Step 1 of Fulfilling Your Vision - (Engaging Ministry Champions vs. Lay Leaders)

Vision, to be implemented, requires champions. Champions are more than traditional “lay leaders” who show up for a meeting or two each month. They are special souls who are, or can become, as passionate as you are for the work that God has set before you. They are highly motivated by a sense of urgency to accomplish the vision you have put forth. They are energetic, creative and tireless in their pursuit of your vision. They are the people of your dreams. I suspect that at this very moment you are yearning for these champions. You can find them, but before we go further, we should distinguish between their way of thinking and that of lay leaders. The subtle difference between the world in which lay leaders live and the world in which you are calling them to serve -- makes a big difference. Here’s why.

Many a community leader and executive turned deacon, elder or teacher have underestimated the subtle, yet powerful distinction between the world in which they work and the church -- namely -- the power of employment.

There is something very controlling about having an employee’s paycheck at risk if he or she refuses to follow your vision. Countless Americans wake up each morning and head off to jobs they disdain. Yet, they do it. They tolerate the boss’s bad jokes, they endure the close confines of the cubicle, they trudge forward in a world of back-stabbing and inefficiency for one reason -- they don’t want to be fired - they need the job. For the most part -- they do what they are told, silently, begrudgingly. They do it. Not the case, though, when they are at church.

Something magically sinister happens when they enter the hallowed halls of church -- they become the recipient of their make-believe “God-given” right to criticize, chastise and rebuke. No individual, no minor detail escapes their critique. The pastor’s hair, the color of the carpet, the quality of the toilet paper, all fall prey to their biting tongue. The very same cheapo toilet paper found at church is silently endured at their workplace, but at church it is now an insult to their spirituality promulgated by none other than the Senior Pastor and it must be stopped with the execution of a curtly worded demand for his resignation appropriately signed anonymous. And so goes the difference between “at work” and “at church.”

It’s a difference that is lost on most well meaning business execs who serve on what they believe to be board-like positions at church. They miss the fact that the pastoral staff is holding it together on borrowed and begged time from volunteers. They don’t get that pastors have one of the most difficult roles in any organization. They treat a church like a business in which the pastor is a well-meaning but somewhat idealistic good guy who just needs to be guided. They don’t get that the pastor is God’s representative on site to ensure that God’s will is accomplished. They try to force what they know on an organization that is far more than what they can ever hope to know. They don’t get it, so they should not lead. They are different than champions -- they are merely leaders. The church doesn’t need more management technique wielding lay leaders. The church needs champions.

Lay leaders like to lead. But champions lead without knowing it. They draw people to the ministry. They recruit others to the effort by merely describing what God desires for their life. Champions support pastors in ways they could never imagine and in many instances without the pastor realizing so. Champions get things done without leaving a trail of bodies behind. Champions are rare in churches and even more rare in the corporate world which is why pastors need to look beyond the obvious business leaders and find the champions -- the inspired leaders that endear others to their leadership.

To successfully fulfill your vision and calling, you must have champions. To find these rare leaders will require some thoughtful observation and prayer. They are there. They are not easily visible because you have been taught to look in the wrong places. Step one toward reaching your vision is to find them. Once your champions are in place, the journey toward your vision involves a few additional simple principles (to be covered later in this series) coupled with the discipline of pursuit that only God can energize within you. With champions -- it is possible.

If you would like to pursue that journey through this series, let’s start with identifying some potential champions. Make a list of 12 individuals (yes, 12, worked well one other time) you believe have the capacity to be a ministry champion. Think of people who have joy in their life, who don’t have hungry egos, who have a heart for the things of Christ. Consider these people regardless of their position in life. You are looking for heart not title. Make the list and live with it a couple of weeks before moving to step two -- which is our next article in this series as we plot the path toward bringing your vision to life.

Here are the links to all 4 steps:

Step One - Engaging Ministry Champions
Step Two - Defining an Urgent Purpose
Step Three - Focused Communication
Step Four - Aligning Effort