Here are a few definitions that I found for exposure:

• disclosure
• revealing or unmasking
• presentation to view
• subjecting to influence

What, you ask, does this have to do with the church?  It’s one of the ways to learn what’s going on in ministry outside of your own realm of influence.

About once a year our staff schedules a visit to a local church that is different from ours.  Last week we visited The Church at Chapel Hill in Douglasville, Georgia.  Last year we visited North Point Community Church in Alpharetta, Georgia.  In previous years we visited World Changers Church International in College Park, Georgia and New Birth Baptist Church in Lithonia, Georgia.  By visiting with these ministries some of what we learned was:

• different ways to think about television production
• ideas for our academy
• the value of a good creative team
• excellence in hospitality

Exposure is good for any ministry because there is always something to be learned.  Even though our ministry is open to learn from other ministries, we also have ministries or pastors who schedule visits with us because they want to gain some insight from us.  There’s always someone who does something better than you.

Church visits are just one way to gain exposure.  Other ways include, but are not limited to:

• attending conferences
• mission trips
• volunteering with other churches during disasters
• inviting people to share with your ministry leaders

During the Atlanta floods in September 2009, my daughter and I volunteered with HopeAtl, an effort initiated by Pastor Shaun King of Courageous Church.  We were impressed with the people we met who came from around the country to help Atlanta’s flood victims.  Neither my daughter or I had been involved with an effort like HopeAtl.  We were blessed by the experience and gained new friends.

The whole point of this post is to encourage ministry leaders to learn from and share with other ministries.  Your denomination, race or income level should not matter.  What matters is what we as Christians can do for each other and for the community.

Take the challenge and expose yourself.  I promise you won’t feel naked.

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Write the vision and make it plain . . . (Habakkuk 2:2)

On the first Sunday in a new year, pastors all around the globe preach sermons about how we (Christians) should leave behind those things that have been a hindrance to us.  My question to senior pastors is, “What are your goals for 2010.”  Have you written a plan to make your ministry a better place of worship?  What has hindered your ministry and what will move it forward?

Even if you pastor the church that is the model for ministry in your area, there’s always room for improvement.

What Went Well Last Year?

Every organization does some things well.  Take some time to look at the things your ministry did well.

• What were the highlights of your services/programs/internal ministries (auxiliaries)?
• What things do people talk about when they complement your ministry?
• What do people look forward to when they come to your church?
• What does your church do that others try to emulate?

What Didn’t Go Well Last Year?

Can you take a good objective look at things that are hindering your personal ministry and your church’s ministry?  It is easy for you to see the things that need to be improved or changed.

What are some things that need to be changed about your church?

• Do your services start and end on time, or are you constantly late starting and always going over?
• Are your ushers and greeters friendly or are your members afraid of them?
• Are your ministry leaders qualified for the ministry they lead?
• Is your staff efficient – do they return phone calls and answer e-mails in a timely manner?
• Do you have qualified counselors or do they need training?
• Does your ministry make visitors feel comfortable?
• Do you have a system to follow up with visitors?

How Do You Plan To Improve Your Ministry?

Hopefully you have given some serious thought to improving your ministry this year.  Take a good look at the good, the bad and the ugly.  Get rid of those things – people, issues or programs – that don’t benefit the ministry.   Take steps to initiate programs, etc. . . that will help your ministry.

Most importantly, be courageous enough to evaluate your own strengths and weaknesses and make the necessary changes.  Lots of people say they want change, just not when it comes to them.

These are just a few things to get you started.  Your list is probably already someplace in your head.  Write it down and make a plan.  Your ministry will be the better for it.

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Of the 10 things he shared, I was particularly drawn to #7 – I made a few really bad hires.  Now, I don’t know if these “hires” were paid staff members or volunteers and I’m not going to get stuck there because it’s irrelevant.  I’m just glad he put it out there because it’s a mistake that occurs repeatedly in the church.

Sometimes I think because we are Christians, we skip important steps when we place people in leadership positions.  We fail to do our homework and find out who the people are behind the mask.  In many ways finding potential ministry leaders is just like courtship and dating.  In courtship, we put our best face forward, which in this case is our church face that may be combined with what I call church speak.  Those two combined with not knowing a person’s motives for wanting to work in ministry can lead to a “a really bad hire.”  One thing I know for sure is (particularly for a young church) people don’t work at a church for the money.

There are a variety of reasons/motives for working in ministry and all of them are not pretty.  I’ve worked in ministry for more than 15 years, both as paid staff and volunteer staff for a new and struggling ministry.  Of reasons that people want to work in ministry, I’ve seen the good, the bad and the ugly:

The Good

• They love the Lord
• They have a passion for ministry
• They see a need and want to help

The Bad

• They want to ride the wave of something new and exciting
• They want to use the pastor and/or the ministry for their own selfish reasons

The Ugly

• They want to get next to the pastor (you can read between the lines here)
• They want to get close to the pastor’s family (usually to get to the pastor)
• They want to prey on people (yes I spelled that right)

About Pastors

By nature of the calling, most pastors love God, ministry and people.  Most (not all) are warm, outgoing people who are trusting.  They love people, they trust people and often believe people’s motives are pure.  This type of pastor needs their antithesis to work with and complement them.  That person can be a spouse, administrator, board member or associate pastor – someone that the pastor knows can keep a confidence and they can trust their judgement.

What to Do About Bad Hires

I’m a person of few words – get rid of them.  You may want to take the warm, fuzzy Paula Abdul approach and let them down easy or you may take the unabashedly direct, Simon Cowell approach.  Whatever approach you choose, get rid of them, they will poison the rest of your staff and your congregation.

I know this sounds cold, but I also believe that every ministry staff should have at least one Peter on board – not the one who denied Christ, but the one who would cut you to protect Him.

The Biblical Precedent for Leadership

• Exodus 18: 21: select capable men from all the people—men who fear God, trustworthy men who hate dishonest gain—and appoint them as officials.
• 1 Timothy 3:10:  They must first be tested; and then if there is nothing against them, let them serve as deacons.

When a ministry is young, it should operate with a skeleton crew.  That may make it difficult on the few tested and trusted people working with the ministry, but we must remember what Jethro told Moses and what Paul told Timothy.  There’s no way to get around it.  Before you can trust and test people, you must get to know them.  That takes time but it’s time well spent.

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• Vote
• Volunteer
• Appoint

I grew up in a fairly large Pentecostal church in Philadelphia.  In that church, most of our ministry leaders were elected by vote within their ministry.  For special programs and short term committees, people would volunteer.  As a child that was all I knew, as an adult I’ve had an opportunity to see all three of these methods in action and I have formed an opinion.

Vote:  This method of choosing leaders is pretty standard in a lot of churches.  Members of a ministry or auxiliary vote on who they want to be the leader.  The problem with this method is that it can become a popularity contest.  In a popularity contest, the most popular person is elected, not necessarily the most qualified.

Volunteer:  This method can be good or bad depending on the circumstances.  Some people who volunteer are qualified to lead, some volunteer because no one else would take the position.  This method is sometimes known as “whosoever will, let him come.”  Volunteer leaders are always appreciated but they are appreciated even more when they are both willing and qualified to lead.

Appoint:  All in all, this method seems to be the best choice and appears to be the way Jesus operated.  When a ministry leader is appointed, the pastor, board or leadership team has had an opportunity to observe their gifts and talents as well as their level of commitment and dedication.

Ideally, our ministry leaders should be qualified and committed to lead their particular ministry.  Their gifts and talents should be commensurate with the purpose of the ministry they lead.  God gave us gifts and talents to be used in ministry.  Sometimes it just takes a little effort to find those gifted and talented people in your congregation.  Make the effort, take the time and train those people to serve in your ministries.

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