As a part of trying to be disciplined in completing things I start, I am finishing a follow up to a previous post.  Comparing church staff (core leaders) as soldiers in war time. Here’s the point from that post:

♣  They might not have liked getting shot at but they accepted the responsibility of fighting naked aggression.

Soooooo, what’s that got to do with church culture?

Simply put, we have an understanding that we are in a continual conflict with the world.  As the scripture states.

James 4:4

“You adulterous people, don’t you know that friendship with the world is hatred toward God? Anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God.”

Now that is not to say we are not to be friends with the people of the world.  That was how Jesus lived.  But we are not to be friendly to the world.  We are not to support and live by the morals, values, and conduct of the world.  Those things are in direct conflict with God.  They are usually in direct opposition with Him and therefore these things become God’s enemy?!

So…when we take on the responsibility of becoming an engaged and supportive partner with the church we are in turn saying, “I’m in the fight”.  It is safe to assume now that because you are in the fight you will take some liks.  It is to be expected.

But that’s ok. and here’s why:

• When on the aggressive side damage is not felt as much.
• If you choose not to fight when you are a Christian it does not take you off the battlefield.  Therefore you are actually going to get hurt more.
• Taking pain for the cause of Christ let’s you know you are on the right side.
• Pain also let’s you know that you are growing.  Your ’spiritual muscles’ develop and scars make you tough.
• In the process of getting tougher when you face the next battle you are even more prepared.

By choosing to be engaged we are actually showing God we love Him.  Not to get love from Him but because it is an outpouring of gratitude for what He has done for you. He fought for you through someone that had to take some damage along the way.  Wasn’t it worth it?

We all have a part in ministering doesn't matter what your position is.

I had a cool talk with one of our Lead Volunteers here at Oak Leaf this week.  We were discussing how he was handling the ‘management’ of some of our volunteers.  I use that term ‘managing’ loosely because if you knew this guy then you would know people look up at him as the caring leader type.

As I was standing there I also told him that as far as his volunteers were concerned he was the one speaking for God during our weekend service times.  He was the one making our volunteers aware that we had guests that were coming that had a divine appointment with God that day.  The way that they behaved affected our guests in connecting with God.

This particular leader understood the commitment involved here and what was at cost.  What he did find hard to believe was that he himself was working along with God.  Paul says in I Corinthians 3:9 that we are ‘co-workers’ with God and that means he is every bit a minister as I am.

Which brings me to this.  As a church leader we have to be constantly aware of helping our people, across every area of influence (ministry) realize the fact that they have just as much at stake here as we do.  We all are partners in this church.  We work together while working with God.  When you are called to God through Christ it’s not just for your benefit.  You have been given the task of ministering to other people.  And if you are a ‘Leafer’ then that means you are to “Lead people from where they are to where God wants them to be”.

As I was laying in bed at 5am this morning with Charlee crying in the room above and trying to get comfortable while my lower back is sending me pain signals I was thinking about the week.  Then it occurred to me either I have had way too much coffee or this was a great way to start my Sabbath and reflect on what transpired.  So here is what I gathered from my week.

1. When visiting someone in jail the visiting hours are not for your convenience.  You have two choices, Sunday or Wednesday 8-11 am.  Not only that, but you have to get there the first hour to get on the waiting list or it won’t happen.  Bottom line when you get arrested you have rights but you don’t get a say.
2. It’s good to have a sermon done a week ahead.  It allows you to go through it in your head and tweak final thoughts.  Also, it never fails, usually all the kids are home which makes it impossible to practice delivery since wherever I am there they are .
3. Twitter is fun but just like emails communication can be misconstrued.   People will interpret your ‘tweets’ based on how their day is going.  When you lay your life on twitter people will post their comments on you publicly.  It seems they forget about DM.
4. Second twitter thought.  Twitter is not just about you but about others.  If you are using it just to fill people in on your things like going, “going to the broom”, “just ate” and “sleeping now” I am about to stop following you.  Tell us something that helps us, makes us laugh, ask a question, something!  Then the, “I just got home” tweets can be taken a lot easier.
5. There is something magical about walking past your 3 month old and then she coos and smiles at you trying to get your attention.  Then you stop and do baby talk for five minutes.  You have just given them a memory, even thought it won’t last forever, that this guy likes me and I like him.  Can’t beat that!
6. Often times the very things that you are studying or just reading in the Bible will be something that you encounter that week.  Call me crazy but I believe all that stuff is planned out.  God will use what you are learning, not just for you, but to help others.
7. Lastly we had a talk in staff about Systems about shaping people’s behaviors using your system which regulates intervals of times for rewards and consequences. I was in an occupation for 11 years where that was all I did.  That stuff comes easy to me.  So, I definitely will be righting more about that in the future because giving positive feedback seems to be a foreign concept to a lot of people.

You can also catch about how the Holy Spirit uses you (see #6 above) by checking out Suzy’s page and catch her message on how God expects you to listen and partner with Him.

Alright that’s all I remember from 5 am.  The kids are up and I am about to relax and enjoy my Sabbath.  I hope you get the chance to do the same.

This view on leadership and the church comes from an ongoing synopsis from the observations of Band of Brothers.

Next topic about the church and how it should be like today:

• Talk about open communication!  When your life depends on the other person you don’t hold anything back.

This point is similar but different to what we covered about being open with individuals and sharing your secrets.  This is more about how to communicate and what could be the possibilities if we took the time to listen before speaking.

Not to beat a dead horse but here are the differences and why good communication is worth it:

• They (the soldiers) knew to shut up when someone was talking so they could here the whole message.
• They also gave direct eye contact so they could see the guys emotional responses to what the other person was saying.
• Usually they started their answer by acknowledging somehow, “This is what I heard you say.” (Usually with colorful language )
• When they were sure they understood the bottom line then they decided to act on it.

What’s this look like for churches:

• Staff that understands how each other feels and what is important to the other person.
• Staff that feels that they are supported and that their contributions count.
• Bad eggs are weeded out because individual agendas are discovered and exposed.
• It allows for the clarification of vision and why you are doing something.
• Everybody knows how to speak for their team mates because they have a grasp of what the other is trying to accomplish.

I have been in situations where communication is non existent.  People believe that communication is getting louder and voicing your opinion more aggressively.  When this happens you lose moral and the respect of others.  Then your best leaders will leave.

Forget about good, average communication is hard to achieve but it is well worth it.

Those of you that have experienced the two different types of workplaces know what I am talking about.  Challenge to you is if you are in a place with bad communication how are you going to make it better?

♣ From the Band of Brothers post that, is an ongoing explanation of what should church should and could be.

• Everyone knew each others personal life.  There were no secrets because they all knew no one is perfect – nothing to hide here.

Nothing like airing out the dirty laundry for all to see, huh?  I would imagine this is probably one of the most frightening things that any of us could experience.  It’s the, “If they only knew this about me.” thing.  It freezes us from sharing with people why we do the things we do.  It keeps others from learning from our mistakes.  It keeps us from receiving help from others so old woulds can heal.  And it is contrary to what is taught in the scriptures. “Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed…” James 5:16 ESV

In the series, ‘Band of Brothers’  these guys knew everything about each other.  That’s because they spent long hours in trenches, scared to death, so their is this compulsion to share your life with others.  These guys knew the darkest part of each other and they shared every aspect of their lives with each other.  Here’s what it allowed them to do:

• They understood each others point of view when they had to make the important decisions.
• They were able to challenge each other on faulty thinking.
• It helped them feel and understand what each other was experiencing.
• Combat communication was kept to a minimal because they could anticipate each others moves.
• It helped them understand they were all equals, even when it came to their view of leadership.

What would the church be like if we spent less time talking and more time ministering because we understood the motives of others?  How cool would it be if we could help each other get through our stubborn and sinful thinking patterns?  We could be more forgiving of each other when wrongs are committed.  People would spend less time running from those in the church to hide their sins but instead would spend more time in the church seeking help for their lives.

Here’s the deal…The early church was this way. We will be a church of life change when we learn that our dirty laundry is there to help others, not to hide.  One of the most intriguing and awesome qualities about God is that He will always take that which was for evil and use it for good.

Why don’t you give him a chance today…