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Ten Questions: Ministry
- Is our vision so big that we obviously can’t accomplish it without God?
- Am I doing ministry from memory or from fresh direction from God?
- What ministry (or program or meeting) has lost its effectiveness and should be stopped?
- Is there a person who needs to be moved to another role (or removed), and I haven’t done it?
- What faith risk is God calling me to take?
- Have I repented to my team at least once in the last year for a failure in leadership?
- Have I done everything in my power to make sure my team is living without unconfessed sin?
- Am I expressing love and care for my team members’ families?
- Am I living with delayed obedience toward God in any area of leadership?
- If Jesus my sole motivation for ministry or has my motivation become clouded?
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Craig, thank you for the love and care you and the rest of the leadership team has shown to me and my family. You have made us feel very welcomed.
can we get these lists as downloading files??? would love to print them out and give them to others in leadership around me…maybe hang a couple of them on my wall!!! ok, maybe hang all of them on my wall…
C,
After a long dry spell caused by a sudden move and then pastoring a church made up of mostly older people (median age of 60), I finally feel with the move here 2 1/2 years ago that I am “doing ministry” with a fresh direction from God. It took moving here to see how “rote” I had become. Although this is not technically a new church plant (It is 3 1/2 years old) it is a new experience for me. I praise God for the freshness! And being that this is a new experience for me (I had always been in established churches), I also thank God for people like you who aren’t so high and mighty that you forget the little guy. It has been good to be challenged by reading books like yours, reading blogs, and listening to the “young guns” with so many dreams and hopes for the church. I pray that you and the others never lose your freshness for God. It helps keep us “oldies” thinking young.
Sunny, So glad you and your family feel welcomed and embraced.
Jon, I am blessed to hear these are making a difference in your life. You can use them in any way you like. Copy them right off the site or reproduce them. Blessings to you.
Bill, It is awesome that you are being empowered with fresh direction. You are a great voice on swerve! Thanks for being a part of the community.
i’ve been struggling with one person in leadership having a negative attitude and not taking care of their responsabilities…i’ve been neglecting taking action and asked God to make it clear to me this week. #4…#9
i will definitely be using these, just didn’t want to without your permission…thanks craig!
#10 is huge!
If our primary motivation is not for the glory of God and the Kingdom He is growing, then we have lost our way.
We expend financial resources and human resources SO THAT people can hear the Good News of Christ, enter into it, and mature in their disicpleship. The “why” has got to be crystal clear for everyone who chooses to serve.
Do I truly care about and desire to develop the individuals on my team for who they are…. Or am I merely concerned about developing the role that they are in?
In otherwords, don’t just develop John the Worship Leader to be a great Worship Leader. Truly care about and develop John the person and along the way he will maximize his talent as a Worship Leader.
Clear as mud?
C, Thanx again for great posts…I am meeting with your missions team on Monday in South Africa…looking forward!
I am curious…How did this one play out the past year in your ministry as a leader?
“Have I repented to my team at least once in the last year for a failure in leadership?”
Thanx
Just like the crazy Sprite commercial years ago, I need to keep asking “What is my motivation?”. Is is totally for God’s purposes and to proclaim the love, grace and mercy found in Christ? I think you can ask #10 everytime you consider anything in your church. Is Christ the motivation for this? If not, dump it or forget it.
Thanks Craig! Great thoughts. You’re making my head hurt this week thinking about all this stuff! Lovin it! Keep it coming.
Craig,
Just when i am working through the other lists……BAM!!! you hit me with another. I gotta go stop the bleeding!!
Great stuff!
Patrick and Terry, Glad the questions are stirring you.
Ewald, That’s cool you guys are meeting next week.
To answer your question, it seems like I am often apologizing for different leadership failures.
Recent ones include: not teaching more on the Holy Spirit and spiritual warfare, not leading our church to be mission minded, not teaching our people to be radically generous, not being involved enough in certain things.
Apologizing for leadership shortcomings helps to show that the leader is sensitive to God’s leading, still growing, and empowers the leader to make changes.
Wanted to address the apologizing for failure in leadership. I am confused by this. If the leaders are obedient in hearing the Holy Spirit on where to lead; where do the apologies come in? I can recall a number of times that something has been laid on my heart, and wham, Craig addressed it that very weekend. I am increasingly amazed by the “power behind the pulpit” at Life Church. Please accept my apologies for not understanding. Not being a leader in the church I may just need a little insight.
Beth, I am so glad God is speaking to you through the preaching.
You asked a good question. When I talk about apologizing for failed leadership, I am mostly thinking about to the staff (or occasionally the whole church). As a spiritual leader, hopefully we are growing in our understanding of Scripture and effectiveness as a leader. Unfortunately, even though we hope to be led by the Spirit, we occasionally (or often) fail.
I believe it is important to humble ourselves and repent when we realize we are wrong. Maybe I’m wrong more than most, but I find that every year I am seeing things I wish I had done differently. Blessings to you.
(I’ll be looking forward to more discussion on Monday but am finished commenting for the weekend.)
Craig,
OUCH! Those questions left me feeling “undone” as I did after your message at Catalyst. Thanks for having the guts to say thing that leaders need to hear! - Kevin
Wow these are not only great for the developed pastor (by this I mean church is up and running) but also the developing pastor (those who will be setting up churches/planting churches in the upcoming years)! I will definitely keep these in mind. Heck, most of these can apply to everyone’s lives!
Great stuff, Craig!
I have a new website for my blog….
http://www.henryjudy.com
click the link and resubscribe by clicking the subscribe button on top of right hand column.
Thanks
Henry
Henry,
I read your blog. I will keep Darlene and you in my daily thoughts and prayers.
Beth
[...] in Prayers Here are some questions that you should ask yourself about your ministry, put up by LifeChurch. Honestly, #2 is a struggle, and #10 both by association [...]
Thanks Craig. These are powerful and convicting questions. God just used you to speak into my life.
Man those questions are awesome!
Biggest ones for me were numbers 2 and 10.
It’s easy to fall into doing ministry or making decisions out of how you think things ’should be done’ as opposed to constantly relying on God for fresh revelation.
The last question was massive as well - its also really easy (for me anyway) to fall into having my motivation as seeing things grow and get bigger and more effective rather than purely wanting to create a youth ministry that’s following direction from God.
Thanks heaps
[...] Ten Questions: Ministry at LifeChurch.tv : swerve - [...]
Ten Questions: Ministry…
Ten questions to ask about your ministry….