I’ve said many times, one of the roles I have as a pastor is that of talent scout. My goal is to scout out the congregation and build a team that will not only help me accomplish what God has called me to but help those I recruit to fulfill what God has called them to do.
So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, to equip his people for works of service, Ephesians 4:12
“All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”
Matthew 28: 18-20
Doing everything yourself is antithetical to the call of discipleship
I created two delusions, probably as a coping mechanism against rejection, the first being that everyone likes me. To think that no-one likes me worked against my initiative If I thought no-one liked me , how could I ask them to help me.
The second delusion was , everyone wanted to help me. Why wouldn’t they, they liked me, right? So my belief was that my work was so important, reaching and discipling teenagers, that everyone would want to help me get the work done.
I call these delusions but in reality, these mental constructs, mixed with faith, helped beat back the limiting beliefs of “no one likes me” and “no one wants to help me.”
I had to believe that the congregation was will with people willing to help the next generation and that that is what I want you to believe. No everyone is going to like you or want to help but you have to be willing to put yourself out there and scout around for the people who do.
Let me offer an acronym to help you remember to always involve others in ministry.
Search – Find Me (seek and you will find)
Community – Meet Me (guests, casual attenders)
Churches lose people because they engage too soon or not soon enough
Opportunity – Propose To Me what are you offering and why?
Follow me and I will make you fishers of men Matthew 4:19
Unconditional – Love Me
This is not about filling a role, it’s about finding a fit
Train – Help Me (get better)
@therealjasonduncan taught me this principle about delegation
Confiscation – Micromanaging
Abdication – Drop and Run
Delegation – Freedom
I learned this delegation mantra early in my career and it has served me well.
I do it you watch
I do it you help
You do it I watch
You do it, I’ll check back with you
Let me finish the scripture we started with because it contains the “why”
so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ. Ephesian 4:13
Jesus did not do everything himself
- he sent the disciples to set up the upper room
- he told the disciples they would give 5,000 people something to eat
- he sent them to get the donkey he would ride into Jerusalem on
- he sent them into the world to preach the gospel, heal the sick and cast out demons
And because Jesus did not do everything himself, you do not need to do everything yourself.
Be a S.C.O.U.T and help people find their fit whether it’s in your ministry or someone else’s ministry and you will have no problem building a team to help you do what God has called you to do.
If you need more help, I’d love to be your coach and help you build a successful youth ministry.
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