by Mike Watkins

I was talking with a pastor friend the other day in Kiev about the lack of a leader for his youth ministry as well as a problem that I solved in our new church meetings. My problem is that since we are small and getting started I was leading every aspect of the meetings. I opened the meeting, I lead worship, I made announcements, I preached & then closed the meetings. At the same time I noticed that the whole meeting had an awkward feeling that one of our team said was like being in school.

My friend was doing the same thing with his youth because he did not have anyone experienced enough to lead. After an hour of discussion, the root as well as the solution was uncovered. It is true we did not have anyone as experienced as ourselves to lead the team or the whole meeting for that matter, but we did have people who could lead individual parts of the meetings.

I had already decided to divide up various roles at this point so that I would not be seen as a schoolmaster or even worse, the church master. Our team had a great creative staff meeting where they even decided the topic that I would preach. Another guy helped me choose the songs, and since he plays guitar, he will also play a few.

In the end it was decided that my only role in the meeting would be to preach for 15 minutes, and our team was encouraged and empowered to have been a part of the whole process.

So who was the leader in all this? I lead our team, but I lead them to lead. The first step in my leadership is to help and encourage my team to take the first steps in their leadership. We have experienced full-time leaders on our team, but we also have volunteers who are just getting started. It is unrealistic to think that we will simply find someone among the untrained volunteers or new believers who is born with the full package for leading a meeting.

I am not the only one who is leading leaders either. We pass this principle of first steps on to everyone with whom we are working. The result is that we will have a happier team and less boring meetings, and as they grow in confidence and ability God’s kingdom will not simply grow but will multiply.

The things which you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses, entrust these to faithful men who will be able to teach others also. 2 Tim 2:2

 

Mike Watkins is a missionary, a fisher of men and the author of the blog “Simple Truths.”

by Steve Murrell

I had a cup of coffee this weekend with a friend who suffered in a Middle Eastern prison for six months. His crime: following Christ. Oh yea, and he led hundreds of Muslims to Christ in a nation where that is illegal.

He spoke of his suffering as a “gift” from God.

If someone gave me the “gift of suffering” I’d probably say, “no thanks, already have one” – or I’d re-gift it to that person who writes critical comments on my blog.

My friend never once complained about his suffering. To him, it was just part of following Jesus and carrying a cross – nothing radical, unusual or unexpected.

I’ve heard preachers challenge people to “make a RADICAL COMMITMENT” to Christ.

Why do we think the willingness to lay it all on the altar is RADICAL?

Real followers of Christ have offered their all as living sacrifices for thousands of years. The Bible presents this as the normal Christian life. But we call it radical, the turf of a few special chosen ones. For the rest of us, as long as we show up at church a couple of times a month and drop a dollar in the offering we think we’re in the game.

Here’s a one-sentence summary of my sermon yesterday at Victory-Fort:
IN VIEW OF ALL GOD DID FOR US, GIVING OUR ALL IS REASONABLE, NOT RADICAL.

“I beseech you therefore, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your REASONABLE service.” – Romans 12:1 (English Revised Version)

I want to challenge all of you to a reasonable commitment to Christ – which means everything all the time forever.

 

Steve Murrell is a missionary, pastor, and the author of “The Reluctant Leader” and “The Accidental Missionary.”

by Ross Middleton

As I’ve gotten a little older and more mature in my relationship with God, its interesting to me the things that seem to begin to change theologically and methodologically in my life. Fear not I’m not a heretic now, just subtle things.

One of the things I’ve noticed changing in my heart over the last few years is the desire to just go for it. I think I used to play it safe cause I was scared to fail. But at this point in my life, and I might recant this statement when I’m older and wiser and have even less hair than I already do, but what I mean by that previous statement is simply this: If there is a dream that God has placed in your heart, just go for it, do it! If you fail, at least you won’t regret not trying.

I think more people will regret what they did not do rather than what they did do in many circumstances in their life.

What I think we have to balance in our lives, is what is God calling me to do and what is my desire. I’m not saying that we should run out on a whim and leave all our responsibilities for someone else to worry about, but we can make an exit plan if we feel God calling us to do something.

Many times I think our desires are our callings. Those things that God begins to stir in our hearts are the seedlings of  a calling in our lives.

If you are thinking about embarking on an adventure, just go for it! Give yourself 2-3 years to try something different and just do it, reality is 2-3 years will go by in the blink of an eye and in the span of our lifetime is almost nothing.

 

Ross Middleton is an Every Nation campus director in Florida State University, Tallahassee and is the author of  Collide Leadership.

by Brett Fuller

Dan 4:37 says, “Now I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise and exalt and glorify the King of heaven, because everything he does is right and all his ways are just. And those who walk in pride he is able to humble.”

King Nebuchadnezzar was speaking from experience. He recently came off a seven year “sabbatical” in which he lost everything. He wandered the forest eating grass. He became unkempt with fingernails resembling claws and hair so clumped it looked like feathers. In short, he lost his mind. Yet none of it needed to happen. Daniel had given Nebuchadnezzar the interpretation of a dream that foretold his aforementioned demise. Still, with the interpretation came hope that if he repented of his pride, God might spare him the predicted humiliation.

God, being merciful, gave him one year from the dream’s explanation to repent of the pride which exalted himself and ignored God. With no response, the Lord brought upon him what was foretold.

There are two ways of arriving at the realization of who we are: (1) we can humble ourselves by acknowledging and crediting Gods greatness or (2) have God show us the weakness of our strength by humiliating us. Please live right and choose well…

Brett Fuller is the senior pastor of Grace Covenant Church in Chantilly, Virginia. He is also the founder of the Legacy Institute and the president and co-founder of African American Resource Ministry (AARM).

by Steve Murrell

Ministry can be complicated. But it shouldn’t be.

So many podcasts, books, blogs, tweets, seminars and conferences telling us what we should be doing to grow our church, change the world, serve the community, win the lost… Complicated.

I specialize in making things simple.   Here’s a simple and biblical job description for a pastor (church leader):

1. Equip all members to do ministry

2. Live a live that’s a godly example

3. Lead with the attitude of a servant

4. Feed the sheep (ie: teach the Word)

That’s it. Equip. Live. Lead. Feed. (E.L.L.F.) As I said before, Leadership is not rocket science.

How are you doing with these 4? Are you, like many leaders, spending way too much time doing everything but these?

Steve Murrell is a missionary, pastor, and the author of “The Reluctant Leader” and “The Accidental Missionary.”