1. INITIATE CONVERSATION. Young adults can be reticent to strike up conversations with older people. Shy or task-oriented people prefer to simply watch others, or they get involved in a task so they won’t have to speak to others. The natural tendency is to merely speak when spoken to. Leaders must learn to take initiative; they must be proactive in greeting others, introducing themselves and asking questions.

2. BE A GOOD LISTENER. James 1:19 encourages us to be swift to hear and slow to speak. This is tough for some outgoing leaders, and made more difficult by a culture that tends to see leaders as talkers. On the other hand, emerging leaders who are good listeners are typically not assertive enough to start conversations. Herein is the beautiful balance of servant-leadership – to initiate conversations, draw people out with your questions and then listen and learn.

A good leader encourages others to talk about themselves and their ideas. Often when we’re nervous talking to other people, we hide it by talking incessantly about ourselves. Other people then interpret this as being arrogant. If your protégé struggles with this, have him memorize a list of ten questions that he can ask in an initial conversation – about where the other person is from, their family, what they do, how they like their work and job, their health, what they do for fun, etc.

A good listener really doesn’t have to say much at all. People love to express their opinions – just ask an open-ended question and let them begin talking. While listening, he should also focus on the follow-up skills of looking them in the eye, nodding his head, and mildly reflecting their emotions with his facial expressions. The other person will walk away having had an encouraging talk with him, when he has done little but listen. Optimally, a leader will help a person by asking the right follow-up questions to get the person thinking correctly – “And how are you responding to this situation emotionally and spiritually?” or “So, how do you think God views all of this?”

3. REMEMBER NAMES. “A person’s name is to that person the sweetest and most important sound in any language.” Salesmen are taught that you can almost never say someone’s name too much. In fact, this is one way of quietly communicating humility. You are repeating someone else’s value over and over again. If you are constantly using others’ names as you talk, they will know you care enough to remember this important fact about them. They also will know you are thinking about them first and yourself second. It is said of President Jimmy Carter, that due to his own personal technique, he never forgot the name or face of a person.

In Acts 26:2-23, Paul addresses King Agrippa and uses his name four times in the discourse! He didn’t need to use it at all, but he did. Task-oriented people, because of their focus on the circumstances and the ensuing topic of conversation, tend to forget immediately a person’s name when he has introduced himself, or if they remember his name, they don’t use it. Leaders must devise their own technique to remember names, or be bold enough to ask soon if they have forgotten.

4. SMILE. Now before you dismiss this as cheesy, consider Barnabas, the son of encouragement in Acts 11:23. Although “smiling” is not exhorted by Scripture, when Barnabas saw the progress in Antioch, “he was glad and encouraged them all that with purpose of heart they should continue with the Lord.” Smiling seems very simple, but it’s amazing how people’s moods and words are misjudged because someone looked too serious. If leaders are stoic, the tone of a class or meeting becomes boring or serious.

Am I a hypocrite if I smile without being happy? You’re assuming that smiling is just to reflect your own emotions – that is self-oriented. There are two good reasons to smile when we’re not necessarily happy – 1) for the encouragement of others, communicating our love for them, and 2) to provide a suitable partner for the wonderful truth that we’re communicating. Have you ever lovingly rebuked a church choir for singing about a joyous topic with grumpy faces? Why? Their expression should communicate their message, not their feelings.

5. BE CONSCIOUS OF NON-VERBAL INTERFERENCE. “An extroverted accountant is one who looks at your shoes while he is talking to you instead of his own.” People of precision often have more fears than those who are laid back. Insecurities and fears can often manifest themselves in non-verbal ways – what some have dubbed “body language.” Task-oriented people can get so lost in ideas that they fail to look at the person to whom they are speaking.

What does a person do with his arms and hands when there’s nothing in them? Crossing arms communicates superiority or skepticism. Hands in the pockets can communicate insecurity – especially bad if one jingles change or keys! It takes training and mental focus to help some emerging leaders to stand naturally and gesture normally, but the skill must be developed to keep others at ease.

6. DRESS CREDIBLY. 1 Samuel 16:7 reminds us of two truths – people look on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart. An unrepentant man dressing up for God is about as useful as a man presenting eternal truth to people when he looks a mess. Dress is a reflection of one’s personality, culture, budget and the event one is attending.

Recent generations of church-goers have been trying to break free from the European value of dresses, and suits and ties. Should emerging leaders “just be themselves” or buck the culture of the older generation? Older generations believe that “your clothes say it for you.” Younger generations love to throw people off by having a total genius looking “like something the cat dragged in.”

So what are some good rules of thumb for emerging church leaders?

• Adapt. Paul said that in matters of preference, he became the servant of others; he was all things to all men for the sake of communicating God’s Truth effectively to them (1 Corinthians 9:19-23). Paul wasn’t out to “just be himself.” Young adults can often be caught saying, “clothing styles don’t matter,” but let one of them show up in a suit and watch how the others react!
• Clean and Neat. Frumpy may be cool but not credible. Clean and wrinkle-free still holds sway.
• Modest and Affordable. We should all pay attention to Paul’s admonition to women not to dress in expensive or immodest clothing (1 Timothy 2:9). Too often the wardrobes of women are driven by the desires of men; we must follow the biblical principles whether fashion follows us or not. Label consciousness is often a shallow covering for a love for the praise of people.
•  Top of the Class. Beyond that, you should dress at the top of whatever dress level is dominant in the group you lead For example, don’t wear a tee-shirt if they’re wearing polo shirts, or polo shirts if they’re wearing suits.

7. SPEAK CLEARLY AND GRACIOUSLY. Your communication skills determine how people will perceive you. You can easily look like a million bucks, but if you’re unable to stitch together a few words to make up an adequate sentence, you’ll lose major credibility. A person who is quiet and asks questions is considered wise. Fools speak too quickly and prattle on without stopping for breath (Proverbs 29:11, 20). Wise people avoid making categorical statements unless the Bible does; speaking your opinion as fact is a reflection of personal pride.

Further, opinions and exhortations must always be with grace (aimed at helpfulness), seasoned with salt, not salty seasoned with grace (Colossians 4:6). How does your emerging leader handle the sovereignty/free will debate? A servant-leader must not be quarrelsome, or argue about words, but be gentle, patient and humble (1 Timothy 6:4-5, 2 Timothy 2:24-26).

8. WORK AT UNDERSTANDING PEOPLE. An emerging leader must grow to understand that people have different upbringings and cultural backgrounds. Europeans tend to refuse an offering the first time you ask, even if they want to say yes. They are not as extroverted. They have a smaller circle of good friends, and become friends before doing things together. In America, we can see these marked cultural differences when comparing people from New England with those from Georgia, with those from, like, California. A person saved in his 30s can be remarkably different in his presuppositions and ideas from someone saved in early childhood.

How well does the emerging leader mingle with unbelievers? Openly displaying shock at someone’s dress, tattoos, body piercings or opinions is to reveal that he lives in a nice box and doesn’t get out much. Leaders bring truth to people, and some people live in distant and interesting places! Cloisterism is an increasing problem in the Church. Many missionary candidates face a personal crisis when they break with isolation. They come from churches that have admonished them to stay away from unbelievers and distance themselves from the wicked culture, and join a mission organization that tells them to blend with the culture and build relationships with unbelievers!

Understanding people does not push us to water down our position or dilute God’s truth. Understanding a person – their sin, their way of life, their wrong ideas – does not mean accepting those things. You don’t have to agree with someone; just listen and try to understand. People are usually more receptive to our ideas when they feel understood.

9. MANAGE EMOTIONS CAREFULLY. This is not something learned overnight. An emerging leader’s tone of voice is important, especially when emotions get intertwined with logical arguments and seem to blur his sense of clarity (Proverbs 15:1). If he feels his blood pressure rising or his adrenaline kicking in during a discussion, he must learn to take a second to breathe and put his emotions aside, since they can clutter his logical train of thought. He must learn to take the time to respond rather than react.

10. VALUE TEAMWORK. There’s no “I” in the word “Team.” An emerging leader must learn to be a team player if he isn’t already, and he will get a lot more done. Leadership is influence, not title or organizational authority. Leaders start with ideas, float the concepts during discussions to flavor the thinking of people, build the need for change, and then solicit input from others in an effort to build consensus. Does he defer to others for ideas, or implement things without input? Does he compliment others on their good work, and give them credit whenever possible. Even if he has does something well, does he use the pronoun “we” instead of trumpeting his success? Does he see himself as part of a team, and ultimately as depending on the Lord for his next idea and his next breath?

BLOG WRITTEN BY:  Dave Brown

Image(s): FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Share this:

Image: Idea go / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Share this:

Everyone enjoys talking about him or herself; we all want to be the focus of someone’s interest to one degree or another. Not everyone is readily open or responsive, but we all build life around a FORM comprised of common life connections. You can get to know a lot about a person quickly if you FORM them with some simple open-ended questions.

Imagine that you are at your first Chamber of Commerce meeting. You are there to make both business and eternal connections, but you don’t yet know anyone. You decide to introduce yourself to the guy at the snack table. As you exchange names and handshakes, you start to FORM him. You ask him about one of these four areas and follow where the conversation leads:

• • Family: Tell me about your family. How old are your kids? Are you married? How long? How’d you two meet? Where are your parents? Is that your hometown?
• • Occupation: What do you do? How’d you get into that? How long have you done that? What’s your greatest job challenge? How does social media affect your industry? Where did you go to college? How did it prepare you for your job?
• • Recreation: What’s your favorite sport? How’d you get into it? Who is your favorite team? When’s the last time that you saw them play? What sports do your kids play?
• • Money: How do feel about the current stock market situation? What do you think we ought to do about national debt? What’s a good book you’ve read on finances? What do you think the economy holds for our kids when they’re adults? Where do you want to live when you retire? Tell me about it.

As you can see, these questions easily open the door to shared life connections. As you listen and question the other person, you make him feel important and interesting – and that can prompt him to like you, often the first step in the privilege of sharing life in Christ.

Blog:  Written by Rick Oglesby

Image: Ambro / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Share this:

You have seen the busy picture in which Waldo is hiding.  The challenge is to find him.  We might have the same question about how to identify the evangelist in your church.  Where are they?  How can  you spot them?

Is there someone in your church whom you think might be an evangelist? Do you wonder if you may be one? Here’s a simple way to evaluate a person’s affinity for evangelism. Circle each number that UNDOUBTEDLY describes them. Choose quickly. The person…

1. Consistently talks about witnessing to others
2. Enjoys helping others in the community
3. Finds it easy to meet and speak with others
4. Accepts calculated risks
5. Knows his neighbors
6. Learns by doing
7. Can fail without lasting loss of confidence
8. Treats work/neighborhood as a mission field
9. Has an interest in the church doing some community service
10. Regularly requests prayer for lost persons
11. Tries new things and adapts to change fairly easily
12. Needs a little help in organization
13. Has unsaved friends with whom he/she does things
14. Encourages others in evangelism, relating, etc.
15. Often “shadows” the pastor and peppers him with questions
16. Prefers ministry outside the church rather than in church programs
17. Sometimes gets frustrated with church meetings or internal focus
18. Reads secular materials
19. Teaches or is willing to learn to teach
20. Is proactive in greeting visitors

Blog written by:  Rick Oglesby

Share this:

At the center of the market place

As well as on the steeple of the church.

I reassert the truth that

Jesus was not crucified in a sanctuary

Between two candles:

But on a cross between two thieves,

In a town garbage heap;

At a crossroad of politics so cosmopolitan

That they had to write His title

In Hebrew and in Latin and in Greek…

And at the kind of place

Where cynics talk smut

And thieves curse and soldiers gamble.

That is where He died

And that is what He died about.

And that is where Christ’s followers are to be,

And what His people are to be about.

By George MacLeod

Image: luigi diamanti / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Share this:

Here are the simple steps to train others in evangelism:

1.  Model

2.  Mentor

3.  Monitor

4.  Motivate

5.  Multiply

Image: David Castillo Dominici / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Share this:

You might want to blame the pastor if people are not doing evangelism. But it is the evangelist’s job to train others.

The pastor must champion and model evangelism but it is the job of the evangelist to be the spark plug. Ephesians 4:11-12 indicates that there are both Pastors and Evangelists in the church.  This is the only place in the Bible where we read about an evangelist’s job description.  It is clear that their role is to “equip the saints for the work of the ministry.”

The pastor is tasked with training people to shepherd other believers.  The evangelist’s job is to train people on how to evangelize.  The evangelist gets them to the front door.  The pastor cares for them once they are “in.”  The primary work of an evangelist is not to evangelize.  Rather, it is to train other people to evangelize.

We have colleges and seminaries to train pastors to do their job. But where does an evangelists train to be a trainer?  The IFCA International (http://www.ifca.org/)  is addressing this gap by providing the “Harvesters” equipping event.  If you wish to host an event for your area, contact Les at:   lofquist@ifca.org.

Image: renjith krishnan / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Share this:

Who is the “point man” for evangelism in your church?  It is probably not the pastor since his giftedness corresponds to his ministry as pastor.   But there is probably an “evangelist” who is sitting in a pew.  He has been gifted and has a passion for evangelism.  But he is probably not recognized as the church evangelist… doesn’t have a position… is not part of the pastoral staff.  This could be one of the reasons most churches do poorly at outreach.  Your key player is sitting on the bench; in fact, he doesn’t even have a uniform.

2.  Recognize this person by appointment to a position

3.  Provide training for this man so that he can be a trainer (IFCA Harvesters can do this)

4.  Resource this individual with finances and time

5.  Turn him loose

Image: mack2happy / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Share this:

“Some want to live within the sound of church or chapel bell; I want to run a rescue shop within a yard of hell.”  (C. T. Studd, 1860-1931) English missionary to China, India, and Africa

I’ve been thinking about this little poem a lot lately. I first heard it when I read “The Chocolate Soldier” by Studd when I was a student with New Tribes Mission. You should read it.

I came to know Christ in the mid-70′s. I was a broken rebel. My Mom died of cancer in 1971 and my Dad was long gone. My sister and I were on our own. My older brother, an outlaw biker really did try to take care of us but as you might imagine (and might is the operative word here), while his efforts were sincere, it was a bizarre situation.

After a few months I took my sister and left. Mary went to a foster home and eventually lived with an Aunt. I was on my own. That was 1971. From 1971 to 1975 there was a lot of partying, a drug habit, an abandoned college scholarship, and a lot of stuff I won’t go into.

But there were also two Christian girls. There are two things I really want to emphasize about them as they shared Christ with me:

1. As they talked to me about Jesus, they didn’t freak out or run away or abandon the friendship or try to reform me or anything similar when I behaved in a way true to my nature, i.e., behaved as a sinner. Rebellious. Proud. Course. Etc. Sinful in every way.

2. And directly related to #1-They loved me. It was so evident. They cared about me as a person. I was not “an object of their theology.” They were sincere, caring, long-suffering. Their love for me didn’t depend upon how much or how well I responded to the gospel they were sharing with me…their practical, genuine, determined love spoke volumes to me about the reality of their own relationship with Christ…neither of them were great theologians, but mercy, they were very fine Christians and to this day I’m grateful for them both.

It was their testimony of both the gospel of Christ and how that gospel compelled them to live and reach out to others, not their theological acumen that compelled me to consider the Person and Work of Jesus Christ.

Now, having been a Christian for 36 years and having been in vocational ministry for much of that time, I have some opinions.

My background is pretty conservative theologically and I’ve spent many years as a leader of one sort or another in conservative evangelical church culture. I know the drill, the buzz words, the right perspectives, the do’s and don’ts, the right teachers, authors, positions, and all the other stuff that composes conservative evangelicalism…and while I have my criticisms of evangelical culture, there is also much and many for which I’m very grateful indeed.

And I certainly recognize the critical importance of a sound Biblical theology, exegetically derived and systematically expressed. And I love expository preaching that is passionate, articulate, true to the text and directed toward the person in the pew, not the student in the classroom or the peer in another church, etc.

But here’s the thing. Amidst all the sermons, and articles, and blogs, amongst all the quotes and posts and repartee found all over social media and in conferences and seminars, et. al, ad infinitum, there is very, very little… precious little about reaching people… PEOPLE with the gospel, a gospel that is clearly expressed and clearly seen, or dare we say it, felt.

There are arguments about evidentialism and presuppostionalism. There are soliloquies and opinions on every possible topic discussed and position held by theological friend and foe alike. There is no end to quotations. The endless extolling of Calvinism and Puritanism or whatever -ism currently in favor, and one’s favorite preacher/teacher/author (and we are thankful for them as we should be), permeates social media and allegedly our consciences and our consciousness.

For several years now, I’ve been struck by how wrapped up we are in ourselves. Our theology (declaring it, defending it, arguing about it, and I do know, it IS important and I’m prepared both to proclaim and defend the faith once delivered); our churches, our fellowship, our schools, our ministries, our families and the list goes on.

Somehow, it seems to me that there is huge boat that we are missing. A mission we’re not fulfilling. A purpose by which we’re not driven. A passion we’re not embracing or expressing. A command we’re not obeying…

We just don’t seem to care about people who aren’t like us. All of our time and energies are taken up with the affairs of this life (understandably to a point) and church related activities. Where and when and how do we actually begin to intentionally develop relationships with people–as people–and not objects of our theology and outside the walls of the building in which the church meets?

Ok…at this point I hear friends, former colleagues and students saying…where’s the Scripture? Well, I guess one must read carefully phrases like “…and looking at him, Jesus loved him.” Scripture is replete with human experience in all its forms and the effort of God and His people and His Son, to reach out to people where they were–and as they were. Just read carefully.

God will save people. As the gospel is proclaimed, shared, expressed, explained and lived out before people, God will save people. But He has deigned to use means…and by and large, that’s us. Unless you’re fideistic in the extreme, you believe that God uses means. And if you think back about your own coming to Christ, in all likelihood people were involved. They shared the truth from Scripture, they explained it, no doubt you read the Word yourself….but people were involved. And you loved them and appreciated them and they were an important part of your life–and maybe still are. And having heard many 100′s of baptismal testimonies…it is evident that God uses people as means in the process of bringing His elect to Himself.

Here’s the point: You saw Christ in them and very likely experienced (dare we use the word) some form of human relationship in the process of coming to know Jesus.

So, I’m purposing to reach people…whether they are like me or not. I know that “but for the grace of God, there go I.” I know that at my best, I’m nothing and worthy of condemnation. But they don’t know that, because they don’t know God. Yet.

May I suggest you take some time and consider your own approach to reaching people?

A man came up to D.L. Moody after an evangelistic meeting and said, “Mr. Moody, I don’t much care for your methods.” Moody replied, “Neither do I. What methods do you use?” The man said, “I don’t use any methods.” To which Moody said, “Well, I like the way I do use mine, rather than the way you don’t use yours.”

What are yours? Relying on the sovereignty of God is a wonderful and blessed thing…but it’s neither a reason nor an excuse not to be intentional in what one is doing to reach out to all and every kind of people with both the message and the love of God as demonstrated in the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Please pray for me. Like many of you, we’re battling on several fronts…but sure are grateful to be reaching out to people who are in need of Christ. Just like I was…just like you were. Please pray for the gospel to be both seen and heard through my witness.

By the way, do you want to live close to the church and luxuriate in blessings (not always a bad thing by any means), or, do you want to serve in a rescue shop a yard away from Hell?

Pat

Image: renjith krishnan / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Share this:

SETTING UP AN APPRENTICESHIP

Remember that the goal of involving an emerging leader in ministry is NOT busyness, and NOT filling a position in the church that needs help.  The goal is the ministry effectiveness of that promising young leader.

THE IMPORTANCE OF MODELING

In an apprenticeship, you work alongside someone else who is modeling a skill or capability.  The emerging leader will watch the person doing the modeling, and eventually imitate the ministry behavior with his own personal adjustments.

Even though he might be the overall mentor, a pastor does not have to be the model for all of the apprenticeships – unless he is the only one who does ministry in the church!  The more models the emerging leader has, the more well-rounded he will be.

OVERCOMING FEARS

A church may not be used to having someone sit in to observe a class or a counseling session.  Congregants may not really want to hear anyone preach other than their pastor or teach other than their favorite Sunday school teacher.  Therefore, it is often necessary to take the time to prepare the church, through preaching and teaching, on the subject of leaders mentoring emerging leaders, church-based leadership development, etc.

In addition to the congregation, there are several reasons why a pastor may not want an emerging leader to be involved in ministry.

1. It is normally easier to just do something yourself rather than have to slow down and explain everything.
2. The pastor might be a perfectionist, likes things done in a sharp and professional way, and knows the emerging leader can’t do things as well as he can.
3. Like the dad fearing dents to his nice car, the pastor fears that his congregants will not be patient with the emerging leader whose involvement might eventually hurt church attendance or morale.
4. The pastor believes that the sum and substance of his job description is being up in front of the congregation, not training others to be up in front, counseling and not developing others to counsel.
5. Like Saul and David, the pastor fears that the young leader might eventually be preferred.

These are serious matters to consider, but when we boil away our traditions and schedules, and look at the biblical job description of shepherds, we see that developing “faithful men who will be able to teach others also” is not a mere afterthought. It should be a core value of every leader.  The success of church leaders is not determined by corporate magnitude but by the continued ministry effectiveness, after we are gone, of those we have developed.  Success = Successors.

Image: tungphoto / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Share this: