Home Archive by category "Leadership" (Page 22)

Category: Leadership

Help Wanted: Workers or Volunteers?

On Kidology.org right now there is a discussion right now titled Alternative Names for Volunteers, and folks are discussing what we can call those who staff our kids ministry besides “Volunteers” because that word can often not capture the commitment we are seeking to have. The word “worker” came up, and it reminded me of something funny from my college days. As a Moody Bible Institute student, I always got a kick out of the evolution of the weekly volunteer “PCM” requirement. It stood for Practical Christian Ministry assignment. My ‘kick’ wasn’t that it was a bad thing or required, while lots of students complained, I loved it and learned a lot as they required a wide variety of assignments over the course of your college experience. What I thought was a little funny was that when my parents attended MBI in the 60’s it was a PCW assignment: Practical Christian Work assignment. Over the years Moody dropped the unattractive word ‘work’ for the more appealing ‘ministry.’ Now, I could just as easily defend the change and see the benefits of the word “ministry” over “work, BUT we ARE called to WORK for the Lord! I just think we sometimes…

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The 30 Percent Rule

I loved Christine Yount’s “from the editor” in the latest edition of CM Magazine. She admits, as we all would (or should!) – those unsettling moments when we feel out of control when everything isn’t going the way we think they should. No matter how hard to try, there are constant crisis’ and struggles and things going wrong in our life and work… and we just can’t seem to get a handle on things. It can be really frustrating. We have to look like we have it together for our staff and volunteers, so we let it out finally leak out to our spouses. (My poor wife!) Which Christine says she did on a walk with her husband, who gave her the following advice: “You need to understand that one-third is going to be icky – and just accept it.” Too often we focus on what we CAN’T CONTROL, instead of on what we CAN. We can spend a lot of time complaining to our spouse about what we can’t change – instead of making changes we CAN make, or pursuing excellence in the areas we CAN control. What can you change? What do you need to change? What are…

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The Power of Encouragement

Before there was Kidology.org – (well, it was members.aol.com/kidologyweb) – Before most people had heard of this guy who called himself “the Kidologist” – there was just this kids pastor name Karl Bastian who threw himself 287% into whatever he did! One of those times was when he got invited to provide the children’s programing (not child care!) for the Okoboji Lakes Bible Conference waaaay back in 1996. I was hired by none other than Scottie May. You may have never heard of her, but she is the Mom of Phil Vicher (Creator of VeggieTales), and he wasn’t a household name in kids pastor’s homes (or American homes for that matter) back then. I think the first VHS tape was just hitting stores! Anyway – Along with my wife and some youth I brought from my church, we were proving children’s programming for TEN DAYS while the parents were in sessions over in the “Big Tent.” We did full scale Kids Church-like lessons, game times, crafts, and so much more. As I always do whether I’m doing Kid’s Church, speaking at camp, or writing curriculum, I provide more than asked and try to make it the best I possibly can…

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Leadership Lesson from Mushing

Today was a VERY exciting day for my little boy! For he got to go MUSHING! It was an exciting day for ME, because I got to drive my family on a sled across the snowly plains with mountains on all sides of me! What a thrill it was indeed! Luke got to see some dogs, which he LOVES but can’t own due to daddy’s alergies (and no e-mails about allergy-proof dogs, we aren’t going there, been there, tried that!) Here’s proof that I LIKED the dogs, just ain’t gonna OWN one! But mushing was a BLAST! And being on the sled with my wife and son inside was a really cool feeling! (Quite literally too) I realize those dogs were in more control than me – but I since another guest DID wipe out (woman driver, ha!) there was some steering to it! And I was the only one that got to do some downhill driving, though it was mostly level the whole way. We never got over 15 MPH, but it was very windy and snowing, so not sure I’d want to go faster…. nah… I wish I could have, just not with the family on board! But…

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Got Building Plans?

Got some Kingdom Building Plans? I’ve got a bit of a sober warning and challenge for my fellow ministers today – one written in my personal online journal a few years ago that I’m publishing today. I pray some will consider it slowly and with an open heart. It was written by one who learned these lesson not easily! So it is written not preaching down – not side to side, and perhaps at the time it was written, broken looking up. OC writes,“These are days of tremendous enterprises, days when we are trying to work for God, and therein lies the snare. Profoundly speaking, we can never work for God.” Out of deep and sincere devotion to God we can make great effort to work for God, to assist Him in building the Kingdom, but our efforts are like a little boy with a toy hammer banging on the side of a sky scrapper. We may feel really powerful and important, but our efforts are silliness compared what God is doing and has already done. And to think that we can DO anything, is so wrong. “The men and women He is going to use in His mighty building…

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