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When my ministry partner was head of the Men’s Ministry at a megachurch, he faced a daunting challenge. How would he reach more than 10,000 men with his own efforts and one administrative assistant?
Of course, he couldn’t. It’s far more than one man and a secretary could accomplish!
But thankfully, Kurt had a high view of the laity and a passion for empowering others. So, his first step was to form a “Core Leadership Team” (CLT). And he partnered with me to start a 21-month lay-leadership training program called DC (Disciple-Making Curriculum). DC and his CLT helped him accomplish amazing things with very few “resources” over a decade.
The CLT was a group of men who handled different aspects of his ministry. We were like branch managers and Kurt was like a district manager. Each of us had a primary ministry responsibility, but we were all interested in the entire ministry. Ralph took care of Men’s Ministry Outdoors. Glenn and Dave organized Man Challenge (a men’s ministry community/Bible study) and the short-term small groups. I led the charge on lay-leadership development. Garry and others took care of our mentoring program. Ross, Danny and Jeff took care of events and helped out in other areas.
Kurt found men who had a passion for a certain type of ministry—and the skills to create and organize ministry efforts. Depending on our roles, we organized teams of men to pull off an event. We wrote curriculum and developed training materials. We found and equipped able mentors. And so on. The members of the CLT ran parts of the ministry for Kurt with his oversight.
It is said that the best leaders surround themselves with the best people available. This is wise for many reasons. Someone may have more passion or aptitude than you. And even if you’re equally gifted in an area, there are only so many things you can do at once. Find good people and empower them to do great things in your ministry and for the Kingdom.
The CLT also served as an advisory board for Kurt—and more personally, as a “band of brothers.” We met monthly over dinner and had meetings that lasted for hours. We became good friends. We were iron sharpening iron. We were cross-pollinating our ministries rather than getting stuck in silos. We were being empowered to do ministry—and so we were driven to empower others.
You can settle for doing ministry with you and some other professionals. But if you’ll take some risks—and follow the ministry model of Jesus by making disciples and disciple-makers—you’ll find great rewards in your ministry and beyond.
Excerpted fromEnough Horses in the Barn and two discipleship curricula,Thoroughly Equipped (DC) and Getting Equipped (DC28:20). For more information: ThoroughlyEquipped.org.
Photo source: istock
Have you ever felt the pull to full-time ministry work as a missionary or pastor? If not, you can still make a Kingdom impact without quitting your current job. In this eBook, you will learn the four essentials that can change your perspective of work, your workplace, and most importantly, your heart.
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