Uzziah had a well-trained army, ready to go out by divisions according to their numbers as mustered by Jeiel the secretary and Maaseiah the officer under the direction of Hananiah, one of the royal officials. The total number of family leaders over the fighting men was 2,600. Under their command was an army of 307,500 men trained for war, a powerful force to support the king against his enemies. Uzziah provided shields, spears, helmets, coats of armor, bows and slingstones for the entire army. In Jerusalem he made machines designed by skillful men for use on the towers and on the corner defenses to shoot arrows and hurl large stones. His fame spread far and wide, for he was greatly helped until he became powerful.
2 Chronicles 26: 9-15
Uzziah had an army equipped and prepared for combat
Uzziah had a well-trained army,
Youth ministry can occasionally feel like a battle, not against people but against time, deadlines, and paper work. You occasionally have to deal with THAT parent, THAT kid, THAT adult worker, but over all, great preparation cuts down on miscommunication and confrontation. How well are you equipping your youth leaders to deal with problem situations?
Make sure that your leaders understand that youth ministry is fun but it can be messy. Help them understand what they’re getting into without scaring them. Make sure you include sessions with your leaders on how to deal with the hard stuff (correcting a student, dealing with a parent, etc.) of youth ministry and you’ll make them battle ready.
Uzziah broke his team into smaller manageable bites.
ready to go out by divisions according to their numbers
Uzziah broke down his troops into bite sized pieces. Looking at a vast army can cause panic. What am I going to do with all these people? Look at your team and see where or how you can group them. If you have a large group, try breaking your youth ministry into smaller pieces so your current or future adult leaders can grab a slice easily.
If you have a small group or team, always recruit one more team member than you actually need so you have room to grow. Also, don’t forget to utilize your current student leaders to raise up more student leaders.
Uzziah made sure they knew their assignments.
men trained for war, a powerful force to support the king against his enemies.
Each division knew what their role was, to support the king against his enemies. If your adults seem kind of confused as to what their role is or why they are supposed to be doing it, try making up some job descriptions that will lay a track they can run on and you can keep them accountable to.
If you have a planning meeting, make sure everyone is clear on their assignments (who is in charge of what and when). This will cut down on any confusion at your next event.
Lastly, always make sure your team knows the why behind the what. We need to be able to answer and affirm the question, “Why are we dong this?” Keep the big picture, the vision, before your leader so they’ll not only know what they’re doing and why they are doing it. This way they’ll sty motivated and on task.
Uzziah equipped them with everything they needed.
Uzziah provided shields, spears, helmets, coats of armor, bows and slingstones for the entire army.
Does your Sunday School or Small Group leaders have all their material in a timely fashion? Do they need pens, sign in sheets, props, etc. Do your drivers have directions? Do your parents have calendars? All of these things are like swords, shields, and spears to a warrior.
Youth leaders who have what they need when they need it can do their ministry with greater confidence. It is the role of the leader to see that the troops have the equipment they need to do what needs to be done.
Uzziah organized first and got creative later
In Jerusalem he made machines designed by skillful men for use on the towers and on the corner defenses to shoot arrows and hurl large stones.
My problem, in my younger days, was that I thought I was sacrificing creativity to be organized. What I discovered was is that if I got organized first, it created the space in my life and brain to be more creative.
If I’m so busy putting our fires or playing catch up I won’t have time to be creative or think of that next big thing or read that new book. Uzziah had time to create kick butt weaponry because his team was organized, equipped and had purpose. Get organized and clear up some of that brain bandwidth for creativity.
Uzziah became known for being a great team leader
His fame spread far and wide, for he was greatly helped until he became powerful.
I like that last part, “he was greatly helped until he became powerful” They say, “if you see a turtle on top of a pole, it didn’t get there by itself”. Any success you have in ministry will be because a team helped you get there, be sure you thank them often.
There’s another saying that goes, “You are known for the problems you solve or the problems you create.” Disorganization breeds problems and results in labeling, “They’re never ready”, “They’re never organized” or “They’re never prepared” Don’t be that youth worker.
On the other hand, being organized will lead to greater opportunities, promotions and victories.
If you’d like to get more organized so you can make the kind impact God made you for, I’d love if you checked out my book Prepared For Impact.