MIM Ezine, September 21, 2007

-- The Reconstruction of A Youth Worker: Those Mountain Top Experiences by Scott Miller.

-- Book Review: "Organic Church: Growing Faith Where Life Happens" by Neil Cole, reviewed by Teena Stewart.

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When I was a teenager, I was employed by my home church to be the janitor doing basic cleaning, like bathrooms and mopping floors. My church could not afford much, but it was pocket money for me.

One winter day the furnace would not fire up. I informed the pastor and he called Frank.

Frank came over and poked around the boiler to make sure it was not anything major. Then he showed me how to “clean the points.” He took the cover off a metal box and reached into his wallet for a clean, crisp dollar bill. He explained that sometimes the electrical connections on this furnace would become corroded. A brand new dollar bill was just the right texture to clean those points without wearing the points down. In very little time, the furnace was up and running.

Ministry leadership is like that. It is not only the time and effort it takes. It is knowing the how, when, where, and what to do. That is strategic leadership.

That is especially true in the 21^st century. This is a period of rapid change in our culture as well as within the church. Knowing how, when, where, and what to do to help a church thrive in the midst of changing landscape can mean the difference between effectiveness and decline.

Systems theory is useful and it helps the leader visualize the relationships of the various components in a church’s life and ministry. For instance, how do the ways people receive visitors affect the worship life of the congregation? How does the financial health or lack of it affect the congregational care systems? How do the discipleship or education programs connect to the mission outreach?

This approach does not just evaluate the health, strength, or effectiveness of each of these components; it is also recognizes the interrelationships and the impact of each component on other components.

A church I know had just completed an addition of several classrooms and a large multipurpose room on the back of the sanctuary. It was done quite nicely and everyone was proud of it.

Several of the older members gathered around the pastor following the dedication service to remind the pastor that they are the ones who foot the bill for the construction. Therefore, the new space should be reserved for the older people of the congregation. The youth and children would only tear it up and spill drinks on the new carpet.

The pastor had several choices to consider, beyond how hard to bite his or her tongue. What was the witness of the congregation to youth and young families if it is communicated that they are not valued enough to use the newer spaces? Was control of the church’s ministries purchased with the size of one’s donations to the building fund? Which was more critical to the health and effectiveness of the church’s ministry: clean carpets or a lively youth program?

These are strategic leadership decisions. It is not simply solving the problems at hand or capitulating to the complainers. It is recognizing relationships and the impact that decisions in one area have on the health and effectiveness in another area. Evaluating that certain effects have greater bearing on the whole or are more central to the core of the church’s vision is strategic leadership.

What are the components of strategic leadership? There are many, but let me suggest four important ones:

Effective strategic leaders can concisely describe a picture of the future that excites and motivates others. They can paint this portrait without getting caught up in complex details or potential problems. Resulting in their dream inspiring others to look above and beyond their own limitations to tremendous possibilities.

Jill was meeting with several of her key leaders. The finance team had some gloomy news and expected a discouraging session. But before they could give their report, Jill had engaged the leaders in several conversations about their vision for ministry. They reminded each other of God’s call on their church and some of the stories they had already witnessed of God’s transforming power. Jill’s own engagement with them during this meeting exhibited energy, excitement, and enthusiasm.

The finance team was so captured by the vision for ministry, that it transformed their report. They addressed the problems and issues, but they did so with confidence and anticipation that those problems could and would be solved.

Jill was strategic in that she carefully planned every leadership meeting to begin by presenting pictures and stories of the vision for the church. A clear and compelling vision can transform how a leader leads and how others respond.

Alex’s church faced a tragedy. A flood had severely damaged the church. In the course of recovery, engineers discovered the supporting walls were no longer safe. The roof could collapse at any moment. They would have to vacate their much beloved sanctuary.

To top it off, the insurance company was less than cooperative in reaching a settlement. The only ones winning this conflict were the attorneys who were continuing to stretch out the litigation.

The church could have dissolved and a few people actually did leave. The congregation met at a local school at first, and then in a funeral home. Eventually, a neighboring church of another denomination invited them to join them. They had a building, but no pastor. Alex’s congregation had a pastor, but no place to call home. For six months they worshipped, fellowshipped, and worked together, but it did not go well.

Then Alex and his leaders found an opportunity to rent some temporary space and begin their church life together again. When I met with Alex, I expected him to be discouraged and frustrated, but he was not. Instead, he was excited. He now had a core of leaders who were coming together around their vision.

Our conversation was filled with references to Moses and the Exodus. They were on a journey together. Not only had they left the familiarity of Egypt, they were focusing on the potential of the Promised Land. Through tragedy and difficulties, Alex had developed a coalition of leaders who were aligned with the vision.

Marcia’s sermon preparation was interrupted with a frantic phone call. The new chair of the women’s bazaar and bake sale had added tofu to the lunch menu. The caller was incensed. First, they had never done that before. Secondly, the chair did not get it approved by all 80 of the members of the women’s auxiliary. And third, she had no idea what tofu was.

Marcia stifled her laughter and assured the caller it was fine, but declined to get in the middle of this one. Why? It was not strategic. Tofu at the bazaar will not make or break the ministry of this church. She recommended the caller talk to the bazaar chair and Marcia returned to her unfinished sermon.

What are the essential and critical elements of the church’s ministry? They could be different in every context and with every leadership team. Consider for a minute, what they are for your context and leadership.

How does a ministry leader evaluate the appropriate timing for intervention? Here are three questions:

It is not only the way in which leaders lead, but it is also how they step forward to give specific direction. My daughters insist that the reason Moses wandered for forty years in the wilderness is that even back then men refused to stop and ask for directions. More likely, it is because it was a simple thing to get the people out of Egypt. It was much more difficult to get Egypt out of the people. (Check out Exodus 16.)

Is your group ready to identify areas that need improvement and embrace change? How uncomfortable is it for them to maintain the status quo? Do they have a sense that something needs to be done and soon? Are they willing to work together to accomplish theirs and the church’s objectives?

Strategic leadership is a vital part of any ministry leader’s effectiveness, and it is an art that can be learned with practice and preparation.

Ministry in Motion has launched a new blog for readers just like you at http://ministryinmotionnet.blogspot.com/. It is a place to ask questions, exchange ideas, and encourage other ministry leaders in our growing network.

This month (September) Tom Hanover will check the blog posts regularly to respond to questions and share ideas on strategic leadership. Stop by and let us know how ministry is going for you!

Tom Hanover has served in a variety of pastoral leadership roles for over 30 years, the last four as a District Superintendent supervising the ministries of more than 100 pastors and churches in southwest Ohio. He has a BA (cum laude) from Taylor University, and MDiv and DMin degrees from United Theological Seminary in Dayton.

Those Mountain Top Experiences

About eight days after saying this, he climbed the mountain to pray, taking Peter, John, and James along. While he was in prayer, the appearance of his face changed and his clothes became blinding white. At once two men were there talking with him. They turned out to be Moses and Elijah—and what a glorious appearance they made! (Luke 9: 28b-30,The Message)

Can you imagine what that time was like for Peter, James and John? Two of their heroes were there with Jesus talking over the game plan. The disciples were on the mountain. They could not be any more excited about Jesus than they were in that moment, but then eventually they had to do something very difficult: they had to leave the mountain. They had to leave that time of excitement and enlightenment. No one could ever understand what they had experienced, no matter how well they told the story. Nobody could comprehend what they had gone through.

Does this sound like one of your weekends or weeks this summer with your students? You go to a camp, conference, festival, mission trip or an event where they are so totally charged with “Christian Energy” that they do not know what to do with it all. Then they get home. They try to tell their parents about the experience and their parents may appreciate that they had a great time, but cannot understand the energy that their son or daughter has brought back with them. The same is true when they tell their friends about what happened and how they have been changed. More than likely the response from their friends is, “So what?”

I know some youth workers that do not like events that result in a mountaintop experience because some students are made to feel uncomfortable because they cannot express what they feel or how their lives have been changed. As youth workers we need to help our kids understand the impact of these events. We need to embrace these opportunities as learning experiences to teach them about the glory of God’s presence in every area of their lives, and also how they can share these feelings with others. We need to give our students outlets to express their emotions and experiences, and assure them that it is ok that others may not understand what they experienced through these mountaintop events.

Just a few weeks ago I took my group to a weeklong youth event that had a great band, fun things to do, opportunities to meet students from other churches, and an amazing preacher/speaker. And, of course, there were some very emotional times during the week. Many of my students were truly touched by what they experienced there.

I intentionally provided many opportunities for my students to share their hearts and talk about what they had experienced with the group. I offered occasions for one-on-one prayer and discussion with other students or adult leaders.

I wanted them to have these times to express what was in their hearts with people who understood before they returned home. In that way, when they did talk to their parents and friends they would not be sharing their experiences for the first time and facing people who had no understanding or appreciation for what a week on the mountaintop was like. The kids at least had the opportunity to share with others who did.

I hope your group has had a great time this summer and enjoyed those mountaintop experiences. I also hope you get to enjoy sharing the love in the valley as well.

Feel free to contact Scott to either agree, disagree or just pick his brain about youth ministry you can contact him at: rscottmiller1@aol.com Scott would love to hear from you!

R. Scott Miller is the Director of Christian Education and Youth at Milford First United Methodist Church in the suburbs of Cincinnati, OH. In his 17 years of youth ministry, Scott has written and developed much of the youth programming used in his churches. Scott has a B.A. in Radio/TV and Journalism from Morehead State University and an M.A. from Asbury Theological Seminary. Scott is the author of 7 Things Christians Don't Do and What To Do Instead by Abingdon Press.

This month (September) Tom Hanover will check the blog posts regularly to respond to questions and share ideas on strategic leadership. Stop by and let us know how ministry is going for you!

Neil Cole, founder and executive director of Church Multiplication Associates, has worked for years as a church starter and pastor. After trying more traditional approaches to launching churches, he found that the most successful method was to work with smaller groups who meet in homes and grow their faith, organically speaking.

Even the most successful churches have only moderate success in reaching lost people. And as a church grows, it tends to lose touch with its congregation, by not providing the intimacy and community of a smaller church.

The efforts of most churches center on programs and gimmicks to draw people in. Cole says that if we go where life happens, where people naturally congregate, such as coffee shops, we'll connect with them and their culture rather than expecting them to adapt to ours. From these approaches we develop a core of people we can build bridges with, relate to, and eventually bring to Christ.

But it doesn't stop there. We must give new believers freedom and encouragement to connect with friends, family and acquaintances to bring them the gospel message. According to Cole, one of the mistakes we often make is assuming that new Christians don't have the knowledge to lead others to Christ or pastor them. Instead, we tell them to avoid taking leadership positions and urge them to focus on soaking up knowledge. The result is that many churches are producing a congregation of consumers who only want to sit and soak.

New believers have more excitement and energy, and a greater rate of success than traditional churches. Our role is to encourage and equip them to bring others into their sphere of influence—primarily their homes—and disciple them.

Home churches are more intimate and less dependent on costly structures while large churches have the responsibility of maintaining expensive buildings. House churches reproduce naturally and exponentially. Cole's book turns church ministry on its head and greatly simplifies it. It will challenge you to rethink how your church does ministry. If you only have time to read one book this year, make sure it's this one.

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DBMIM Ezine- September 21, 2007

Those Mountain Top Experiences