I often remind the staff at Central of some of the basics of ministry. These are some of the core practices we need to keep before us.
- Love God and love people (Matthew 22:37-40). God and people are what we are about. Everything is in service to people and helping them for God’s glory. Don’t allow your tasks or your job to overshadow the fact that it is all about God and people.
- Learn people’s names, the sweetest sound to another person is their name.
- Lead with questions in meetings. If you go in with statements before questions as a leader you often shut down discussion and you limit what could happen. If you lead with questions you create a climate to learn and grow.
- Ask questions constantly of people in the church. I’m always asking, “How are you?” “How’s your family?” “How is work going?” Learn what is happening in their lives so you can grow with them and lead them.
- One of the most powerful and important questions is, “How can I pray for you?” Then do it. A little 60-second prayer goes a long way.
- Leak up not out. When you are frustrated with something in your church area, go to your leader or supervisor rather than dumping on a co-worker. Remember Matthew 18 and go to your friend with a issue, not above them. If that doesn’t work, bring someone with you and talk with them. If that doesn’t work, then take the next step up the ladder.
- Don’t gossip. It’s like a cancer.
- Keep a good attitude. One leadership expert said that she gives several months with employees to grow and work through performance issues in the job, but only 30 days to fix their attitude or they let them go. Attitude is huge. Talk to Jesus about it and work it out but don’t bring a bad attitude into the workplace!
- Do what is right in the eyes of the Lord. We don’t have a long list of moral do’s and don’ts that create a legalistic rule-following culture. This is the only moral staff policy we should need!
- Pray for each other. People are hurting everywhere, on church staffs and beyond. Prayer is a tool for comfort, encouragement and renewal that God has given us and we should use it often for each other!
