Disciples for Christ
Monday, September 11, 2006
1 Don't imagine us leaders to be something we aren't. We are servants of Christ, not his masters. We are guides into God's most sublime secrets, not security guards posted to protect them.
I Corinthians 4:1
This passage gives us great insight into the proper roll of leaders. We are servants. No matter what position or title we hold we are first servants. Our attitudes are to be a direct reflection of Jesus. Our behaviors are to reflect Jesus. He taught the people with parables and stories that related to their everyday life. He modeled the lifestyle of prayer, studying the scriptures, giving generously, compassion, patience and forgiveness to all of God’s children. He expected the disciples to follow and made sure that his followers were always taken care of.
Pastors, board members, church staff members, worship leaders, ministry team leaders and ministers in training all should be assuming the attitude of a servant. What does this really mean? Should we make sure everyone else is served at a community meal before we eat? Do we give up our privileged parking spaces? As servant leaders do we look out for the best interest everyone else at the expense of our own privilege and well being?
I believe the answer is yes. We have to have our minds transformed from the world’s thinking to God’s design. Many leaders have expressed what their leaders owe them, loyalty, dedication, political coverage etc… God’s servant leadership design demands that we as the question “how may I serve you”. I love Ken Blanchard, Steven Covey and John Maxwell as authors on leadership. Ken Blanchard has made the most profound impact on me.
Servant Leader, and Lead Like Jesus by Ken Blanchard have been huge influences on my perspective of leadership as a Christian. The simple yet profound principles from the life of Jesus, and dozens of stories and leadership examples from his life experiences, veteran author, speaker and leadership expert Ken Blanchard, guided me through the process of discovering how to lead like Jesus. It is amazing how these insights are sitting in the scriptures and as a Christian leader for over 20 years I was better equipped to lead a consulting engagement or business acquisition meeting. Servant Leadership is diametrically opposed to the corporate leadership principals that most of us learn. It is hard work to lead from a servant’s position but I know that it can be done as long as I follow the example of Jesus as the model servant leader.
Learning to Serve
Learning to Lead
Rev. William T Chaney Jr
Senior Servant Leader
West Baltimore UMC
5130 Greenwich
Baltimore, MD 21229
(410) 945-8397
http://wtcreflects.blogspot.com
http://nugleadership.blogspot.com/
West Baltimore UMC: Transforming the 40 West Corridor by Being and Making Disciples for Christ
I Corinthians 4:1
This passage gives us great insight into the proper roll of leaders. We are servants. No matter what position or title we hold we are first servants. Our attitudes are to be a direct reflection of Jesus. Our behaviors are to reflect Jesus. He taught the people with parables and stories that related to their everyday life. He modeled the lifestyle of prayer, studying the scriptures, giving generously, compassion, patience and forgiveness to all of God’s children. He expected the disciples to follow and made sure that his followers were always taken care of.
Pastors, board members, church staff members, worship leaders, ministry team leaders and ministers in training all should be assuming the attitude of a servant. What does this really mean? Should we make sure everyone else is served at a community meal before we eat? Do we give up our privileged parking spaces? As servant leaders do we look out for the best interest everyone else at the expense of our own privilege and well being?
I believe the answer is yes. We have to have our minds transformed from the world’s thinking to God’s design. Many leaders have expressed what their leaders owe them, loyalty, dedication, political coverage etc… God’s servant leadership design demands that we as the question “how may I serve you”. I love Ken Blanchard, Steven Covey and John Maxwell as authors on leadership. Ken Blanchard has made the most profound impact on me.
Servant Leader, and Lead Like Jesus by Ken Blanchard have been huge influences on my perspective of leadership as a Christian. The simple yet profound principles from the life of Jesus, and dozens of stories and leadership examples from his life experiences, veteran author, speaker and leadership expert Ken Blanchard, guided me through the process of discovering how to lead like Jesus. It is amazing how these insights are sitting in the scriptures and as a Christian leader for over 20 years I was better equipped to lead a consulting engagement or business acquisition meeting. Servant Leadership is diametrically opposed to the corporate leadership principals that most of us learn. It is hard work to lead from a servant’s position but I know that it can be done as long as I follow the example of Jesus as the model servant leader.
Learning to Serve
Learning to Lead
Rev. William T Chaney Jr
Senior Servant Leader
West Baltimore UMC
5130 Greenwich
Baltimore, MD 21229
(410) 945-8397
http://wtcreflects.blogspot.com
http://nugleadership.blogspot.com/
West Baltimore UMC: Transforming the 40 West Corridor by Being and Making Disciples for Christ
Sunday, September 10, 2006
7 The beginning of wisdom is this: Get wisdom, and whatever else you get, get insight.
Proverbs 4:7
Wisdom is one of the foundational building blocks of a good church leader. Wisdom becomes the guide to move forward through the mixed agendas of congregational members and the political waves of the church council. Wisdom is not granted to a leader just because he or she has a position and a title. This means that there are some good people in leadership that have no wisdom yet wisdom is essential for good leadership. This text instructs us to get wisdom. There is a sense of urgency that we should pursue wisdom. As leaders we need to make a decision to pursue wisdom for the long term success of our ministry. The silent partner is where the real power is. “Get insight” or better stated GET UNDERSTANDING.
Some people may ask, “If I have wisdom, what is it that I need to understand.”
Understand the power of personality types and why people react differently to the same event. Understand the history of the people as you are new to a church or ministry team. Understand the transitions that the congregation has engaged. Understand the denominational hierarchy and influence. Understand the family and friends connections between people in the congregation. Understand what positions people have held and the influence that they have on different people in the congregation. Understand the self esteem of the congregation. Understand what the team members need from you.
Listening is the best skill to help you achieve the goal of understanding the people within a congregation. This is not a one time event but you must listen to the critics and to those who praise you. You must listen to those in leadership and those who are on the fringes. You must listen with sincerity and patience. Your response must be humble and honest. Listening is not a one time event. It is an ongoing process that gives you the understanding to become a successful leader within the congregation.
Learning to Listen
Learning to Lead
Rev. William T Chaney Jr
Senior Servant Leader
West Baltimore UMC
5130 Greenwich
Baltimore, MD 21229
(410) 945-8397
http://wtcreflects.blogspot.com/
West Baltimore UMC: Transforming the 40 West Corridor by Being and Making Disciples for Christ
Proverbs 4:7
Wisdom is one of the foundational building blocks of a good church leader. Wisdom becomes the guide to move forward through the mixed agendas of congregational members and the political waves of the church council. Wisdom is not granted to a leader just because he or she has a position and a title. This means that there are some good people in leadership that have no wisdom yet wisdom is essential for good leadership. This text instructs us to get wisdom. There is a sense of urgency that we should pursue wisdom. As leaders we need to make a decision to pursue wisdom for the long term success of our ministry. The silent partner is where the real power is. “Get insight” or better stated GET UNDERSTANDING.
Some people may ask, “If I have wisdom, what is it that I need to understand.”
Understand the power of personality types and why people react differently to the same event. Understand the history of the people as you are new to a church or ministry team. Understand the transitions that the congregation has engaged. Understand the denominational hierarchy and influence. Understand the family and friends connections between people in the congregation. Understand what positions people have held and the influence that they have on different people in the congregation. Understand the self esteem of the congregation. Understand what the team members need from you.
Listening is the best skill to help you achieve the goal of understanding the people within a congregation. This is not a one time event but you must listen to the critics and to those who praise you. You must listen to those in leadership and those who are on the fringes. You must listen with sincerity and patience. Your response must be humble and honest. Listening is not a one time event. It is an ongoing process that gives you the understanding to become a successful leader within the congregation.
Learning to Listen
Learning to Lead
Rev. William T Chaney Jr
Senior Servant Leader
West Baltimore UMC
5130 Greenwich
Baltimore, MD 21229
(410) 945-8397
http://wtcreflects.blogspot.com/
West Baltimore UMC: Transforming the 40 West Corridor by Being and Making Disciples for Christ
Friday, September 08, 2006
Over the last month I have been studying several new books on leadership and several new articles. I am once again persuaded that the most important quality for a leader is vision. The second most important quality is the ability to communicate the vision. The third is to choose a leadership team that can embrace the vision and put the details of execution on the vision.
Leaders fail most often because of the third quality. Leaders pick team members who agree with everything they say rather than challenge and work together for consensus. Leaders choose team members who have hidden agendas and do not embrace the mission vision and values of the leader. Many leaders choose a team to small for the task.
Based on my research I believe leaders have a responsibility to the organization to carefully choose their lead team members to balance their own strengths and weaknesses. They must pick team members who are loyal to the mission, vision and values by action not lip service. Leaders must pick team members who will speak the truth in love.
Proverbs 29:18 says
Where there is no vision, the people perish.
The organization can not live without vision. No church can live, be healthy and thrive without a vision that comes from God. If the pastor does not receive the vision from God the vision will not manifest. When the vision is from God and the people reject it then we are faced with rebellion against God. Many churches are faced with the challenge of accepting the person called to lead and the vision that comes from God without having much input. This leadership principle is challenged from the beginning since most people can not distinguish the difference of hearing from God and hearing from the preacher since the vessel is the same.
Godly vision eliminates self promotion, self centeredness and selfish pride. Sure signs that the vision is off track if when there is more preacher promotion rather than ministry promotion, even when the church members refuse to do the ministry themselves. The pastor can not be the one doing all of the evangelism, all of the outreach, all of the preaching, all of the singing, all of the planning, all of the care for the building etc……
Challenge your pastor to write out the vision so that the discussion of the vision and the communication of the vision is clear.
Hab 2:2 - Then the Lord answered me and said: Write the vision; make it plain on tablets, so that a runner may read it.
NRS
Leading by Example
Rev. William T Chaney Jr
Senior Servant Leader
West Baltimore UMC
5130 Greenwich
Baltimore, MD 21229
(410) 945-8397
http://wtcreflects.blogspot.com/
West Baltimore UMC: Transforming the 40 West Corridor by Being and Making Disciples for Christ
Leaders fail most often because of the third quality. Leaders pick team members who agree with everything they say rather than challenge and work together for consensus. Leaders choose team members who have hidden agendas and do not embrace the mission vision and values of the leader. Many leaders choose a team to small for the task.
Based on my research I believe leaders have a responsibility to the organization to carefully choose their lead team members to balance their own strengths and weaknesses. They must pick team members who are loyal to the mission, vision and values by action not lip service. Leaders must pick team members who will speak the truth in love.
Proverbs 29:18 says
Where there is no vision, the people perish.
The organization can not live without vision. No church can live, be healthy and thrive without a vision that comes from God. If the pastor does not receive the vision from God the vision will not manifest. When the vision is from God and the people reject it then we are faced with rebellion against God. Many churches are faced with the challenge of accepting the person called to lead and the vision that comes from God without having much input. This leadership principle is challenged from the beginning since most people can not distinguish the difference of hearing from God and hearing from the preacher since the vessel is the same.
Godly vision eliminates self promotion, self centeredness and selfish pride. Sure signs that the vision is off track if when there is more preacher promotion rather than ministry promotion, even when the church members refuse to do the ministry themselves. The pastor can not be the one doing all of the evangelism, all of the outreach, all of the preaching, all of the singing, all of the planning, all of the care for the building etc……
Challenge your pastor to write out the vision so that the discussion of the vision and the communication of the vision is clear.
Hab 2:2 - Then the Lord answered me and said: Write the vision; make it plain on tablets, so that a runner may read it.
NRS
Leading by Example
Rev. William T Chaney Jr
Senior Servant Leader
West Baltimore UMC
5130 Greenwich
Baltimore, MD 21229
(410) 945-8397
http://wtcreflects.blogspot.com/
West Baltimore UMC: Transforming the 40 West Corridor by Being and Making Disciples for Christ
