Discerning God's Will via Cyberspace (part 2)

A Few Things to Keep in Mind

A growing number of churches and ministries now allow, and sometimes require, the potential candidate to submit a resume, cover letter, and sometimes even a personal information intake/application via e-mail or over the InterNet. Many do that as an initial “grid” by which to sort or prioritize the applicants.

The only caveat here is to remember that due to the volume of material received, many organizations will not necessarily send a follow-up EMail to indicate they have successfully downloaded your documents. That’s why it’s always a good idea to let the church or ministry know (in your EMail) the format in which you are sending these materials as well as specifically ask them if they would notify you that they received your EMail and were able to download what you sent. The PDF Format or Word.doc is almost always the best.

If you don’t hear from them, write again… or call to confirm (unless phone calls are prohibited).

And by all means send a “snail mail” copy of your materials as well to their postal address. Documents do not always translate over EMail as nicely or completely as they appear on your computer. It depends a lot on who is downloading them, what their computer capabilities are, and whether the formatting has changed in the process.

A few of the better ministries and churches may actually acknowledge your application. The best ones may even give you a time frame for their decision-making process. But remember…they are a very small minority.

At any rate, how they choose to respond to you… or even IF they choose to respond to you…will tell you a little something about the church or ministry itself. If you’re applying to be the Administrator or Executive Pastor… maybe that’s why they need you!

It’s unfortunate that many organizations can leave the potential candidate in limbo for weeks, or even months, since the candidating/application process (especially in churches) is typically quite tedious. Gathering resumes, convening Search Team members, bringing church leadership up to speed regarding the process…all of this often takes a very long time. Unfortunately, you, the potential candidate, are trying to make an important life decision NOW. Patience is the keyword.

If you do decide to submit a resume or application electronically, and you receive a response, make sure you follow up quickly with a note of appreciation. You can always ask what the next step is in the process… or if they have a timeline for filling the position, if that hasn’t already been expressed.

The Bible Can't Mean to us What it Did Not Mean to Them

THE BIBLE CAN’T MEANT TO US WHAT IT DID NOT MEAN TO THEM

Teaching a Bible study for new Christians has been an interesting experience to say the least. First, I am amazed at their desire to know God and learn more about Him. Even though their knowledge of the Bible might be limited, their strength of faith, belief that God exists, and desire to follow God’s plan for their lives are very strong.

In addition to their strong faith, they (almost) always ask some difficult questions during our Bible study on Sunday afternoons. Several weeks ago I learned about the assertiveness I need to have when attempting to teach Biblical truth. We were studying Galatians 5:13-14 which says, “For you have been called to live in freedom, my brothers and sisters. But don’t use your freedom to satisfy your sinful nature. Instead, use your freedom to serve one another in love” (NLT). This is a verse that clearly tells us that we are to use the freedom we have in following Jesus Christ to serve others in love.

At Bible study a woman attempted to ask a question of this verse looking at it as a commandment about what we need to do to be saved and go to Heaven. She asked if we need to do good works to go to Heaven or if we are saved by faith alone. I know that the Bible cannot mean to us what it did not mean to the original readers, so I quickly responded to the question that as we study the Bible we need to keep in mind what point the author is attempting to teach his or her subjects. And in this case, with Galatians 5:13-14 we are being told by Paul to serve, not whether we go to Heaven or not based on that service.

In past years of Bible study I would not have had the insight and knowledge of how to study the Bible, but because of my knowledge of how to correctly teach the Bible from FPU and Steve Elliott, I was able to successfully be assertive and hopefully lead that woman to see the text as it is.

Who Leads the Church?

Who Leads the Church?

Responsibility Grid for the Congregationally Governed Church

Your Personal View Check only one in this column		Church’s View Check only one in this column		Board’s View Check only one in this column		Previous Pastor’s View Check only one in this column
¨		¨		¨		¨	The Senior Pastor is responsible to establish the vision for the church and to lead the church in its implementation
¨		¨		¨		¨	The Senior Pastor is responsible to establish the vision for the church, and with the concurrence of the Board, lead the church in its accomplishment.
¨		¨		¨		¨	The Senior Pastor is responsible to establish the vision for the church, and with the concurrence of the Board, and the congregation, lead the church in its accomplishment.
¨		¨		¨		¨	The Senior Pastor, Pastoral Staff and the Board are responsible to establish the vision for the church, and to lead the church in its accomplishment.
¨		¨		¨		¨	The Senior Pastor (with the Pastoral Staff) and the Board are responsible to establish the vision for the church, and with the concurrence of the Congregation, lead the church in its accomplishment.
¨		¨		¨		¨	The Board is responsible to establish the vision for the church, and the Senior Pastor (with the Pastoral Staff), under the Board’s direction, leads the church in its accomplishment.
¨		¨		¨		¨	The Board is responsible to establish the vision for the church, with the Congregation’s concurrence, and the Senior Pastor (with the Pastoral Staff), under the Board’s direction, leads the church in its accomplishment.
¨		¨		¨		¨	The Congregation is responsible to establish the vision for the church and, with assistance by the Board and the Senior Pastor (and the Pastoral Staff), the process by which it is accomplished.

Copyright 2007 - Dr. Dennis Baker
Used by permission

The Purpose of Coaching

My field supervisor, Steve Elliott has been my mentor and coach for over three years now. While in our reflective meeting a couple weeks ago, Steve shared with me the importance of the verse 2 Timothy 2:2 where Paul writes to the young leader Timothy, “You have heard me teach things that have been confirmed by many reliable witnesses. Now, teach these truths to other trustworthy people who will be able to pass them on to others.
Paul’s instructions to Timothy is exactly what Steve has been doing for me over the past three years, and it is what he is continuing to do on a higher level now that we are working together at with Church Assistance Ministry. Steve has been teaching me what it looks like to be a leader who serves and contributes to others, with the purpose of me passing those same teachings on to others in the future.

One similar opportunity has already arisen in my life: a friend has asked me to mentor him on life goals. We will begin meeting and talking about what goals he has, and I will mentor him based on what I have experienced and what Steve has taught me.
            Maybe, someday after I have mentored my friend for a while, he will pass on what I have taught him, and continue the work Steve has started in me just at Timothy was continuing the work Paul has started.

Finding my Giftedness

While meeting with Steve Elliott, my field supervisor for Church Assistance Ministry (CAM) last week he made a brief but powerful statement to me.  After two full months of interning with CAM under Steve’s leadership and being mentored by him for over three years, Steve affirmed what I believe in my heart and what I have prayed many times.  At times we feel something in our heart that we know is true, and we think God has affirmed it, yet the world does not always agree with that feeling.  Well, while meeting with Steve last week, he affirmed a belief I have in myself that has very rarely been affirmed by the world. 

After Steve read and article I wrote reading my weekly reflections, he said, “You have a real gift in writing.”  Then he went on to explain that I am very skilled at observing circumstances and situations, seeing a leadership principle in those situations, explaining that principle well in written form, and finding relevant illustrations to back up the principle. This was in response to a five page, 2,700 word article I wrote for Steve and CAM entitled, The Impact of Coaching. 

This was encouraging to hear since I have loved creating content in written and verbal form for several years, but when I create that content and share it with others, it is not always accepted well.

Interning with CAM is helping to encourage my giftedness by exposing my work to a veteran leader who has mentored many young leaders in his life, which gives him good skill to recognize gifts and strengths when he seems them.

Considerations for Inclusions in a Letter of Call for a Pastor (part 2 of 2)

11. Study Leave ~ For a pastor who is not working on a Board approved study program, two weeks per year is standard with the time being taken out for any Board approved educational activity. In addition to this time, a pastor who is working on a Board approved study program should be given ___ number of hours/week to study for that program. This means that the average number of hours is reduced on church business by 10 hours per week to 40.

12. Days Off ~ Pastors work on Sundays (and often on Saturdays as well). Make sure the pastor has at least one day completely off each week {1.5 days/week off is reasonable and workable}. Allow him to pick this day when possible, taking into consideration the rhythms and realities of your church schedule and culture.

13. Sabbatical ~ Arrange to give the pastor two months off after five years of service as Senior Pastor. The time is in addition to vacation. He would submit a Sabbatical Plan for Board approval. Then, a Sabbatical of six weeks every three years after the initial five years is wise for long term ministry health of the Pastor and the Church.

14. Books and Ministry Materials Allowance ~ Pastors can easily spend hundreds of dollars a year on commentaries, ministry books, computer research tools, etc. A church that provides a generous reimbursable allowance for this expense communicates to the pastor that study and research is important to an effective church.

15. Church Credit Card ~ Make sure the pastor has one so that he can pay for things without dipping into his personal funds before asking for reimbursement. Standard reporting procedures are expected.

16. Cell Phone and Voicemail ~ Have the church pay for a cell phone for the pastor with a reasonable plan that fits the needs of the church ministry. This allows the pastor to be more of a mobile office, freeing him from having to be present at the church site by allowing him to stay in touch with the Administrative Staff and Church Leadership.

17. Ministry Meals ~ Pastors are expected and need to meet with church members, missionaries, other pastors, community leaders, homeless people, etc. as a part of their positional responsibilities. One way a church can encourage a pastor is to provide a reasonable Expense Account that is wise and appropriate for “your church culture and pastoral expectations.”

17. Equity Sharing ~ The high cost of housing in many areas requires the church to enter into an Equity Sharing Agreement with their pastor {and perhaps associate pastors as well}. Samples of proven Equity Share Agreements can be provided.

18. Personal Projects ~ Does the pastor need help remodeling or painting his house? fixing his car? working on a hobby? Arrange to have someone check with him periodically about these kinds of issues and then to ask various members of the congregation if they would help out.

19. Bonus Gifts ~ Have the Board periodically send the pastor and his wife to a nice restaurant, a weekend away at a bed and breakfast or _______. “Share the Love!”

20. Accountability Reviews ~ Have the pastor list out five to seven personal and ministry areas in which he would be accountable to the Board (E.g. excellent sermon preparation, moving the congregation to be people of prayer, etc.). Each Board Meeting would have an Agenda Item where the pastor reviews and reports for five to ten minutes on two of the agreed to ministry areas {sometimes referred to as KRAs}. E.g. "I am 80% in compliance in this area. I've done X, Y, and Z, but I really need to be doing Z more often." The Board then prays specifically with and for the pastor.

If more attention needs to be paid to an issue, the Board can either talk about it immediately or put a more extended conversation on the Agenda for the next meeting. (It's essential that this is a list of items for which the pastor wants to be accountable, as opposed to a list the Board would generate for accountability.)

21. Marriage Encouragement ~ "If the wife is happy, the husband will stay." So what will make his wife happy? This needs to be addressed by the Board on a regular basis. Twice a year is very doable. Have the Board Chair call her and ask her how they can help out. The Board needs to be both proactive and intentional in providing for the health of the pastor’s marriage and family life.

Posted by Dennis Baker, CAM Senior Ministry Consultant

Considerations for Inclusions in a Letter of Call for a Pastor (part 1 of 2)

The primary goals are to honor the pastor and to help him and his family to minister for the long term as effectively as possible. The following categories cover most of the basic considerations that a Pastoral Search Team and Board need to cover in the calling of a pastor.

1. Salary Considerations ~ It is wise to include a "cost of living" adjustment such as the CPI into the Letter of Call {Agreement}. This gives some assurance that his effective salary is maintained and does not go down. Each year the Governing/Elder Board should review the salary to see if it is appropriate to grant an increase above and beyond this amount.

2. Housing Allowance ~ This is essential to do each year in the Official Minutes of the Board. There is a special IRS provision that allows a pastor to have a Housing Allowance that is a distinct tax advantage. “Clergy Tax and Law Report” by Richard Hammar is the trusted guidebook for details.

3. Vehicle Allowance ~ Mileage spent driving as a pastor is also considered a non-taxable business expense if handled correctly. It must be written in a Logbook which is widely available. A “best practice” is a Policy to reimburse the pastor for mileage at the current IRS rate ($0.50/mile for 2010) rather than giving them a fixed amount.

Possible Wording: "The Board will pay the current IRS mileage rate for driving done as a part of the pastoral job up to a maximum of XXX dollars per year."

4. Social Security Offset ~ Arrange the Agreement so that the pastor is paid the Social Security offset separately each quarter. This helps keep the pastor out of a financial bind with the IRS.

Example: If his base salary & housing is $80K, out of which $12K is needed for Social Security obligations, pay him $68K for salary and housing, plus an additional $3K each of the three months that his Social Security payment is due.

5. Medical Insurance ~ Make sure that this is a covered expense for both the pastor and his family. This can include Dental and Optical Coverage @ some reasonable level.

6. Disability Insurance ~ Most Denominations have a Group Policy that is reasonably priced. This wise expenditure protects both the pastor and the local church.

7. Retirement ~ Make sure that the church is paying into an appropriate retirement package. 10% is the normative figure. The Denominational Retirement Plans {403b} are most advantageous because of the manner in which the distribution is made after Retirement in the form of a Tax Free Housing Allowance.

8. Educational Expenses ~ For a pastor who is working on a Board approved study program, it is extremely encouraging if the church will pick up a % of the actual tuition costs involved. Life long learning for the pastor is a great investment.

Possible Wording: "The church will pay for 50% of tuition costs at XXX Seminary up to a maximum limit of $ ___ / year for ___ years."

9. Work Hours ~ The expectation among pastors was that 50 hour work week plus Sunday is about average for a healthy situation. If this becomes a problem, minimums and maximums can also be agreed to in writing. It is useful to actually chart how many hours of work occur for a couple of weeks once a year.

10. Vacation ~ At least four full work weeks a year. The Agreement can also be written to increase this by ___ number of days every ___ years. It is helpful to have money built into the budget to pay for pulpit supply.

Posted by Dennis Baker, CAM Senior Ministry Consultant

Great Work is Done in an Informal Context

While continuing my internship with Church Assistance Ministry (CAM) I am learning more and more that my work is much more than my work in a professional context.  The work I do to serve others does not only mean writing and teaching leadership in a professional context.  It means working in an informal context as well.  I have been able to observe this in the work CAM staff is doing to raise up and equip others leaders in both professional and informal contexts, and they appear to do just as much work in the informal context as they do in the professional context.

The main area I have observed this is when CAM staffers Steve Elliott and Dennis Baker both shared information and stories about the men they are coaching.  Steve and Dennis are pouring their lives into other men to teach them what it means to lead and serve others.  Many of these relationships are informal consisting of meetings for coffee or talking over the phone.

I have observed three differences between professional and informational ministries:

1. The professional context pays the worker financially while the informal context is often free to the person who is being served. 

2)      In the professional context, lots of people know about the work you do while the informal context is limited to a few people who know what you do. 

3)      The professional context offers a small level of change among the people being served because the relationship is shallow.  The informal context causes great change because the relationship is deep.

Often our culture gives great accolades and credit to people doing the “professional” work of serving lots of people.  However, I have come to realize that great service is given in an informal context by going deep with the person being served.

Covenant for the Pastoral Search Team

Covenant for the Pastoral Search Team

WHEREAS, members of the Pastoral Search Team of _______________ Church have been selected to this position of highest trust and responsibility;

WHEREAS, members of the Team recognize the potential effect of our deliberations and recommendations to the church upon its future mission and ministry in Christ’s Church, the spiritual health and fitness of its fellowship, the teaching of its children and the maturing of its membership in relationships characterized by grace and love; and

WHEREAS, it is acknowledged and confessed that the discovery of God’s will and direction in the calling of a pastor can be confused and complicated by human and supernatural factors not easily understood,

We solemnly enter the following Covenant together before the Lord.

A COVENANT OF PRAYER

We will uphold one another in prayer and seek, both separately and together, the clear leadership of the Holy Spirit.

A COVENANT OF HONEST COMMUNICATION

We will speak openly and honestly with one another without taking offense. We realize that we need the opportunity to ‘think aloud’ in order to help sort out impressions and responses as we study our church’s needs and evaluate potential candidates.

A COVENANT OF CONFIDENTIALITY

We will treat, with confidentiality, Team discussions and evaluations regarding specific potential candidates. We will deal responsibly with privileged information. We will agree in Team on appropriate process and progress reports to the Board of Elders and church. We will not publicly criticize the perspectives or decisions of any other members of our Team.

A COVENANT OF ACCOUNTABILITY

We will proceed with ethical sensitivity and thoroughness in all investigative and evaluative procedures in the consideration of any pastoral candidate. If a potential candidate has been engaged in conversation and is later dropped from consideration, we will notify him tactfully in writing. We recognize our accountability to our church and to God for our decisions.

A COVENANT OF UNITY

We will present to the church for its consideration only such recommendations as we can fully support as a Team. Where there are honest differences of opinion, we covenant to work these out before making a recommendation to the church.

Therefore, we enter into this Covenant with our Lord, being led by the Spirit, in order to faithfully discern his will in the calling and selection of a pastor to our church.

___________________________ ___________________________

___________________________ ___________________________

____________________________ ___________________________

___________________________ ___________________________

Blog posted by Dennis Baker, CAM Senior Ministry Consultant

Who You Spend Time With is Who You Become

One benefit I am receiving from interning with Church Assistance Ministry (CAM) is that I get to spend time with men who are older, more mature, and more experienced that I am. 

Who you spend time with today determines who you will become tomorrow.

As an intern with CAM I get to spend time weekly with Steve Elliott, a man who has been in ministry for almost forty years.  I also get to spend time quarterly with other staff and board members of CAM who have been working in ministry for a long time.

There are three things I am benefiting from as a younger man spending time with these older men:

1. They give me examples of what to do: Their examples, stories, and lives show me how to effectively serve others and manage a family.  This ensures that I do the right things with my time going forward to help me become more successful.
2. They give me examples of what not to do: They have many stories of how they have failed and been unsuccessful which gives me a clear picture of what not to do.  This allows me to avoid failures in my future and serve more people without having to experience the lessons they have had to experience.
3. They give me examples of good habits to develop and maintain:  You definitely reap what you sow.  When spending time with these men I am able to see what habits they have maintained over their lives and how that has affected them long-term.  This gives me a better perspective to choose the habits I cultivate and maintain going forward in ministry.

As a result of spending time with these men who are older, more mature, and more experienced than I am, I will grow into a man who has gleaned years of examples of godly lives lived and be able to incorporate these into my own life in order to do great work.

The Power of Context in Bible Study

Through my internship with Steve Elliott at Church Assistance Ministry (CAM) and teachings from classes here at Fresno Pacific University, I am learning the value of knowing the “context” when studying the Bible.

Steve first introduced this to me when he taught me to study the Bible. Then when we took the Biblical Perspectives 436 class, we were taught even more about the “Historical World” which we need to know and understand before we begin to study the Bible.

The importance of historical and literary context became very apparent when I led a Bible study in Steve’s absence last week. As we started to dig into the book of Galatians to learn about how we should serve one another in love, I did my best to set up the historical context of the church setting, the city of Galatia, and the issues that Paul is addressing in his letter. Then we began to study Galatians 5:13 and how it was important to us as Christians to serve one another in love. As we started our discussion, it became very clear to me that I had not done an adequate job of setting up this context for my participants when one of them tried to apply the verse to salvation.

This caused me to have to apologize, take a step back to re-introduce the verse with the emphasis of the passage on “service” not “salvation.” Once I had the group correctly oriented to looking at the verse as a service verse, not a verse about salvation, they were able to understand what Paul was communicating.

We All Are Creative, We Just Need to Find It

Beginning my internship with Church Assistance Ministry (CAM) has reminded me of my entrepreneurial spirit as I have seen ways I might assist their work. When I look at CAM, I don’t see “things to do,” but I can see “things to create.” I’m naturally a pretty creative, relational, right brain dominant person. I can come up with lots of ideas, even though many of them might not be very good.

While interning with CAM, I’ve had lots of new ideas about things we can create to help further CAM’s mission to serve and equip leaders around the world. I’ve had the idea to create a blog to share updates on CAM’s work. I’ve thought about possible case studies I might be able to write to enhance Steve’s teachings about coaching and core values. I’ve thought about how a book featuring CAM’s content would develop an even greater platform for CAM to reach more leaders. These are some of the many ideas that have quickly developed after starting to intern with CAM.

Getting back in touch with my creative, entrepreneurial spirit has reminded me of the feelings I had when leading a nonprofit program called A Day of Hope that fed families in need for Thanksgiving. While leading A Day of Hope, I was always coming up with new ideas to fundraise, recruit volunteers, and feed more families.

Being open to a new ministry where I have some freedom to serve and support in my gifted areas has been very encouraging and exciting. And I find myself passionate and energized by the new ideas that are flowing through my entrepreneurial spirit.

Question: In what areas are you creative? How does that affect your life?

A Church Planting Story

Evangelical Free Church Pastor Celestino“Jun” Sabate came to California in 1998 and began his career as a church planter among the Filipinos of Central California. Within twelve years of his arrival and the planting of his first church in Tracy, California, that one small church has become five churches with three others in development in California and Arizona. In addition, several churches have been planted in the Philippines and Japan with the active help, financial support training and coaching by Pastor Jun and others who make up the leadership of the World Harvest Fellowship family of churches in California.

How did this happen? How can a church that has never reached an attendance of 100 people (WHF Tracy) multiply itself so that there are now more than a dozen newly planted churches in its planting network with a growing constituency of hundreds of people in this relatively short period of time?

When Pastor Sabate came to join our effort in the EFCA West district in 1998 he came with a passion to serve Christ, but he had almost no financial support other than the district’s modest church planting subsidy and a small amount of missionary support to sustain him, his wife and three sons. Together, these resources helped pay his meager salary and a few early ministry expenses.

Jun attended EFCA’s intensive church planting training seminars designed for modern linear-thinking Americans. Although he is a seminary graduate with degrees in pastoral ministry and counseling and had served as a pastor and district superintendent in the Philippines, he found the training to be cross-cultural. He repeated the complex training event three times in order to translate the presentation into a form that suited an Asian who thinks cyclically. And he learned the church planting process well.

Jun learned quickly that effective church planting required developing a church “system” that contained multiplication at every level of the ministry. That multiplication thinking included multiplying churches after the pattern of the New Testament (for example, Acts 1:8, Acts 19:10-12, Acts 13, I Thessalonians 1). (Jun and I agree that multiplication should occur in all parts of the church’s ministry. For example, there should be multiplication of believers through congregational involvement in evangelism, multiplication of disciples through relationship-centered growth experiences, multiplication of leaders by discerning potential leaders through relationships and training them, multiplication of ministries as the growing number of leaders are deployed and empowered, and multiplication of churches which comes about as a normal result of becoming effective at all the other levels of multiplication!)

He allowed me to be his coach and mentor during those early years, and that helped him. But what carried him through the challenges and the tough times was his faith in the God of the Bible and his determination to follow God’s Word which he believed taught the true nature of the church and described a magnificent church planting movement—a movement lead by the Apostle Paul, his traveling team of church planters, people Paul trained along the way, and the other Apostles.

Jun trained his people, starting with his elders. He taught them to lead in a way that reflected Jesus’ leadership (Mark 10:45), and to teach, and to preach. He is thrilled to boast in his disciples’ successes, believing that his elders now preach as effectively as he does. When he travels around the USA and in other countries, he is thankful that he leaves his congregation in very capable hands and does not have to bring in outside preachers to take his place.Jun says the delegation of pastoral leadership responsibility is a counter-cultural experience for Filipinos. It is common for them to view the pastor’s role as similar to that of a Roman Catholic priest, who would not give “ecclesiastical responsibilities” to the “laity”.

So, one church has now become twelve or more relatively new churches. (Actually, there are more churches than that involved in the network, because Pastor Jun and I have helped train churches and denominational leaders in the Philippines and Japan to take a very significant role in multiplying church planting networks in their countries. Some of these churches are now part of the WHF network.) Now the vision of the WHF family of churches is to plant at least twenty more over the next decade in the USA, Asia, and potentially other parts of the world.

Can a small church plant churches? My answer to that question is a resounding “Yes!”

______________________
Steve Elliott, with experience as a church planter and as a regional church planting leader for the EFCA, serves as President of Church Assistance Ministry (CAM), a mission agency that specializes in training, coaching and leadership development for church plants, churches, denominations and mission organizations in various parts of the world, including the US.

In addition to his pastoral leadership, Pastor Jun Sabate serves the CAM ministry as International Director.

© Stephen D. Elliott, 2011

The Goal of a Leader is to Find His/Her Replacement

The first week of my internship with Church Assistance Ministries (CAM) was been great. My supervisor, Steve Elliott has mentored and coached me for three years. I’m grateful to now be under his supervision as we embark on working together to advance CAM’s work to equip church leaders and church planters across the United States and around the world.

When meeting with Steve this past week, he revealed:

My main responsibly as CAM’s CEO is to find my replacement.

This is a great thought for anyone in a significant leadership position to focus on. I might be able to serve CAM by helping Steve find his replacement. As a new person working with CAM, I offer a fresh perspective. I will be able to see the strengths of the organization and compliment those strengths. And I will conversely see the weaknesses of the organization and where a potential leader might be able to fill those roles. Then you need to make sure a CEO is groomed to keep those strengths strong and also pray and hope that CEO will improve the weaknesses. I’m sure finding a new leader for a church ministry is not easy to do. You have to look at lots of candidates and evaluate their skill set, their character, and their overall ability to keep the good work of CAM going for years to come.

With that said, going forward with my own ministry in life, I need to always realize that one of my main responsibilities as a leader is to find my replacement. Maybe I will start by looking for creative ways to find my replacement as an intern after my service for CAM is over.

Question: What do you believe is the mail goal of a leader?

Lighten the Load for Your Leader

I created this blog for Church Assistance Ministry (CAM) as a way to advance CAM’s mission to equip church leaders around the world. When my field supervisor, Steve Elliott and I met for me to show him the blog, I walked him through the entire process of how to create a blog post, how to publish it, and what it should look like when it is finished.

After the meeting, Steve knew exactly how he can compose, post, and publish blog posts to the CAM blog. However, after the meeting I realized that I had made a mistake. I failed to offer my help to Steve by posting content on the blog for him. My role with CAM is to help advance their mission by lightening Steve’s workload. I should have told him that I am glad to post content for him on the blog if he provides it to me. My hope in creating the blog is that Steve has a bunch of content he has already written/created that can be posted on the blog to reach more people. If Steve or the other CAM members have content that can be posted with my help, then I need to do that work for them (especially for Steve).

As a follower, my main job is the lighten the work load of the leader above me. With CAM, Steve is my leader and almost everything that I do needs to revolve around lightening his work load and furthering CAM’s mission.

Question: How do you lighten the load of your leader?

Build Trust Among Others

As a leader, the odds are pretty good that at one-time you have had a vision for something, but have it slowed down by others.

Having led many meetings for a volunteer based nonprofit program called A Day of Hope, I have experienced the feeling of wanting to move forward but having to wait for volunteers to catch my vision. These were times when I believed that I knew what was best for our program, I believed I knew what we needed to do to move it forward, but I couldn’t get the volunteers to move with me. This can be extremely frustrating when you are trying to serve people in need. 

On the flip side, there are times when my volunteers had a high level of trust in me as the leader and they followed me even when they didn’t understand everything or agree. These were times when the volunteers knew my heart was to serve and help people in need, and if I believed we needed to do something in order to do that more effectively, they would trust my discernment and insight.

I personally saw this lived out on a much higher and more influential level when observing the Church Assistance Ministry (CAM) board meeting last week. I observed a group of godly men who were faithfully following their leader, Steve Elliott. As Steve led the CAM board meeting, I was able to observe him lead a discussion about a big decision to be made. Even though a couple of the board members did not quite understand all the details and facts of the decision, they allowed him to lead and proceed with the idea because they had a high level of trust in him as their leader.

When Steve and I met after the board meeting to debrief about what I observed, he summed up my thoughts by pointing out that “When you get people who trust you, they will follow you along even if they don’t understand you.”

You too, as a leader need build trust among others. When you build trust among others, it allows you to go faster, which every leader loves!

Question: How do you build trust among others?

Posted by Christopher Scott, CAM Intern

Who You Spend Time with is Who You Become

One benefit I am receiving from interning with Church Assistance Ministry (CAM) is that I get to spend time with men who are older, more mature, and more experienced that I am. That is a benefit to be because who I spend time with today determines who I will become tomorrow.

As an intern with CAM I get to spend time weekly with Steve Elliott, a man who has been in ministry for almost 40 years.  I also get to spend time quarterly with other staff and board members of CAM who have been working in ministry for a long time.

There are three things I am benefiting from as a younger man spending time with these older men:

1. They give me examples of what to do: Their examples, stories, and lives show me how to effectively serve others and manage a family.  This ensures that I do the right things with my time going forward to help me become more successful.
2. They give me examples of what not to do: They have many stories of how they have failed and been unsuccessful which gives me a clear picture of what not to do.  This allows me to avoid failures in my future and serve more people without having to experience the lessons they have had to experience.
3. They give me examples of good habits to develop and maintain:  You definitely reap what you sow.  When spending time with these men I am able to see what habits they have maintained over their lives and how that has affected them long-term.  This gives me a better perspective to choose the habits I cultivate and maintain going forward in ministry.

As a result of spending time with these men who are older, more mature, and more experienced than I am, I will grow into a man who has gleaned years of examples of godly lives lived and be able to incorporate these into my own life in order to do great work. 

If you are a young leader (like I am) I suggest you find some men who are older and more experienced than you are and spend time with them. Who you spend time with today determines who you will become tomorrow.

Question: Who in your life who is older than you has had a positive impact on your life? (Feel free to share stories.)