Ministry is tricky. It's about love, patience, tenderness and compassion, right? Yes, absolutely. But sometimes in ministry we actually find ourselves leading people. In fact, for many people in ministry, they lead people often...like everyday. That's not easy and it requires a certain kind of moxy. It demands a certain kind of integrity. I don't know that we often take the time to really evaluate key principles of what it means to be an effective ministry leader. The following is a short list that I belive will help a ministry leader evaluate their capacity in leading those that they've been entrusted with.
10.) If you break it, you own it.
This doesn't mean that if you break a piece of equipment you need to pay for it (though it might). Actually this means that if you botch something, PLEASE have the integrity to name it. Don't try to juke and jive to get out of it. Raise your hand around your team and say, "That's on me. I own it." Chances are they already know it, but your stock goes way up as a leader if you have the courage to take responsibility.
9.) If you don’t know it, don’t say you got it.
There are few things more frustrating for a senior leader than someone that is inexperienced always trying to ensure others, "I got it, I got it." There is a reason that senior leader is having a conversation with you. They can tell, "You don't got it." Coaching is a part of leadership development but requires a teachable spirit. If you are bound and determined to convince people you know how to do what you have no experience doing, you will be destined to repeat mistakes. Ask questions when you don't know. Admit weaknesses when you have them. You will do much better on the learning curve.
8.) If you are struggling with it, name it.
No one's life is perfect. This tends to be one of the glaring and most unfortunate misnomers about leadership. "I can't let people see me sweat." We assume that ministry leadership requires us to put off a pristine persona. NOPE! A lack of vulnerability leads to a crash. A strong leader finds a trusted confidant and a trusted supervisor and shares struggles. They have the capacity to name needed intervention early rather than damage control after the fact.
7.) If you forgot about it, don’t justify it.
Excuse my language for a moment. We all have a "brain fart" from time to time. It's normal. However, when you lack the courage to name what you forgot, you force your team to spend a great deal of time navigating around your error wondering if you knew you had an error. Likewise, don't make an excuse for why you forgot. We all have excuses and generally few people care what they are. Say, "It slipped my mind and I'll work to do better next time." Then move on with your bad self.
6.) If your team blows it, don’t pass off blame about it.
DON'T throw others under the bus. You know what makes leadership hard? At some level the responsibility lands with you. That's why so few people want to lead. If your team messes something up, a strong leader steps in and owns responsibility. It doesn't mean they don't have a conversation down the road, it just means they take the first shot for their team. Much ministry is voluteer based and the last thing volunteers need is to feel like failures. You take a bullet for your team and you gain loyalty.
5.) If you are frustrated about it, be careful where you complain about it.
Ministry leaders don't have the privilege of "running off at the mouth." Unfortunately in my nearly 15 years of ministry this is often forgotten. Peopel listen. When you communicate your frustration with "so and so" or the other leaders or even the board, those listening will run with that, twist it, and you can quickly find yourself in a mess you never intended. Leaders have the moxy to go directly to the person with whom they are frustrated and understand the prudence of where to speak, when, and with whom. If you are running your mouth in the lobby, it will hit you like a truck later in your ministry.
4.) If you start your week unsure of what you will do with it, you will waste it.
This is specifically for pastors. Don't go into Monday completely unsure of what you are going to get into. Make and keep a calendar. Block out your time. If you have an administrator share it with them. This ensures you have a game plan, steward your time well, and don't arrive at the end of the week wondering what on earth happened.
3.) If you’ve got something to say to them about it, do it, time it, be appropriate about it.
There is nothing worse than a leader that does end arounds or takes passive agressive stabs. Both of these tactics are cowardice. Yuck! No, have the kind of mojo where you will take the Bible seriously about going to the person with whom you have an issue. Don't say to others about a person what you aren't first willing to say to their face. If those following you hear you do this they won't know if you can be trusted and if you are doing the same to them later.
2.) If you succeeded in it, pass off the praise to your team for it.
This is the flip side of Rule #6. Everyone like kudos, but teams like "we win." Leaders who are self-aggrandizing "stars" who love to see their names in lights are annoying to the teams that put them there. Leaders pass off kudos. True leaders don't need to be the center of the spotlight. Instead they are like a prism that reflects the spotlight to the team that surrounded them.
1.) If you are passionate about it, you will be careful how you treat it.
News flash...MINISTRY ISN'T A JOB! It is a CALLING! When we treat ministry like a job we are constantly worried about upward mobility, time clocks, and compensation. Yep, that sounds like the Jesus model, right? NOPE! In fact, a calling is something shaped by passion. We don't hire "ministers" we call them. We don't merely recruit "volunteers" to plug our organizational holes, we are helping people discover their full-redemptive potential. That means some late nights. That means you might not get paid enough. However, when a passion for the Kingdom usurps the calculations of job performance, amazing things can happen.
I hope this short list helps you to evaluate your ministry effectiveness. Are you the kind of leader people will follow?
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