Greg Atkinson

Like I said yesterday, staying humble is easier said than done. I don’t expect you to do it in your own power. That brings us to today’s principle: stay on your knees. It’s important that we are men and women of prayer. When we have a vibrant relationship with Christ and spend time communicating with Him in prayer, the natural attitude that will come out of us is one of humility. This is also where the fruits of the Spirit flourish (this and what we’ll take about tomorrow).

Prayer is the lifeline for the Christian leader and pastor. Prayer keeps you grounded, focused, connected, informed, encouraged and most of all – it displays a true dependence on God. We all need to be dependent on God and the Holy Spirit’s work in our lives. Not praying shows a spirit of independence and thus leads to an attitude of pride and also can become overwhelming. We feel like the weight of the world is on our shoulders and get stressed out.

I don’t have to tell you what a huge problem burnout is for ministers, but I would like to point out that I think this concept is a great contributor to our burnout epidemic as a Church. Leaders try to operate out of their own strength and eventually crumble under the pressure. Only dedicated time with God and hearing from His heart can fuel us and also keep us from sin (pride, lust, ambition to the point of sin, drivenness to the point of sin, etc.).

Staying on our knees (along with staying in the Word, which we’ll cover tomorrow) is absolutely essential to your (and my) physical, spiritual and emotional health. At the end of the day, it all comes down to health. We won’t to be healthy in every way possible. Prayer can calm the storm that rages within and all around us.

Prayer (and staying on your knees) is also a huge acknowledgement of submission to God. We acknowledge Christ as Lord and submit to His will, His way, His purpose. So… how’s your prayer life going?

Continuing on with the Church Leadership 101 series, we’ve come to a section of blog posts that start with the word “stay”. The first one is to stay humble. I know this is easier said than done, but I think it’s a sobering thought to keep our pride (which we all struggle with), ego and attitudes in check.

Some of the best advice someone gave me years ago was to not take myself too seriously. I’ve tried to live by that and laugh a lot. Does my pride sometimes still flare up? Absolutely. Does my ego pop up from time to time. Sure. But I eventually come to my senses, repent and get back to a Christ-centered, God-sized view of who I am and Who He is.

This concept is especially challenging for gifted and talented individuals. Some pastors can really preach. Some worship leaders are very good musicians. Some video editors have mad skills. Some designers – well all designers have egos, but the point is a lot of Church leaders are talented and it’s easy to see why they wrestle with staying humble.

The problem is when we start relying on our strength, skills and ability and stop praying for Christ through the Holy Spirit to lead through us, preach and teach through us, sing and play through us, edit and design through us. We must have the perspective of vessels, jars of clay and a Heavenly Potter sculpting us and shaping us and using us for great things according to His plans and His purpose.

So to keep it short and sweet, stay humble. Talk less. Listen more. Stay grounded. Keep your eyes on Christ and follow His example:

“Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled Himself and became obedient to death– even death on a cross! Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” – Philippians 2:5-11

Years ago I read a book called The Bondage Breaker by Neil Anderson. In the book, Neil says of spiritual warfare, “If you’re a Christian, you’re a target. If you’re in ministry, you’re a bullseye.” That statement struck me hard and has always stayed with me.

The Bible warns us, too. 1 Peter 5:8 says, “Stay alert! Watch out for your great enemy, the devil. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour.” Later verse 9 goes on to say, “Stand firm against him, and be strong in your faith. Remember that your Christian brothers and sisterst all over the world are going through the same kind of suffering you are.”

So, we are encouraged to “stay alert” and “watch out”. We’ll also told to “stand firm” and “be strong”. We’re also reminded that Christian brothers and sisters all over the world are fighting this same battle with a very real enemy.

It’s important to keep this perspective as you go throughout your ministry career. You have a enemy – a shrewd, crafty and tricky, deceitful enemy that will do whatever it takes to frustrate you, discourage you, make you afraid, see you stumble and fall into sin and if he was allowed to – he’d kill you. This should sober you up and behoove you to put on your spiritual armor. (Ephesians 6:13-17)

How do serve, lead and minister with this reality going on all around you? I’ve blogged before about the supernatural aspect of our faith. We serve a God that was raised from the dead and believe in angels and demons and a real devil. I pray over our house every night before going to sleep. I ask God to let his angels stand guard over our home and protect us from evil.

What about you? How does the reality that you have an enemy effect your life and ministry? Do you think about this at all? Do you intentionally put on your spiritual armor?

A foundational concept and principle for all Church leaders is to lead like Jesus and be a servant leader. If you haven’t already, I’d strongly encourage you to read Ken Blanchard’s book Lead Like Jesus.

I still remember years ago at the Catalyst Conference hearing Andy Stanley speak on being the most powerful person in the room. There are times when you’re in a meeting and you realize you’re the most powerful person in the room. Andy pointed out that when Jesus realized this he took out a towel and basin and began washing the disciples feet.

Another great book to get you pumped up and focused on serving is by my friend, Dino Rizzo. If you haven’t read Servolution yet, I encourage you to get it and read it. At the end of the day, it’s so crucial to realize we’re in this for people – real people – and we’re called to serve them.

One final book suggestion is a book that was foundational in my own ministry. If you haven’t already, get and read (devour) Spiritual Leadership by Henry Blackaby. This book is gold!

One thing my mentor is walking me through is how Jesus responded to situations. After all, this whole concept centers around leading like Jesus would. In order to understand the heart, mind and leadership skills of Christ, all one has to do is read through the Gospels. I know you’ve read them before, but go back and read Matthew, Mark, Luke and John through the lens of leading like Jesus and see if you learn something new and God through the Holy Spirit can open your heart to true servant leadership.

As a leader, is this at the core of who you are? Do you first think to lead like Jesus?

There’s only one quality that I’m proud to tell others about me and don’t mind sharing. It’s a quality I also look for in others. And that is – I’m teachable. As long as I live, I’ll be a life-long learner. Partly because of the way I’m wired and I’m a reader, but also because I have a thirst to grow in knowledge.

Wherever I’ve lived and served, I’ve found someone to mentor me and I’ve tried to be a mentor to others. I’ve mentored guys younger and older than me (mostly younger). I’ve always found someone older than me and met with them regularly to learn from them and pick their brain.

There are many reasons to seek out a mentor. I must say again that it’s crucial to have a teachable spirit and sincerely believe you have room to grow and learn from another. One reason to seek out a mentor is to grow spiritually. Sometimes a mentor is further along spiritually than you and can disciple/mentor you in your walk with Christ.

Sometimes I seek out a mentor that is an awesome husband and father. I see how this person loves their wife and kids and I feel I could grow from spending time with them. I don’t know about you, but I want to learn how to be a better husband and father.

Sometimes I seek out a mentor that can help me grow professionally and as a leader. I meet once a week with a man that used to work with Ken Blanchard and helped write the book “Lead Like Jesus“. He’s led workshops on Blanchard’s “situational leadership” and countless “Lead Like Jesus” workshops and seminars. We meet weekly for him to pour into me and teach me about leadership (both situational leadership and servant leadership).

There are many reasons to be mentored and as you’re able to share what you, yourself, have learned over the years – you can mentor someone younger and pass on what you’ve been taught or learned the hard way. So what about you? Do you have a mentor? If so, tell us about it. Do you mentor others? If so, tell us about it.

In light of my last Church Leadership 101 post on being fired, I’d like to follow up with a simple philosophy I’ve tried to live by: never burn bridges. When I have felt God leading me somewhere else and resigned from a church, I’ve bent over backwards to make the transition as smooth as possible.

I’ve always worked with key volunteers in my ministry that would carry the load until the church replaced me. I thought it was important to set them up to win and show them everything I did, where I kept stuff, where I ordered stuff from, how I planned, scheduled and organized and anything that I thought they’d need to know after I left.

This speaks to one’s character and to a Kingdom mindset. We’re not competing and other churches are not the enemy. Even if I (or you) leave a church, I want them to succeed and do well in my absence – they are a part of the Big “C” Church and I’m all for their continued success.

If for some reason you find yourself fired or being let go, you have a wonderful opportunity to live out this principle of not burning bridges and show them you have class. I worked with a youth pastor one time that got fired and acted like a complete moron afterwards. He kept the church keys and wouldn’t turn them back in (we had to change the locks), he kept his pager (yes, we had pagers back in the day) and he threatened to storm the pulpit on Sunday and “tell his side of the story” (we had to post police officers at all entrances). In the end, he looked like a jerk and people really questioned his mental stability. Best advice: don’t go there. Turn in your keys, pack up your office and leave with dignity.

How have you handled transitions in your career? What do you think about burning bridges?

Yesterday was a happy day for me (a huge Cowboys fan). I had been campaigning for years to get Wade Phillips fired. Actually, I never wanted him to get hired (there’s a lesson there – make sure you hire the right people), but I had spent the last 3 years calling for his firing.

Bottomline: If you can’t do your job and do it well, you don’t deserve a job. We are living in a tough economic time right now where people are hungry (literally) for work and would give anything to have your secure job. There’s no place for laziness or lack of leadership and initiative in any industry – including the Church.

As someone who consults with churches and organizations, having spent a lot of time with senior pastors and executive pastors, I know that there comes a time when it is no longer wise or healthy to keep someone on your staff. Please know that I don’t take this lightly and I know the sting of what it’s like being on the other end (having been laid off due to a church’s financial situation). I know that the employee has a family and this will be extremely difficult to cope with, but if an employee has been warned before and encouraged to change their attitude, work ethic or make progress in their given ministry area – it is something that is warranted and a leadership call that senior leaders need to make.

Am I just talking about paid staff members? Absolutely not. If you remember, 2 years ago I blogged about firing a volunteer. You can and should read it HERE. By the way, the Part Two of that story is after months of not serving and several meetings with the volunteer (including asking him to read “The Heart of the Artist”), he came back on the team with a great attitude, humbleness and we’re still friends to this day. When I’m back in Dallas, I can still see this volunteer and hang out with him (go out to eat, catch some live music, or go see a movie). We’re really friends – even after having to fire him for a season.

Do I believe in grace? BIG TIME. It’s my favorite word. Do I believe in second and third chances? Yes. Do I believe in coaching and leading someone to a better place in their career? Yes – if they’re willing, able, humble and teachable. I also write and teach on innovative organizations allowing and sometimes encouraging failure as they take strides towards new approaches to ministry and innovative breakthroughs. What I’m talking about here is one’s heart, attitude, work ethic and what they bring to your team or organization as a whole – also how they impact those around or under them. All this must be taken into account.

How do you handle unhealthy situations on your team? Have you had to fire a staff member or volunteer? Have you ever been fired and learned a hard lesson? What’s your thoughts on this?

I’ll make this brief: Anyone in ministry is a person under authority. From the senior pastor answering to a board or the congregation (depending on your governance) to the executive pastor answering to the senior pastor, to all staff (paid and volunteer) answering to the executive pastor or senior pastor. Everyone reports to somebody and should be held accountable.

Ultimately, we all answer to the Head of the Church: Jesus Christ. Colossians 3:23 tells us “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men.” But on a practical, day-to-day working relationship, how does this whole concept work itself out?

Basically, we need to keep in mind that there are no lone rangers in ministry. Ministry should be done as a team and everyone should have someone that holds them accountable for goals set, discipline, and growth as a professional and a leader.

In a meeting, when something is being discussed, you have every right to speak up, voice your opinion and fight for something you’re passionate about, but once the decision has been made, you must get on board and champion that cause as if it was your idea.

Last week, I spoke at the National Outreach Convention in San Diego. I met a man from a known church in Texas and he told me he was on staff there and I went on to share with him my experience of visiting there and taking a tour. My team and I, years earlier, had been led on a tour by a disgruntled staff member who bashed the pastor and begged us to hire him. It was horrible. I remember driving away from that church and hearing our pastor say, “Don’t ever act like that to visitors.”

If you have something against your senior leadership (pastor, executive pastor, or elders/deacons) – keep that to yourself and take the initiative to seek them out (Matt. 18) and discuss your grievance with them privately. Don’t bad mouth your leadership to others inside or outside the church.

So, what about you? How do you handle issues of authority in your situation? Have you ever fought hard for an idea and had it shot down? How did you respond?

The following is a guest post from Justin Lee, Executive Director of The Gay Christian Network (http://www.gaychristian.net).

Of course, we all know that there are some hateful, bigoted people out there who call themselves Christians. But most of the Christians I know are wonderful, loving people. They may not believe that homosexuality is compatible with Scripture, but they would never, ever want gay teens to feel worthless, much less commit suicide.

Somehow, between the church’s intent to preach a message of love, and the gay community’s hearing a message of hate, something is going drastically wrong. And it’s up to us to fix it.

I know a little something about this topic. My job is building bridges between the gay community and the church. It’s something I do every day. Unfortunately, in my experience, most Christians are pretty clueless about why their messages are being misheard. They imagine it’s just a problem with the gay community, and that there’s nothing that they as Christians can or should do any differently. I sometimes hear Christians say things like, “That’s just the conviction of the Holy Spirit. If they don’t want to hear it, that’s their fault, not mine.”

It is true, of course, that sometimes people simply refuse to listen to God, and sometimes God hardens people’s hearts. But in this case, a huge part of the problem lies with the church. We have failed to understand those we’re trying to reach, and as a result, we’ve not only pushed them away; we’ve pushed away their friends, family members, and all who care about them. In some cases, we’ve become the Gospel’s worst enemy.

I often ask people this: If you were going to be a missionary to a foreign country where they didn’t speak your language, what would you do before you started trying to share the Gospel? Wouldn’t you first learn everything you could about the language and customs of the people you were going to witness to? You’d have to learn a lot about their language before you could even communicate with them at all, but you’d have to know much more than that to communicate effectively. You’d need to know, for instance, if a “thumbs up” sign is offensive to them, or if failing to remove your shoes before entering someone’s house is a sign of rudeness. If you didn’t learn those things, you’d risk turning them off to your message before you’d even begun. Right?

It’s common sense. But so many Christians fail to learn anything about gay people, their language, or their culture before trying to talk to (or worse, about) them as witnesses. You’d be amazed at how many arguments I’ve seen between gays and Christians that could have easily been prevented if the Christians had just taken the time to listen first.

I grew up Southern Baptist, a committed, Bible-believing Christian. Growing up, I thought I knew everything there was to know about homosexuality: it’s a choice, it’s a sin, and people need to be told that. Then life dealt me an unexpected blow: as I went through adolescence, I discovered with horror that my sexual attractions were for other guys instead of for girls. How could this be? I was a good Christian boy.

It took years before I would admit that I was “gay.” Even after I did, I was still trying everything to become straight: fervent prayer, therapy, “ex-gay” ministries, dating girls; you name it. I was crying myself to sleep night after night, begging God to change these feelings. But they didn’t change.

And as I told my story to other Christians, I discovered something horrible: They weren’t interested in my story. They didn’t want to hear what I’d been through. As soon as they heard I was gay, they would dismiss me as “deceived” or “not a true Christian,” and start preaching at me about God’s destruction of Sodom or the Leviticus command not to lie with a man as with a woman. (Even when I told them I was celibate, it didn’t help.) Years later, I would make a documentary called Through My Eyes about dozens of other young Christians going through the same experience.

So yes, I can tell you firsthand how the church comes across. It’s hard to stay in the church once you’ve been through that… and I’m a committed Christian who wants to stay in the church! If a celibate Christian struggling with his identity isn’t welcomed, then why would a partnered gay man with children expect to be? And if we treat our own that way, is it any wonder that those on the outside want nothing to do with us?

There’s hope for change. Our change. And it begins when we as Christians learn how to listen as Christ would.

*** So, what do you think about what Justin has to say and him sharing his story and experiences?

It’s the thought and unspoken cry of all of your volunteers: “Don’t waste my time.” This is a lesson I learned at the age of 21 and have practiced for the last 14 years. Adults lead busy lives. They have families and hard jobs and show up at a rehearsal tired, frazzled and a little ready to walk out the door at the drop of a hat. It’s crucial that you as the leader understand the two P’s: Be PUNCTUAL and Be PREPARED.

First, be punctual. Punctual is defined as “strictly observant of an appointed or regular time; not late; prompt.” This issue is what really inspired this series of Church Leadership 1o1. This past Sunday night I was dropping my kids off at a children’s function at a church. My wife normally takes them on Sunday nights, so this was my first time taking them to this event. The function started at 5:30pm so I arrived at 5:15pm. The parking lot was empty. I thought this event must have been cancelled for this week. I guess the other families are so used to the leader showing up late that they arrive right at 5:30pm.

I sat in my car upset and frustrated that this leader was wasting my time, as I couldn’t just leave my kids with no one there to watch them. I had to wait for this leader to show up and unlock the church. You know what time she finally showed up? 5:38pm! I was furious. I started to gather my kids from the playground and say, “Let’s leave.” – as to teach the leader this very basic leadership principle: “Don’t waste my time.”

Hear me: If an event or activity starts at 5:30pm, the leader should arrive at least by 5:15pm. At the very least. Leaders should be the first to arrive and the last to leave. Every ministry and rehearsal I’ve ever led, I’ve been the first to arrive. This is Church Leadership 1o1. And worship leader friends – don’t play the “artist” card. Nobody wants to hear that you’re an artist and you’re never on time. Get a watch and be prompt and punctual. Moving on…

The second P is prepared. Never waste your team’s time at a meeting or rehearsal. If you’re leading a meeting, have a set agenda and stick to it. If you’re leading a rehearsal, have the worship sets, service orders and music charts all set, prepared and ready to go. When my band walked into rehearsal they could always go straight to their music stand and find their folder with the set list and all the charts 3 hole punched and placed in order in their folder. I even had the corners of pages turned up and ready to be flipped. I had special notes highlighted for each player and a big mark showing them when to come in and start playing.

It’s a matter of respect and understanding. You must realize that your volunteers lead busy lives and they will leave your ministry if you’re not punctual and prepared. These are two key factors that I teach when I speak on “How to Attract and Keep Quality Musicians.” You have to always keep in mind that time is the most precious thing any of us have. You can get more money. You can never get back time. When you waste time – it’s gone… forever.

How can you improve in this area of your ministry and leadership? Are you the first to arrive for a meeting or rehearsal? Do you have the mindset that early is on time and on time is late?