Some thoughts for reflection:
How can you as a Church Planter start involving more people in the ministry of your church? How can you delegate to new converts? Discuss the 3 essential elements of delegation. Do you have any examples of successful delegation? Share.
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Delegation for me was at first a hard issue for me to beat. I had to learn that you can't complain about people not doing anything if you don't let them try to do something. I see so much wisdom in giving people responsibilites and letting them be involved. This blesses them as well as gives them a connection to the church and the people of God.
ReplyDeleteI think there is lots of ways to delegate to new converts. Of course you have to be wise about it, but it is possible. I for one start to look at what they like to do and then try to find a way to get them to help. I have one lady who likes to do volunteer work so she leads up and helps in fundraising. Another person is real personable and I have them make sure our guest get a welcome packet and introduce them to me. One lady of ours likes to cook and so she helps organize our potluck meals. some times we have to get imaginative, but the one thing our church people say is that they feel like part of the family and that is what is important.
ReplyDeleteDelegation in our church has been difficult so far. I have tried to place different people into small areas of responsibility, but most of them have not kept their priorities straight to keep the responsibility. I should have trained better and held them more accountable than what I did.
ReplyDeleteI have picked out a couple of men to teach the adult Sunday School and teach midweek bible studies at least once a quarter. They have learned from their teachings that it does take a tremendous amount of time to research, present the topic, and then bring the service to an effective closing.
ReplyDeleteThis has allowed me to critique and build upon their strong points and help in the areas that they need improvement.
I have learned to lead by example and I do teach more bible studys than anyone else in the church but I do encourage other leaders and make sure they are being used to teach bible studies. I usually ask a leader that could be a good fit with the new convert and make the connection between the two. A leader can be a church member that is a lady or a man, it is up to their availability.
I can say that a successful delegation would be a sister in the church that has lead a Home Fellowship Group effectively.
These are all training opportunities for our church leaders and church members, and we do provide books, DVDs, and sectional training seminars.
Some thoughts came to my mind as Bro. Bernard taught that we are to be stewards of those placed in our care. As he said, stewards are not "owners" but "managers". Having experience in corporate management, I began to consider this idea further. Usually, when I think of a "manager" I think of money, inventories or other tangible resources. Obviously, people are a resource for the church. We never know what latent abilities simply need to be "dug-up" and developed for use in the Kingdom of God. This takes time and effort on the part of the leader but considering him in the role of a manager, he usually has to give an account to the owner at some point in the future. If we are expected to be wise stewards of the church's money, how much more do we have a responsiblity to be wise in our stewardship with people?
ReplyDeleteCommenting on alaskaelmore's post ... Considering the need for involving people and trying to find the right "fit" for them as an individual, we have found using a "Talent Survey" to be very helpful. Not only when we have a new convert but when anyone seems to be moving toward a regular attender or once someone expresses interest in becoming a part of our church, I give them the survey to discover their talents, abilities and where they have a desire to be involved in the future. Rather than asking someone to get involved in a certain department, the survey helps me to know if they even have an interest in that area of work. This is nearly always my starting point for involvement.
ReplyDeleteWhen we have a new convert we have them to fill out our Church questionnaire,this tells us of their talents and future goals of ministry.we have followed up with the individual and discussed a plan of action to help facilitate their desire to work for God.The result we asked different men and ladies to speak at their respective meetings.In addition I have used both men and women to speak at our Tuesday night bible study,I sometimes will give them a subject and time limit.This has helped our people to get established by studying and praying for the service,which helps them understand the burden of the ministry.
ReplyDeleteI have found it rather very comfortable delegating to new converts.After we learned of their spiritual goals, aspirations and talents we endeavour to use them according to their present ability.Some examples being part of our users or greeters.Ladies willing to bake or cook at church functions,Taking church attendance,working the computer, working the church grounds,taking up the offering,leading the congregation in prayer.The point is we can find something for them to excel at.I also find its important to tell them with affirmation,if applicable (job well done).
ReplyDeleteResponding to brother Ed Gann comment of us being stewards of Gods work.Jesus is the Chief Shepherd,we are all under shepherds to Christ.Peter said were not to be lords over Gods heritage,but being examples to the flock.We are to feed the flock of God that he has entrusted to us in the love of Jesus.
ReplyDeleteWhen we arrived here to begin the initial steps of planting a new church, we didn't know anyone and have been working primarily on developing relationships. After hearing some of Bro. Bernard's comments in this lesson, I realized that we have been focusing all of our efforts in the immediate area of where we are having services. This is a pretty large metro area and I came here with a vision to establish daughter works and to reach for the entire area. However, this vision was for the future ... after we had a solid mother church established. Perhaps we can begin now to invest some of our outreach efforts in these other areas. Quite possibly God will allow us to meet key people that will be instrumental in establishing another work in a different part of our city much earlier that I had originally planned. It might even be that we find another part of the harvest field that is more ripe and ready than where we are currently focusing our attention.
ReplyDeleteThis may sound a little odd, but the one example I have of delegating so far is my wife. She has never taken a lead role in our home church. " A rather large Church". I talked her into trying to lead the music, so I could focus in on playing the music. It has worked great. She lost her fear of being in front of the group. And God has blessed her efforts with a very nice anointing. I also have a young lady that wants to sing. We practiced a song as a special and she sang it at her public school talent show with me playing the guitar for the music. She has really recieved alot of compliments in her community.
ReplyDeleteI like the idea of training leaders, we currently have only one service a week so we are limited on time. As God opens the doors for a midweek session training will certainly come soon
ReplyDeleteReg Harwood, I like the way you talk about using people sounds like a great plan. One gentleman in our church had never prayed out loud in a service. We let him volunteer to pray over a meal that we had after service one evening. It was a tremendous achievement for him. I'm proud of every advancement made by any of the folks God has sent our way.
ReplyDeleteI am trying to become better at delegating. Bro Harwood mentioned being rather comfortable with it. For some reason I am not nearly as comfortable with it as I would like to be. I think I hate to feel like I am inconveniencing anyone. It has been to my detriment many times in the past. Bro Bernard was very articulate in the way he presented it.
ReplyDeleteAlthough we are not nearly at the point to implement this in a major way, I loved what Bro Bernard mentioned he had told his staff about developing a training component to your department. I think we might retain more of our volunteers if we invested in them through training. I really think that people want to feel like you value their contribution. Training is a great way to affirm that to them. If we didn't value them, why would we go to the trouble anyway?
ReplyDeleteBro Gann and Bro Harwood - The concept of being stewards of God's resources has always reverberated with me. Of course, His greatest resource are His sheep. I pray that I can become a good steward of empowering God's people to become pivotal players in the Kingdom of God.
ReplyDeleteI have found that as time has gone by since we started, I now try to get people involved earlier. If a person can come consistently for at least a month, I start asking them to do things; i.e take the offering, greet people at the door. I was surprised that people were willing to help with virtually no history with our church. We have been blessed with some families who love to cook. Most churches dread potlucks but they have been very easy to plan for us. We have delegated the responsibility of planing, cooking, and cleaning to some of these people and they have run with it, and they love doing it.
ReplyDeleteI found this session to be very helpful. I have many areas of ministry that I would like to branch out in but have found myself asking how am I going to do it myself. I am going to implement Bro. Bernard's idea of leadership training open to all. I can see how this will also fit with discipleship. I think that his statement of, "the broader the base of leadership, the more the church will grow" resonated the most with me.
ReplyDeletein response to Ed Gann: I like that idea of "digging-up" hidden resources. I feel that we should be good resources of those God sends our way. I have felt that with some people who have left that they may have stuck around if we would have involved them in serving earlier. That may not have been the case, but service does help people feel a part of the bigger picture.
ReplyDeleteI found this particular lesson enlightening as it is so important in a church plant to begin to involve people as they are developing in their faith. There is always a place for a new Christian, and at times, this can be challenging if they have yet to demonstrate certain qualities/spiritual maturity the pastor deems appropriate. For instance, delegating some of the “behind the scenes” tasks can assist in furthering the vision of the church. It will give the person opportunity to take ownership in the church, while hopefully allowing God to work on their heart for deeper commitments in their personal walk with Him.
ReplyDeleteI appreciate the thoughts revolving instituting leadership training even in a small church setting. This can allow for the pastor to share vision as well as talk about convictions the future leader will need to demonstrate as they become more appropriate as ministry leaders in the church. This can multiply the effectiveness of the church as well as assist in the discipleship process of equipping the saints for serving. Perhaps this may be a way to further assist in allowing the person to “buy in” to what the pastor and church are trying to accomplish in the city.
ReplyDeleteE.Gann: I too appreciate the idea of being “managers” and not “owners” of the souls that the Lord has entrusted us to serve and shepherd. This shift in thought frees us to focus on the idea of developing people with a Kingdom mentality. Sending individuals out from our congregations to plant new churches or be involved in other ministries is the cornerstone of what the Great Commission is all about. Thanks for sharing your thoughts on this subject also!
ReplyDeleteI'm encouraged to start what the Lord has already laid upon my heart, and that is a leadership training.. but now I know specific direction about how I'm going to present it to the church and I know who can be apart of that.
ReplyDelete@ alaskaelmore -- I like your comments about how you have certain people that like a specific thing and you have fitted them precisely in an area of natural gifting.. How is that going?
ReplyDeleteThere is a point that hit me square between the eyes that is so simple yet was overlooked by me. Bro Bernard said that we are not just looking at doing a job done well, but that the job gets done by people, so the Pastor doesn't have to do it all. Also, the other part of this helpful video, is the fact that leadership training should be done on basis of future needs (to be ahead of the curve) instead of just being stuck thinking about present needs.. We must have a vision and then be led to train people to help obtain the God given vision!
ReplyDeleteDelegation is not always an easy thing for me. It's not because I want control, it's because I am constantly worried that I may put too much on someone. This is something that I am working hard to correct.
ReplyDeleteE. Gann, I appreciate the thought of being "managers" and not "owners". I work with business owners and managers everyday and there is a huge difference between the two. I am definitely wanting to get that right.
ReplyDeleteI liked some of the ideas that I have seen on this blog. I've not thought about asking the talents and interests of the new convert when they first start coming. This may be something we will start soon.
ReplyDeleteFor new converts, I feel it is important to give them smaller responsibilities and take them through a discipleship class. As they prove themselves, more responsibilities and opportunities for leadership will develop
ReplyDeleteEverybody can do something. As a church planter, i find it important to get people involved as much as possible with the church. There are areas of ministry that need to be approached differently concerning involvement (such as public and platform ministry), but everybody in our church is encouraged to get involved in outreach. I find the more the people feel connected to what is going on, the easier it is to retain them and disciple them.
ReplyDeleteAs a church planter I can start by giving small tasks or job descriptions on various functions of the church and activities. . Slowly but surely people will begin to be included in these small tasks which will eventually lead to greater responsibilities. Based on performance, faithfulness, loyalty, and desire I would continue to develop their leadership skills and talents into the ministries that lie ahead as the church grows. This is done through mentoring, teaching, seminars and retreats.
ReplyDeleteThe way I include new converts is by allowing them to fill out a questionnaire in their membership class. Once I find their interests I look into where they can fit. A job description is created with a detailed list on the responsibilities. New converts want to feel like they belonged and need to be included. Once we include the new convert we slowly begin to include them in staff meetings, trainings, and so on. Yes, at first they may not do the work as expected but after a while they are able to perform the task completely on their own.
One example I would like to share is a an activity we had recently. The women had a workshop with the purpose for women in the community to come and learn about drug abuse, domestic violence, and teen topics ending with a Holy Ghost celebration. A team of five women each took a specific task under my wife. The results were amazing-12 women receiving the Holy Ghost.
ReplyDeleteI like alaskaelmore ideas on how he finds a way to include them to help. Recently I gave over the task of making welcome packets to one lady and she really enjoys doing it. A simple task but yet very needed. Every job is important.
ReplyDeleteI delegated too soon in our church plant but felt I needed to because of the growth. I overlooked certain character flaw which was a mistake.
ReplyDeleteThe best way to involve new converts is in positions like greeters, ushers, setup/teardown of service, outreach.
Discuss the 3 essential elements of delegation.
Give responsibility
People need to feel some ownership and by giving them responsibility you show that a. you believe in them. b. you need their help. c. you trust in their abilities.
Give authority:
Responsibility without authority to carry responsibility out is futile. They need to know you trust them to carry out the task.
Establish lines of accountability:
Follow up with your leadership. Make sure they are doing what you have asked of them, make sure they understand the line of authortity in the church
Have two young men working under me who I've spend a lot of "one on one" time with. I started giving them simple things like driving the van, making followup calls to visitors, later gave them opportunities to lead services and now both are preaching and still here helping us.