Getting in the way of ministry

“What are you really accomplishing here? Why are you trying to do all this alone while everyone stands around you from morning till evening?”


Jethro gave his son-in-law Moses some great advice.  Jethro arrives on the scene and find Moses sitting and listening to disputes among the people.  From morning till night he was a judge, a mediator, and not getting much done because he was only focused on that task. (Deut 18)  Moses was meant to be a leader, not sit and listen to complaints all day.  So Jethro tells Moses to get out there and find some men to help him with this task.



We block the funnel of ministry at the top sometimes.  We get in the way of others getting in there and rolling up their sleeves and serving.   How do we block the funnel?



We think we know the best way to do it.   Maybe you do.  Maybe someone has a better way and more efficient and it would allow them to express their gift and allow you to focus on what God has created you to do.  Maybe they won’t do it just like you but in the end they get it done.



We think we work best alone.  No! Ministry is always better together.  Never serve alone, always serve with others.  People want to serve they just need to be given the opportunity.

We think that only we can do the task.   Really?  You don’t think there is someone else in the body of Christ who can come up with new decorations for the stage?  You don’t think there is someone else that could write the small group discussion questions?  You don’t think there is someone else that can go grocery store and then prepare the food for youth group?  I love that phrase, “Do what you do best and delegate the rest.”

We think we have to come up with all the ideas.   I sat last night with ministry leaders from our church and listened to their dreams for Nags Head Church.  They had some great ideas!  Let others dream, let others come up with ideas.  Eventually our brains get stale and new ideas from others can spark great ministry ideas.

We micro manage.  Turn the church loose to serve and don’t constantly tell them how to do their ministry.  Yes, train and equip them.  Yes, give input when asked.  Please step in if something they are doing will cause physical spiritual injury.  Other than that step back and enjoy watching people use their gifts.



Do you see the pattern.  As leaders we sometimes block the funnel of ministry and then wonder why people aren’t serving.  We can have control or growth but can’t have both.  I want to see growth more than I want to control everything.  Growth comes when the church gets to serve and do the ministry.



What are we really accomplishing here?  Why are we trying to do all this alone while the church stands around morning to evening waiting for an opportunity to experience the joy of serving?

Let’s agree to not block the funnel and get in the way of people serving.


The "Catch All". Learning to say "No"

Every home has a “catch all” place.  It may be a desk, table, top of a dresser, a drawer, a place where stuff gets dropped.  Some of those things have a place they should go but the person doing the placing is too lazy to take the extra moment to put the item in its proper place.  Some items we just aren’t sure where to put it so we put it in the “catch all” place.  If you don’t have one of these places in your home I applaud your OCDness.



In many churches the youth pastor can become the “catch all”.  Often youth pastors find themselves doing many things outside the realm of student ministry.  “Oh, you know how to operate a Mac!  Great!  Can you set up the Pro Presenter in the auditorium?”  The guitar in your office gets noticed and next thing you know you are on the platform in big church leading worship and you only know three chords.  You become 411 for the church.  Remember 411?  That was the number you would call to get a phone number of an individual.  So you get texts, emails, phone calls from church members who are looking for another member’s phone number even though all members have access to the church’s online directory.  Why?  You know how to work a computer and you work for the church.

There is a danger when youth pastors don’t learn to say “No”.  The danger is they soon find themselves inundated with tasks that have nothing to do with their position.  I’m not saying we shouldn’t all pitch in and help and think about the team.  What I am saying is when you find yourself so busy doing tasks that are unrelated to student ministry that you don’t have time to actually do student ministry you have become the “catch all” of the church.  It’s no one else’s fault but my own when I end up as the “catch all”. 



Find freedom from the "catch all":

1..Remember your calling.  God has called you to minister to students and their parents.  This is your number one priority at work.  If you become the “catch all” you cannot put in the time and energy necessary to do quality student ministry.  Your position is motivated by your passion.  When you find yourself pulled from student ministry you find yourself no longer serving in the zone of your passion and then you become a miserable.



2.  Say “No”.  Remember your purpose.  Does the request fit the purpose of your church’s student ministry?  If not the answer is “No.”  Learn to say “no” in a kind way.  “As much as I would love to play my guitar on Sunday morning it will pull me away from doing what I need to do to minister to students this week.”



3.  The ministry idea.  When you get approached about a ministry idea you need to have your response planned and practiced in advance.  “That’s an awesome ministry idea, “That’s an awesome ministry idea.I think you would be the perfect leader for that ministry.”



4.  The closed door.  I practiced this yesterday afternoon.  I was working on the message and small group discussion for Sunday night so I closed my door.  I let our volunteer in the office know that I wan’t being rude but needed to work on my message and Sunday night’s youth worship service.  Creating this habit creates a “do not disturb” signal to the staff and members who might just pop in.  When we are planning and working on our student worship service we need to give that planning time our full attention.



5.  Keep office hours.  Make sure there are times set aside that you are in the office and that members are welcome to drop in and see you during those times.  Post it on your door.



6.  Texts don’t have to be answered immediately.  If you are home with your family or during your “off” time you don’t have to reply to the text or email immediately, if it’s an emergency that’s different.   Just because texting exists doesn’t mean that immediate response is required.  Let your voice mail catch the call, listen to the message, if it’s an emergency call back, if not call the member back tomorrow when you are in the office.

7.  Do what you do best and delegate the rest.  I don’t have to be the one that fixes the bathroom stall door, honestly I would probably mess it up more.  There are people in your church who have that talent.  God has equipped your church with all types of gifts and talents, tap into the members and let them experience the joy of serving.


Take some time and evaluate if you are a “catch all” in your church.  What steps can you take to be free from the “catch all”? 

Leading with Confidence

Leadership can obviously be a challenge at times.  Sometimes leadership feels like a constant challenge.  I remember many years ago when I stepped into the role of Associate Pastor (Nice title to help the older folks fund the youth ministry position) I was thinking to myself, “Now what?”.  A huge challenge lay before me.  The last youth minister was gone and regardless of what the church members felt about him either way I was staring at stepping in and taking leadership.  “Oh my word.......I don’t even know what I’m doing.”

We find a great example to learn from as leaders in Joshua.  Moses is gone.  Now God is letting Joshua know that he is about to lead the people.  I can’t help but think Joshua was feelings some of the feelings we might feel when we step into leadership or our leadership roles change within the ministry.


Joshua 1:6-7


6 “Be strong and courageous, for you are the one who will lead these people to possess all the land I swore to their ancestors I would give them. 7 Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the instructions Moses gave you. Do not deviate from them, turning either to the right or to the left. Then you will be successful in everything you do.

3 Things about Leadership I learned from Josh:


Confidence - We need to be confident in leading.  Not a self-confidence but a confidence in God.  He has called us to the leadership position we are in.  We are part of his plan so our confidence in him.  In verse 5 God told Joshua, “I will not fail you or abandon you.”

Obey the Word - Do what the Bible says.  Key to leadership is obeying God.  Moses set the example for Joshua.  Moses left the safety of the wilderness to go back to Egypt, the country he fled from after killing the Egyptian.  Obedience isn’t always the easy or popular route.

Don’t stray - Don’t deviate even the slightest.  If you are following God’s lead and direction then God has a destination in mind for your leadership.  If you deviate even the slightest in directions you end up in a different destination.

God told Joshua that if he did the above three things, “you will be successful in everything you do.”  As leaders we want to be successful, not for the “pat on the back” but to honor God and bring him glory.  


Training

Great video to show to your youth ministry team even to show during youth worship.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2v0RhvZ3lvY&feature=player_embedded

"My Ministry"

The phrase “my ministry” can be both good and bad depending on my attitude and understanding of ministry.

Attitude is huge when it comes to serving in the church. Wait! There was the key word, “serving”. Jesus, God in the flesh, took on the form of a humble servant. Not a doormat but put the needs of others first. My attitude must be one of a servant. I do this ministry to serve others and to serve God. When my attitude shifts focus off of others and off of God and on to myself soon ministry goes from a joy to a hardship.

The attitude problem is why some don’t serve in the church their attitude is one of “giving up an hour or two a week from their already busy lives to do a job”. The change happens when they realize they are worshipping with their lives every minute that they are serving others and serving God.

The understanding comes into play when we realize that “my ministry” is not really mine at all. It may be what I do but doesn’t belong to me but belongs to God. There is a danger when we get the “mine” understanding because soon we quickly forget the bigger picture.

My ministry is just a small part of something bigger that God is doing in the body of Christ in my local church. So if I get bent out of shape because it appears to me that “my” ministry isn’t taking priority, whether it be pouring coffee, changing diapers, teaching children, shaking hands at the door, that is a signal that my understanding of ministry in the church is skewed.

Youth ministry is where God has placed me at NHC. I will be more effective overall and more of an active part of the church’s purpose when I realize that I’m here to serve and simply part of the big picture of ministry at NHC. I heard a wise man say the other day, "it's hard to see the picture when you are in the frame." Never forget that the ministry you do in your local church is part of a much bigger picture.

Passion

I remember when I was 18 I had a job working for a company that made cookies and had ice cream shops on Maui (rough I know but someone had to do it). Our company lost our delivery driver who ran the routes to all the grocery stores and resorts. My boss asked me if I would like to do the delivery job for a change of pace. I agreed to take on that position. It wasn’t long before I was miserable. I enjoyed being in the stores and interacting with the customers. I wasn’t passionate about riding 4 hours a day around in a van all by myself. I’m a people person. After a few months of dreading waking up and going to work each morning I went back to my old job that I loved and was much happier.

Ever serve with someone in ministry (or perhaps were “that” person) who just didn’t seem to enjoy serving in the church? They are easy to spot because often they complain. Complain about other ministries in the church taking priority over theirs, complain that the pastor just doesn’t appreciate what they do in ministry, complain about being placed on the schedule to serve “too much”.

I believe there are a couple of possible reasons to this sort of attitude. The first could be that the person simply doesn’t understand what ministry is all about either because the person is spiritually immature or they grew up in a church where ministry was confused with social involvement in the community like being part of the Lion’s Club or Kiwanas or some other civic organization.

For some in this situation of “unhappiness” in ministry is because they have been placed in a place of ministry that is not their passion. You know immediately when you meet someone serving in the church that is passionate about the ministry they are plugged into because they have a smile on their face when they talk about their ministry which they like to talk about a lot.

Don’t let the “unhappy” minister ruin your day. Don’t give up on this person. The key then is for us as ministry team leaders to help folks recognize their passion in ministry and help them connect in that ministry. Once a person is plugged into the area they are passionate about we then get to step back and watch them light up with joy serving.

Looking Forward in 2011

Some of what I have to look forward to in 2011:

• Beginning the Assimilation Team of NHC
• Youth Ministry Team retreat
• The Call 2011
• Our twins turn 2 and our eldest man child turns 7!
• Impact Outer Banks, a week long local mission event for students
• Another season for Tubbs Hot Dogs
• Involvement in the Real Men Eat Lunch connection group
  
• Starting a Bible study for high school students.
  
• Launching our full spectrum of Contagious Ministry Teams
• The first ever Camp Contagious
• 22nd wedding anniversary!!
  
• Starting my 11th year at NHC
• Improving my blog and blogging skills.
  
• My 19th year in youth ministry!
• Vacations. (Don't know where we are going this year but know we aren't driving 2,500 miles with the kids in the van again for a couple of years. A cruise would be nice but is expensive. I know of a cheap vacation on the OBX)
  

Prepared for What You Expect? Part 2

Situation #2

A family is looking for a church to connect with. They are new to the community and are looking for a church family to grow with as they raise their children. They arrive on Sunday morning. After parking they get out of the car and there is no one to greet them or any signage to point them in the right direction. They see what appears to be the main entrance for the church so they head that direction. When entering the lobby it is obvious the children stay in the worship with their parents as they see children scurrying around the auditorium.

The family receives their bulletin and heads in to find a pew to sit in. It takes a few minutes to find a seat because the church seating is at around 85% capacity. After getting comfortable they look around and assess that there are a lot of children in this church. They are excited about that but also wondering if there a worship service for the children.

Soon the music starts. There is a struggle a time or two as the parents try to keep their kids from bouncing off the pew because they bored. As the worship in music ends the pastor approaches the podium and announces that all the children can go with Miss Nancy to children’s church. The majority of the children stand up and head out of the auditorium with “Miss Nancy”*. Their children want to go but the parents don’t allow them because they don’t know where the children are going and who is working with them.

Worship in an atmosphere with limited distractions is important to this family, as is worship for their children at their children’s level. The music came to a great point for the pastor to deliver the message and then the whole “mood”, if you will, is broken by the interruption and waiting for the children to exit.

At the end of a service where the parents didn’t hear the message the pastor preached because they were trying to keep squirmy active children entertained quietly the parents decide as they leave that this isn’t the church for them. As they exit the building they see the children running around the church lawn and parking lot without adult supervision.

This church wants to reach young families but they are not prepared to do handle what they expect.

Some thoughts to help this church in this situation:

>Have someone in the parking lot pointing parents with small children in the direction they should go with their kids. Have helpful directional signs around the building(s).

>Have a secure check in system so every child is accounted for. Use nametags and have a corresponding security tag for the parents. Even for the regular attendee’s so the guests don’t feel “pointed out”.

>Have parents drop off their child at the door of children’s worship and have parents pick their child up at the same place.

>Train a team of adults to rotate every other Sunday in leading a children’s worship time from start to finish. A place where children go and worship while there parents are in “big church”. This will keep Miss Nancy* from missing the sermon every week. Shoot for a ratio of one adult per six children.

>Go with a “plug and play” curriculum. If reaching families is important to the church then there has to be a financial investment. No “cheap” fixes. Most adults don’t want to lead children’s church because they don’t want to teach or they don’t have the time to prepare the lesson each week. Let’s face it in order to communicate with children and keep their attention you have to be good, really good. Most of us are not at that the level of “really” good. Many with the gift of teaching are more attracted to lecture style, which won’t hold a child’s attention. Children need interaction. The last thing you want is someone who glances at the lesson over their Sunday morning coffee and that is the extent of their prep time. At NHC we use Kidmo and Lil’ K and it works great at teaching Biblical truth to children while holding their attention.

>Do away with the parade. The parade of children leaving the auditorium is for the benefit of the older folks who like to look and smile at all the little children that are in their church. Meanwhile mom and dad would love a break where they can focus their hearts on worship, a time to focus on their own spiritual nourishment so they can be spiritually healthy in leading their family. Maybe even a few minute break before the service begins to have coffee with some other parents. Ask the parents; my bet is they would love to see their children engaged in a worship service that targets their child’s comprehension level. If the older folks want to see all the little children they get in on leading children’s worship or provide a Parent’s Night Out so mom and dad can have a date and invest in their marriage.

The result of these simple changes would speak volumes to the families checking their church out.

Imagine parents dropping their kids off in a kid friendly environment where children are playing games, singing, learning a lesson about God.

Imagine groups of parents standing around before the service with a cup of coffee and talking together and building those important relationships that act as a glue to keep them connected to their church.

Imagine mom and dad sitting in the auditorium worshipping without distraction. Their hearts and minds focused on praising and worshipping God and learning from His Word.

Imagine mom and dad picking up their children and receiving a worksheet to do at home with their child during the week equipping/resourcing mom and dad to be the discipler of their child.

Imagine the distractions removed from the corporate worship.

Imagine the extra seats the church now has in their pews to fill with more guests as they reach their community. This church would go from 85% capacity to 60%, plenty of seats for new folks.

What does your church expect in children's ministry and in reaching families and are you prepared for it?

*Miss Nancy is a fictional character any similarities to Miss Nancy and this church are coincidental. (Well almost coincidental)

Fiery Darts!

Following a great weekend at The Call we went low key on Sunday night at Contagious. I was "taught" out and the student had enough content from The Call and from Pastor Steve's sermon to chew on all week.

Sometimes you just need a good laugh. So we watched Tim Hawkins on DVD. He is hilarious! I sat in the back and it was fun to watch the shoulders and head of students and leaders shake as they laughed.

We played that Ping Pong game again. It's become an addiction during Hang Time for a large portion of the students, even the ones that couldn't hit a ping pong ball with the side of a barn. I have googled trying to find the real name for this game and can't come up with anything.

It was interesting in the weeks leading up to The Call I was tremendously busy trying to prepare for The Call and get the Kids' Zone wrapped up. Someone mentioned to me that it seemed that the devil always attacked our youth ministry/The Call as we got close to The Call. This year he changed strategy, rather than attack before he attacked after. I recognized it immediately. Following two weeks of putting in lots of hours and being mentally drained and following two nights of terrible sleep (certain little someones decided the day should start at 1am, 2am, 3am, etc....)

There are a few things I know about the fiery dart attacks of the devil:

• Satan is not omnipotent, all powerful
• Satan is not omniscient, all knowing
• Satan is not omnipresent, everywhere at once (so the devil himself probably never directly messes with me, he has bigger fish to fry)
• Satan doesn't scare me (Greater is He that is in me than he that is in the world)
• I must recognize the attack and make sure the armor is on
• If Satan is not attacking that must mean we are doing nothing to advance the kingdom
• Satan attacks the church from within the church. My experience has been that when Satan attacks he uses church folk. (just study some church splits and you will probably agree with me)

My reaction is to remain calm. I learned in my firefighter training that panic only makes a bad situation worse. So I choose to remain calm in the attack, crack open the Bible, pray, trust God because he is my shield and my fortress. Quite honestly I don't like the attack but I'm glad because if we are under attack we must be doing something right.

Change or Status Quo

Change happens all around us on a daily basis. Are you one that fights off change? Do you like things to stay the way they are? I'll admit I'm a creature of habit and function better when my days follow a certain pattern. BUT at the same time I like things to change. I like the excitement that change brings. I don't ride roller coasters so change is about the only adrenaline rush I get.

When I was going through the process of starting up the world renowned Tubbs Hot Dogs, LLC I had the experience of submitting an amendment to the town codes. I learned some interesting things going through the process. Step one after submitting my amendment was to appear before the town planning board. The board is made up of 5 citizens of the town. They shared their concerns and I responded. When it came to vote time on whether or not to recommend my amendment to go to public hearing one of the votes was interesting to me. Four of the five voted "yes" to the amendment with one voting "no". The lady who voted against the amendment was allowed to state why she voted "no" so the town council could know her reasoning. Her answer was, "I want to keep the status quo".

"Keep the status quo"?! I was the owner of a business and one of my managers wanted to "keep the status quo" I would fire that manager. If I were president and one of my cabinet members wanted to "keep the status quo" I would find someone new to replace the cabinet member.

Change must happen. I'm not talking about changing for the sake of simply making a change. I'm talking about evaluating why something needs to change. How can it improve? What could be done better? Keeping the status quo is living in a rut. We all know that a rut is a grave that is open at both ends.

So will your church's youth ministry, family ministry, children's ministry, small group ministry keep the status quo in 2010 or will it change and improve? What areas need improvement? Where does change need to happen? Remember some don't like change and will fight it tooth and nail, even if the change is necessary and explained thoroughly.

Will your family keep the status quo? Will your spiritual life keep the status quo? What changes are in store for you in 2010? You may not even know but your life, ministry, your world could radically change in just a matter of minutes, hours or even days.

8 Years and Counting

Yesterday marked 8 years at NHC for me. I was surprised by the recognition of my 8 years in the first worship gathering. I'm glad I have been here this long. I guess my time here at NHC and the other youth pastors that stick around a while helps keep the average a little above two years. Pastor Steve has been here 15 years as a volunteer. Incredible!

The past 8 years have been a tremendous time of growth for me. I have learned so much about the church and ministry, much more than I have learned in school.

A few things that stand out to me over the past 8 years:

>The growth of NHC
>Moving into our new building
>Watching students learn to own their faith
>Parents grasping that discipleship of their teen is their responsibility
>The growth of our youth ministry team
>The change and growth of our children's ministry and the CM team
>The growth of Trunk or Treat
> The Call's birth, growth and now remodeling
>High percentage of NHC partners involved in ministry (over 90%)
>Changing music styles without a church split (SBC Church Planting) ;)

A few lessons learned:

>Ministry should never be done alone. Always bring someone along in ministry
>Leaders build leaders
>Ministry Teams are the way to go
>The best way to recruit for your team is to have team members "tap" others to join the team
>Evaluate
>Don't do events and activities just to do events and activities
>Focus on purpose
>Nip it in the bud, church discipline is vital to church health

I have been blessed to serve with 4 elders in the church who have vision, who want to do God's will at NHC.
I have been blessed to serve with 4 great ministry teams.

I'm also blessed to be married to a wife who is very supportive of my "job" and what I do. It has been a blessing to watch our family grow over the past 8 years. I am a blessed man.

I think the key to longevity at a church, from what I have learned from watching others who have served for a long time at the same church, is to find the church that is a "fit". The "fit" includes finding God's will, knowing the church's "personality" and "traits and trends". A church that goes through pastors like a kids goes through candy in a Pez dispenser would not be a "fit" for me. :)

Taking an Unexpected Turn

Sometimes in life we think we have it figured out.  We have our plans, dreams, ideas of how things will be.  More often than not there are unexpected turns in the road, events and circumstances that we don't plan on.  

Here is the skeleton outline of an article that I'm working on:

• Remember God is Sovereign (Jeremiah 29:11)
• Remember to Pray (Matthew 26:39)
• Remember Your Call (Matthew 28:18-20)
• Remember your Family (Ephesians 5:21 - 6:4)

Any thoughts?

After Camp Family Time

First of all I want to recognize those that serve in youth ministry as volunteers and take a week's vacation time off to go to camp with the students.  You guys rock!

Something I have decided to do is to take time off after camp.  Camp is 120 hours away from my family.  In the past I have taken a day or two off as comp time to get some rest thanks to a church who genuinely cares for her staff.  Now that my family has expanded and I know the work involved in taking care of a 5 year old and twin 6 month old babies I know that my wife needs me home to help her get some rest as well.  So I'll be vacationing on the OBX with my family and friends this week.

As I sat at camp last week thinking about the stress my family went through with one child with pink eye, one twin taken to the ER in an ambulance and then her twin brother ending up sick as well I was reminded of something very important:

What good are you if you minister to other parents children but neglect to minister to your own family?

My family should be my first ministry.  Growing up as a pastor's kid I got to rub elbows with a lot of other children who had parents in full time ministry.  I have seen many go off the edge and often it was due to an absentee father, the pastor.  Shame on pastors who do this!  

The church belongs to God, He can take care of her just fine without you.  If I'm in ministry and I'm going to neglect my family it would be healthier for the church if I quit and found some other line of work.  Why?  We, as pastors, should be setting the example.

So this will be my last blog post for the week.  I won't twitter or Facebook except for fun.  Now off to take care of my family!  

Are you neglecting your family?

The Power of Focus

Ministry is a joy but . . .

Sometimes ministry can be frustrating.  Sometimes ministry can be hard.  Sometimes ministry can be exhausting.  We can’t escape these aspects of ministry.  The reason ministry can be hard is because ministry involves people and people come with baggage, hurt, pain, anger, bitterness, laziness, etc. 

I’m glad that every follower of Christ is a minister.  Some believers realize this and they roll up their sleeves and serve.  Some choose to ignore this because, “I’m too busy”.  Some ignore this fact due to ignorance, years of the church teaching that the guy up front giving the sermon is the minister.

If you find yourself struggling in ministry (and I’m not just talking to the folks make their living “in ministry”) there are some great verses to be read in 2 Corinthians 4.  I strongly suggest you park there for a while and read the chapter, then read it again, then read it again.  There are a few verses there in that chapter that are an encouragement to me. 

As I read this chapter I thought of the person in ministry who feels like they are banging their head against a wall.  The ministry team who is doing their best to stretch their small team to accomplish the ministry task because other church members choose to sit the bench.  The youth minister who for reasons beyond his control is facing opposition from within his church.  The pastor who finds it a struggle to minister because he has a handful of critics who seem to find joy in making his life miserable and also find joy in throwing out obstacles to keep their church from growing.  I often wonder if those folks aren’t the wolves in sheep’s clothing.  To be honest, in my lifetime, most of the persecution I’ve seen has come from within the church itself.

How do you find the strength to minister?

Now we have this treasure in clay jars, so that this extraordinary power may be from God and not from us. (4:7)

How do you not fold up in ministry and throw in the towel?

Therefore we do not give up; even though our outer person is being destroyed, our inner person is being renewed day by day. (4:16)

Why do you keep serving in ministry?

For our momentary light affliction is producing for us an absolutely incomparable eternal weight of glory. (4:17)

The power to minister comes from your focus.

So we do not focus on what is seen, but on what is unseen; for what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal. (4:18)

So today if you are weary, tired both physically and emotionally.  If you are waking up to the “Monday morning after Sunday blues” I would encourage you to spend some time in 2 Corinthians 4.  Park there, hang out there a while.  Find the source of your strength, resolve not to quit, realize that you are being renewed, think about what awaits in eternity, focus on what is unseen, the eternal.

 

SHAPEd to Surf

Today we will teach 20 something middle and high school students how to surf.  Most of these students will actually surf before the camp is done today.  Some won't surf but will have a better understanding of how to surf and they will be able to continue to practice on their own.  It's awesome to watch a student catch their first wave and pop up and ride the wave.

A little over ten years ago Steve Wise, one of NHC's pastors, decided to do something with what he is passionate about.  The H of his shape is his heart, surfing is what Steve is passionate about.  Steve loves to surf so he took this passion for surfing and combined it with his desire to reach people to discover life in Christ and Hukilau was born.   This summer is Hukilau's tenth summer of teaching students to surf and sharing the gospel.

So in about a half hour from now I'll be loading up in the car to head to surf camp.  I'm excited to see these kids learn to surf but I'm most excited that we are going to share the love of Jesus Christ with them today.  Another awesome part of surf camp for me is watching a whole bunch of NHC partners serving in missions by serving at surf camp.  It's rough but someone has to do missions on the beach.

What are you passionate about and how could that be used to reach people to discover life in Christ?

Thursday Afternoon Thoughts on Ministry

Ministry is not something only the "paid" professionals do.  Ministers aren't just the dudes that get up and preach on Sunday morning.  Every believer is a minister, or at least should be.

Every part needs to do function as God has placed the parts in order for a church to be effective in ministry. 

Ministry is serving Christ and his church.  To say you don't have time to minister is to say you don't have time to serve the bride of Christ.  Ministry shouldn't be confused with mission.  If I mow my neighbor's lawn I'm doing mission.   (unless he is a member of the church, then that would be ministry)  If I love my church (that's the people, not the building) I should want to serve my church.

To be a balanced, spiritually healthy, believer a follower of Christ must be actively involved in ministry in their local church.  I'm spiritually unhealthy if I'm not giving of my time, talents, personality, resources.  How much time in ministry is enough time in ministry?  Great question!  You tell me.  Some of the busiest people I know in their business, work and families are some of the ones who are most involved in ministry also.

Great joy is found in serving where God has SHAPED you to serve.  Your church is in poor shape when every part isn't functioning where God has placed him/her.

Where do you serve in your church?  Is it a fit?  Does is fit your spiritual gift(s), your personality, your experiences?  Are you passionate about the ministry you are involved in?

Volunteers are Great!

I have been off of my sabbatical for a week now.  It's nice to be back in the office and I'm looking forward to teaching about stress tomorrow night.  

While I was gone for over 60 something days the youth ministry at NHC kept trucking.  Our YM team of volunteers ministered to students fantastically.  Without them I'm not sure how well the sabbatical would have been or if it would have happened at all.  Turning partners in the church loose to do ministry is what it is all about.  I love watching folks discover their SHAPE and then dive in and serve their Savior and church.  It's a huge blessing and the YM team rocks!

Tonight I was blessed again by another volunteer, Kit, a member of our nursery team, dropped by our home with a chocolate pound cake.  The whole Lawrenson family is enjoying it (well the twins aren't because they have no teeth yet).  Kit is a blessing to me as she serves each and every Sunday in our nursery.  Her commitment to be there each week has made the difference in some tiny lives as they became comfortable being dropped off by mommy and daddy in the toddler room.  The nursery team at NHC rocks and they are a huge blessing to my family.

The Most Valuable Asset

“I’m the most valuable asset . . .” This was a phrase I heard come out of the mouth of an employee in a corporate situation. She is getting moved from where she thinks she is the best choice the company has for that area. She also went on to talk about how good she was at her job and was the best person for the job. Now I don’t mind a little pride in the job you do but this person had very high thoughts of herself. Maybe she is the most valuable asset, perhaps the “powers” that be where she works are making a mistake, maybe they are not making a mistake in moving her. I don’t know enough about this company to know whether or not they consider themselves a team but judging from her statement I don’t think they do or at least she is not a team player.

Ministry is best accomplished in a team and not in a lone ranger approach. I think teams are very important to the health and growth of a church as the partners (members) discover how God has created them to serve.

Some thought about ministry teams:
>Together Everyone Accomplishes More
>There is no “I” in team
>It’s not about you
>Team members watch out for the whole team
>Teams work together to accomplish the vision of the church
>Individual teams in a church are just a part of the big picture
>No one on a team is more valuable than another
>Every team member has gifts and talents to be used by God
>Teams work together through conflict

The most valuable asset to a team is a team player.

High Maintenance Believers

We all know high maintenance people.  If you don't know any just sit down and watch an episode of Bridezilla or one of those reality shows about 15 year old girls' parents taking out massive loans to throw their little princess the perfect sweet 16 party.   I don't know about you but I tend to avoid high maintenance people.  

 

Sadly there also exists high maintenance believers.  Christians who appear to be a tad bit spoiled or expect the church to revolve around them.   Basically it boils down to a maturity issue.   I was thinking about this some the past couple of days and here are some of the "HMB" indicators that stood out to me:

 

>Complains that no one in the church cares for them yet they are not involved in a small group or Sunday School class.

>Gripes that no one from the church helped them in their time of need yet when asked when they last did this for someone they come up blank or "I'm sure I have".

>Complain that the pastor's sermons just aren't deep enough for them but they never crack open the Bible themselves for a little self feeding or even attempt to apply what is taught.

>First to cry out when their favorite program is cut or changed.

>Quick to point out ministry needs but never lift a finger to do ministry.

>Take their toys and go home.  Bail out and stay home and pout if something happens or is said that they don't like.

>Think that church is for them.

>Love committees but wouldn't dare join a team, that would require time and sacrifice.

>Quick for the hand out but slow to put their hand out to help

>Want to be served but don't want to serve.

>Favorite line when asked to serve is, "I'm just so busy."

>More concerned about the external than the internal or the eternal.

>Would be offended by this list.

 

Most if not all churches have this type of believer in the congregation.  So what is a church to do?  I have come to the conclusion that we don't have the time to hold a "mature" believer's hand and walk them through life.  Sadly, often in churches, more time is spent on high maintenance believers then time spent trying to make disciples.  I think all a church can do is lay it out, "Here is what we have, and here is what we do."  We can't hold your hand and scratch your every itch at some point you, the believer, must get a grip and take responsibility for your own growth.  Let's say I have a serious Reese’s' Peanut Butter Egg addiction (and I think I do) and the church offers a group for those of us that are RPBE addicts it is my responsibility to get involved in the group.  It is not the staff's job to come to my house, dress me, load me in the car and take me to the group.  It's not the group's responsibility to beg me and plead with me, a member of their church, to get involved.    

Here is the buffet!  It's your choice to dine or not.

For those with the gift of mercy - I'm not making reference to new believers

What Percent of Your Church Ministers?

The percentage in most churches of those that minister is 20%.  Twenty percent of the membership in a local church is doing eighty percent of the ministry.  We are blessed at Nags Head Church, I think as the result of years of teaching from the Bible about what ministry is and who ministers are, and we have over 90% of our membership involved in ministry in the church. 

There has been some confusion in the church.  For years many believers have grown up in churches where the ministry is to be done by the "ministers", meaning the paid pastor.  But this is far from how the Bible teaches that ministry is to be done in the local body of believers.

This morning I read a great article that addresses this issue.  If you are in church leadership you need to take a look-see at this article, especially if your church is under the impression that the ministry is to be done by the pastoral staff.

Ed, Group's church leadership unit has a vision of 80/20 by 2020. We want to flip the 80/20 rule so that by the year 2020 eighty percent of regular church attendees are actively serving in some ministry. Unfortunately, our State of the Church '09 study indicated that currently it's more like fifteen percent of the people who are active in ministry right now. Why do you think that is?

Part of it is that we have to recognize that we've created the system that we loathe. I don't think the reason 15 percent serve is because 85 percent are lazy. We've created a system that glorifies the clergy and marginalized the laity. We got the outcome we created programs for. We've become "clergified." There's a 3-tiered structure: laypeople, clergy and missionaries.  (Read the entire article here)