[Kid Inspiration]

We run a 5 Star Leadership Program for kids in years 4 and 5. And last Saturday night they took over… running the whole shebang. MCing, Preaching, Running Games, Doing sound etc, etc.

 

A Giant Connect 4 Competition.

 

Kirra Preaching up a Storm

 

Tayla Speaking the Word!

 

Caleb MC’ing!

 

Me and Caleb talking about stuff!

It was a huge success and the kids loved running everything – get a group of your kids to try this… very rewarding (You will also be surprised with what the kids preach about!).

Seriously – check this out… do it now!

This test from Lead the Way God Made You: Discovering Your Leadership Style in Children’s Ministry by Larry Shallenberger will help you discover your unique leadership strengths. Then use Larry’s book for the second step of the leadership journey discovering how to best use what God’s given you to bless your ministry, your co-workers, and the kids you serve.

Harry S. Truman said:

“In reading the lives of great men, I found that the first victory they won was over themselves… self-discipline with all of them came first.”

Self-discipline isn’t about torturing yourself or denying yourself. It’s about mastering yourself as a surgical tool you can use to pursue the purpose of God wholeheartedly.

You want to lead a powerful team of leaders who passionately believe they are called to minister to kids?

Then master YOURSELF first!

You may have heard of John Maxwell…

If not, then you are about to.

In his latest newsletter, John talks about team building. Now I would bet that if you are in any kind of ministry, then one of the hot topics you want to know more about is exactly that; How do I build a world changing team?

Read this article now!

After that, you must do two things:

1. Goto injoy.com and if possible get your good self to an John Maxwell event.

2. Sign up for his free Leadership Wired newsletter.

Leadership is an expensive calling. It will cost you time that would be easier to waste.

LK 14:28-30 “Suppose one of you wants to build a tower. Will he not first sit down and estimate the cost to see if he has enough money to complete it? For if he lays the foundation and is not able to finish it, everyone who sees it will ridicule him, saying, `This fellow began to build and was not able to finish.’

“Counting the cost” is a biblical idea that applies to every area of the leader’s life. Whatever you do is going to require some energy, and life is too short to focus on ideas that don’t matter.

Building the house of God matters — it’s as simple as that. Sow your life into it.

Notes from a message on Managing People

Managing people is a life long journey.
By David Wakerley

1. If you don’t deal with your insecurities then you will put a ceiling on anothers life.
2. Separate the person and the task.

Management of People.

If you are managing people you need to build them.

How do you build a person?

1. Believe in them
2. Encourage them, publically and privately
3. You release them. No ceiling
4. Instruct them, wisdom.
5. Discipline them. Heb 12:11
6. Promote them, spread good gossip.
7. Challenge them.
8. Love them.
9. Respect them.
10. Pray for them.

How do you successfully manage peoples work?

Monitoring, timesheets, feedback, job description, mentoring, accountability and meetings.

1. Take the time to notice.
2. Take the time to critique
3. Take the time to check. Triple check.
4. Take the time to celebrate successes.
5. Take the time to work through a failure.

Here is an excerpt from an email I just sent out to our key leaders.

I was a little fired up when I wrote it!!!

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It’s game time.

The first half of the year is over. I believe that the next five months are going to be full of growth and momentum.

I have been praying recently just that leaders in our teams are really going to rise up and become leaders… I believe for the team that you lead that you will see a passion and a commitment like never before. We NEED more leaders desperately. Those people that see what you see and feel a burden to reach more kids.

Out goal is to increase the core of the team. Weekends are not enough to change a generation. In order to do what we are called to do you we need massive commitment – not just to Hillsong Church – but to the thousands of kids who have not heard about Jesus.

Pray – Pray – Fervently for people to join YOU on the journey. To come in midweek and sow their lives into a cause SO much bigger than themselves…

I’m fired up and ready to go.

Passion is a topic squarely in the forefront of my overactive mind. In order to create the kind of culture and atmosphere that breeds engaged kids and enthusiatic committed leaders we MUST be the kind of people whose primary goal every weekend service is to be the “dispenser of enthusiasm”!!!

Serve it up!

Check out this quote:
“Your profession is what you were put on earth to do with such passion and such intensity that it becomes spiritual in calling”

Great quote okay — This is from an article talking about business leadership!!

So, the way I see it… we have the advantage… we already have a calling that is completely spiritual and has emmense eternal significance… if that doesn’t want to make you jump up and down like a man with a ferret down his pants – I don’t know what will…

I LOVE that my vocation and calling is building something eternal, not just lining the pockets of a shareholder, or buying the bosses beachfront property in Cancun… I don’t need to give myself little pep-talks about the fact that what I am doing matters… IT MATTERS… I am responsible for Christianities future leadership… they are sitting in my children’s ministry!!

Bless your cotton socks.

Here are some simple but powerful ways to keep people around and loving what they do.

• After recruiting volunteers, find or develop opportunities for them to get involved right away.
• Have clear goals and expectations of what volunteer will do – write a job description (Read the “One Minute Manager” by by Kenneth Blanchard, Spencer Johnson for more infomation on thi spowerful technique).
• BE FLEXIBLE - have volunteer projects on weekends & weekdays, morning and evenings. When you meet with new leaders the first time, don’t just talk about weekend services, always mention midweek projects and roles… create a culture of serving throughout the week).
• Make sure volunteers understand the importance of the task they are doing, and how it fits into the overall ministry.
• Never allow people to feel that you wasted their time or that they weren’t really needed.
• Provide food & refreshments after projects (The power of pizza cannot be underestimated).
• Keep up on and celebrate birthdays of committed volunteers.
• Provide a structure so that those who want to can take on roles of greater responsibility.
• Give honest and sincere praise, say “Thank you”, make people glad they came and participated.
• Recognize volunteers in meetings… make a goal to mention the outstanding work that one volunteer has done each meeting.
• Have parties, retreats, picnics, and other “off-duty” events.
• Give volunteers titles- Coordinator, Assistant Coordinator, Lead Organizer, etc (Make them fun titles… Disney has imagineers!).

Well I though I might post a quick confession I use to keep passionate about my calling and leadership.

Five quick things, that if combined with faith will cause YOU to stay committed to what you are doing. Also includes a BRILLIANT quote at the end. I honestly LOVE this quote… and it is from a Orchestra conductor… HOW MUCH MORE should we, as believers and leaders of children believe and live out the quote.

Check it out below!

As a leader I am PASSIONATE!

1. Passion demands enthusiasm! :: I am a Dispenser of Enthusiasm
   1. Ps 69:9 zeal for your house consumes me.b.Rom 12:10,11 Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. Honor one another above yourselves. Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritua fervor, serving the Lord.
2. Passion Demands Truth :: I am a transparent leader.
   1. Jn 17:15-19 My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one. They are not of the world, even as I am not of it. Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth. As you sent me into the world, I have sent them into the world. For them I sanctify myself, that they too may be truly sanctified.
   2. Ex 18:21 But select capable men from all the people–men who fear God, trustworthy men who hate dishonest gain
3. Passion demands People :: People stuff is my ONLY stuff
   1. GAL 5:13,14 You, my brothers, werecalled to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the sinful nature;rather, serve one another in love. The entire law is summed up in a singlecommand: “Love your neighbor as yourself.”
   2. b. 1 Pe 4:10 Each one should use whatevergift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God’s grace in its various forms.
4. Passion demands Fixation:: Everything I do is with all my being.
   1. a. Phil 3:14 I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.
   2. b. Luke 10:27 He answered: “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and withall your mind; and, Love your neighbor as yourself.”
5. Passion demands Obsession :: I keep my eye on what is important.
   1. Heb 12:2 Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecterof our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.
   2. Heb 11:1 Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.

I set as the goal the maximum capacity that people have. I settle for no less. I make myself a relentless architect of the possibilities of human beings. - Benjamin Zander, Boston Philharmonic.