Training — Ministry Leaders

Teachers can expect much of the middle elementary child. He is able to work with diligence and should be challenged with more in-depth projects and questions. He is able to work steadily on research projects or crafts that would have lost his interest just a few years earlier. And he can even start assuming responsibility for cleaning up after himself! If your students do not match that description, remember that almost 10 years of training have gone into this child’s makeup. What he can do and what he has been trained to do are different things. Know that your students...

Previously in Entre Ninos, we looked at excuses people use to not assertively multiply their efforts in a ministry context. Then we considered starting points for handing off responsibilities. Today we will walk through the steps to training others to take over those responsibilities. Multiplying yourself in ministry is the biggest win. But it doesn’t come easy. Step 1 - Watch me. Invite someone to observe you doing the very task you would like them to do in the future. Before they come to observe, be sure they know the endgame of this observation. You want them to step up...

I often tell my students, “If you cite or quote an author, to avoid the dreadful academic identification of being a plagiarizer, be sure you give credit where credit is due.” So, as I was searching for a title for this article, “Legacy Leadership” seemed to fit perfectly. But, to be honest with you, it’s not my title. The title comes from a father and son, Kent and Aaron Stroman. These gentlemen co-authored a book by the title, “Legacy Leadership.” We hear a lot about the different types of leadership styles these days. There is the servant leader, the transactional,...

I sometimes joke that I’m one of a dozen people in the whole world who would pick young teens as my favorite age group to teach. They are always in flux and always challenging. They are never dull and rarely docile. They are going through physical, mental, emotional and spiritual changes, perhaps at a pace they will never achieve again. I don’t understand why this isn’t everyone’s favorite age group! NEW START YOUNG TEENS are entering a new stage of development. Like newborn babies, they are constructing who they can become and what their lives will be like in the...

Let’s face it. There are times in ministry when managing volunteers feels like your full-time job. Recruiting, training, retaining — it is NOT easy, but it has to be done. Out of desperation, ministry leaders can fall into the trap of “filing the slot.” We’ve all been there. But the reality exists: Some people, at best, are not a good fit; at worst, are dangerous to the mission. After a decade of ministry experience leading 450 volunteers on a month in-and-month-out basis, I have had my fair share of volunteer leadership challenges. I want to act as your guide. You...