Just finished our team meeting. I thought I'd blog seven expectations that I shared with our staff. And by the way, lead pastors need to set the example across the board.
1) I expect loyalty. I've got your back and you've got my back.
2) I expect you to be growing spiritually. This is my primary concern. It is so easy for those of us in full-time ministry to seek God for others instead of seeking God for ourselves. We've got to do ministry out of the overflow of what God is doing in our lives!
3) I expect a positive attitude. Attitude really is everything. And I've learned that how much you enjoy ministry depends on who you're doing ministry with. Let me just say it like it is: negativity sucks. Literally. It sucks the life out of a staff.
4) I expect staff to verbalize rather than internalize. I want a staff culture where people can have tough conversations about tough topics. Life is too short to hold a grudge. My philosophy of conflict is John 1:14. Jesus was full of grace and full of truth. Truth means I'm going to be honest no matter what. Grace means I'm going to love you no matter what.
5) I expect staff to have fun. We all have bad days. We all have long days. But if ministry isn't enjoyable you need to get out of the game! The top quality I look for in prospective staff, besides a thriving relationship with Christ, is a sense of humor!
6) I expect you to make mistakes. We have a core value: everything is an experiment. Part of experimenting is failing and learning. I have no problem with mistakes. I just don't want staff to make the same mistake over and over again!
7) I expect excellence! I think a dose of divine discontent is healthy! We need to keep getting better and better at what we do. It is that commitment to excellence that allow staff to morph in greater responsibilities at NCC.
1) I expect loyalty. I've got your back and you've got my back.
2) I expect you to be growing spiritually. This is my primary concern. It is so easy for those of us in full-time ministry to seek God for others instead of seeking God for ourselves. We've got to do ministry out of the overflow of what God is doing in our lives!
3) I expect a positive attitude. Attitude really is everything. And I've learned that how much you enjoy ministry depends on who you're doing ministry with. Let me just say it like it is: negativity sucks. Literally. It sucks the life out of a staff.
4) I expect staff to verbalize rather than internalize. I want a staff culture where people can have tough conversations about tough topics. Life is too short to hold a grudge. My philosophy of conflict is John 1:14. Jesus was full of grace and full of truth. Truth means I'm going to be honest no matter what. Grace means I'm going to love you no matter what.
5) I expect staff to have fun. We all have bad days. We all have long days. But if ministry isn't enjoyable you need to get out of the game! The top quality I look for in prospective staff, besides a thriving relationship with Christ, is a sense of humor!
6) I expect you to make mistakes. We have a core value: everything is an experiment. Part of experimenting is failing and learning. I have no problem with mistakes. I just don't want staff to make the same mistake over and over again!
7) I expect excellence! I think a dose of divine discontent is healthy! We need to keep getting better and better at what we do. It is that commitment to excellence that allow staff to morph in greater responsibilities at NCC.
10 Comments:
Mark,
Thanks for sharing this stuff man!
Your team is blessed to serve with a man like you!
Keep up the great work!
couldn't have been more timely. I am in the throws of issues right now. But we are coming through it. I say all the time attitude if everything! I will hire for attitude over skill set any day of the week. An good attitude and teachable spirit is what we look for!
Great stuff man. Would like to connect with you am a pastor in Zim and agree you need a good team to be afective. Have you read "loyalty" ,,its a powerful book. Lets connect tigers_aguan@yahoo.com
Good stuff! #4 really stands out - we have heard that said in many different environments, but seldom did the leader truly set the atmosphere that makes this work. People will always be reluctant to share an opposing view unless they are very confident that they will not be "branded" by their view. Great work!
I am a pastor in South Africa. I like the point youmade about staff having fun together. What do u guys do for fun as a team?
Mark,
This is a great list for a leader in any environment! Awesome stuff that most "managers" in corporate and quasi-corporate workplaces often seem to forget (to wit, Dilbert's popularity). Feds, corporate leaders, and lots of churches could loosen up, focus on their ultimate purposes, and gain a lot from such an example as yours.
We try to do consistent staff get togethers where we just hang out and have fun--grill out, bowling, movie, etc.
One of our annual highlights is our "play and pray" retreat. We do just that--pray and play--for a couple days.
In some ways, the larger our team gets the harder it gets to cultivate the "play" aspect so you've got to be really intentional.
Mark
Thanks Mark! This is definitely a message for every staff.
Is loyalty to you more important than loyalty to God & His Church? You are not perfect, yet you have the power & position and when you stray away, you still expect loyalty? Blind loyalty is a dangerous tool of Satan and a pretty arrogant expectation of a senior leader.
Bscott,
Not sure how to categorize your comment. Almost doesn't deserve a response. I have a pretty good "comment detector" and it seems like you're either trying to create controversy or you have an issue with some past leader or you totally misinterpreted my post.
Having said that...loyalty to God is a given. And it supercedes all else. But that doesn't diminish the importance of "loyalty" and "unity" within a church and staff.
Mark
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