DreamBuilders Ministry in Motion (DBMIM) Ezine, April 15, 2008

-- Book Review: "Silos, Politics, and Turf Wars: A Leadership Fable," by Patrick Lencioni, reviewed by Tom Hanover.

Looking for something, but not sure where to find it? DreamBuilders Ministry in Motion has produced a 50-page Resource Guide that just might have what you need. And it's FREE! You need adobe acrobat reader (also free) to read the document. Check it out at: http://www.ministryinmotion.net/christian_ministry_resource_guid.html

Jackie spent one hour praying for her own needs and the needs of others during a prayer vigil.

“I’ve never participated in anything like it before. I can’t describe the experience. I felt God’s presence so powerfully and immediately, that I had no doubt my prayers were answered. Before the week was out there were so many answers to needs of the people we had prayed for. I just couldn’t believe it.”

The powerful intervention Jackie witnessed as a result of the prayer vigil, sold Jackie on the idea of prayer. Today she’s excited about prayer and oversees a prayer team for her church. One of the team’s goals is to pray during worship services for the church’s leaders and ministry.

Prayer can bring about powerful change. Some, like Jackie, have the spiritual gift of intercession, the God-given ability and passion for praying for others, but all Christians are called to pray. Prayer draws us together and puts God at the forefront. It helps us voice our needs so that we recognize them. It moves insurmountable objects and works miracles, including turning those who would otherwise have no interest in spiritual matters toward God. Nothing is more powerful than a praying church. Though most Christians believe it is important, most only think about it during worship or when their backs are against the wall.

Make prayer the gas that runs your ministry engine. Here are ways to utilize the power of prayer in ministry:

Be sure to stop by DBMIM's blog this month. Guest blogger, Dr. Richard Mabry, author of The Tender Scar, shares insight on ministering to those who are grieving. http://www.ministryinmotionnet.blogspot.com/

It has been said that nature abhors a vacuum, but the truth is that it hates all appliances. If you don’t believe me, try leaving a toaster in the woods for a couple of weeks and see what happens.

In fact, there’s a whole lot of stuff out there that nature just can’t stand. Scientists have recently discovered that nature is actually very hard to get along with — kind of like North Korea or Rosie O’Donnell.

I think part of the blame of this dissension between man and nature might lie with mankind. Everyone always talks about how we need to get back to nature, taking more nature walks and such, but did you ever think that maybe nature doesn’t want us hanging around? It could be that nature resents the intrusion.

The next time you think about taking a nature walk, consider how you would feel if you were taking a bath and nature decided to waltz through your personal space. One minute you are enjoying a nice bubble bath and some aroma-therapy, and the next the roof is ripped off and you’re staring at the business end of a funnel cloud.

It just comes down to basic manners, really. If we stay inside where we belong then maybe nature will take the hint and leave us alone. And the recent proliferation of nature shows can’t be helping either. With TV crews spread out all over the globe filming iguana courtship rituals and crocodile feeding patterns, you know nature must be thinking, “Sheesh, don’t you guys have anything better to do?”

So, if interacting with nature is risky, then it makes sense that anything natural should be avoided at all costs, right? And why do you suppose this is so important?

Let me put it this way: Do you know what kills more people than any disease? Do you know what is more deadly than all the world’s major diseases combined? Natural causes. That’s right. Read it again. Natural causes. I can’t pick up a newspaper any day of the week without reading about someone else who has died of natural causes.

Here’s a thought: Before we spend more time and money looking for cures for major diseases, let’s try eliminating natural causes first. My thinking is that if we can get rid of natural causes, then everything else will be a cakewalk.

And why is it that women always think they’re being paid a compliment when someone says their makeup looks natural? Isn’t that what they also say about people in coffins?

Why would you want that said about you? No, if someone says your makeup looks natural, they’re telling you it’s time you apply a little blush to your cheeks and rejoin the rest of us in the land of the living.

Over the last several years, Lencioni has published a book on leadership each year. This one was his book in 2006, so it is not his most recent one, but one that I found important enough to share with our readers..

Frequently, Lencioni writes his books in the form of a fable that illustrates what he has learned and observed from his own consulting experience. Silos, Politics, and Turf Wars is no exception.

He follows a fictional character, Jude Cousins, as he leaves his employment to launch a new consulting career. Along the way, Cousins discovers some insights on the development and use of silos, which Lencioni uses as a metaphor in organizational structures that are challenged by problems in communication, competition and isolation within its staff.

Traditionally, silos are high narrow towers in which farmers store grain to feed their livestock. One can literally stand inside this type of structure and be completely unaware of anything just outside its wall. Frequently, groups within an organization that do not communicate or collaborate with each other can operate unaware of other teams, departments, or other environmental conditions.

Silos, as described by Lencioni, can be a considerable waste of energy and time as well as other resources. They also create disincentives for staff or employees who must devote an inordinate amount of effort to protecting their turf and winning unproductive battles.

The ideas Lencioni shares are applicable to ministry leadership and are borne from his own experience in the ministry of his church, so he is attentive to the unique purposes of ministry.

Churches discover silos, for example, when the women’s ministry has not checked with the office about using the multipurpose room for their bazaar scheduled the same time as the youth overnight retreat. To add to the confusion, the maintenance people are planning to strip and wax the floor that same weekend.

The good news, according to Lencioni, is that these issues can be resolved. The story of Jude Cousins reveals valuable insight as to how to overcome these silos and turf wars. It is a principle that can be used wisely by ministry leaders to create environments where unity and teamwork can be developed. To do so, however, leaders will have to go beyond strategies and techniques to the heart of the way that teams function.

Lencioni’s books are always easy and entertaining reading, but his stories capture deep truths that ministry leaders will find useful in their work.

Site Build It -- There are many different hosting plans for those wanting Christian websites but few work with you to drive traffic to your site. SBI differs from these because it is an all-in-one do-it-yourself website program that doesn’t require html knowledge. Includes domain registration, hosting, keyword research tools, search engine optimization, ezine mailing, and non-interactive blog option. The system guarantees success in getting good ranking with search engines thereby assuring you of more traffic. This website system is used by DreamBuilders Ministry in Motion. Site Build It Quick Tour

Be sure to visit Ministry in Motion's Bookshop. Every resource is developed from hands-on church experience. Help members discover their spiritual gifts, how to connect them in ministry and more. Visit MIM's Bookshop.

Just $10 per classified listing. For more information on advertising visit our advertising page.

Ministry in Motion is looking for columnists & writers in the following areas: women's ministry, men's ministry, single's ministry, youth ministry, worship ministry, small group/bible study ministry, and general ministry. We are also open to general church ministry related freelance articles. If you have an idea for a column or would like to share ministry insight or even short ministry tips, we'd love to hear from you. Present payment is promotion only -- no pay but great exposure for you, your ministry, book, or website. Please read our writer's guidelines here.

One of the needs we have perceived at Ministry in Motion is a service to help connect qualified ministers and church workers to ministry related and church staff positions. If you are presently in job search mode, or if you have a ministry position you are looking to fill, be sure to check out this site by clicking here.

Magazines to help Christians grow spiritual and succeed in ministry. Discipleship Journal, Leadership Magazine, SpiritLed Woman, Christianity Today & Lots More! Click HERE for Magazines

DBMIM Ezine April 15, 2008