The Power Of Partnership

Whenever I pray, I make my requests for all of you with joy, for you have been my partners in spreading the Good News about Christ from the time you first heard it until now. — Phil 1:4-5

Partnership is the ability to accomplish more together than apart. It recognizes that a team is stronger than a lone individual. A group committed to each other will help the struggling and the fallen.

At Compass Worship Center, our members are known as partners because the success of kingdom work hinges on partnership rather than membership. 

Mother Teresa said, "You can do what I cannot do. I can do what you cannot do. Together, we can do great things." An anonymous author wrote, "It is better to have one person working with you, than three working for you." Andrew Carnegie confessed, "I owe whatever success I have attained, by and large, to my ability to surround myself with people who are smarter than I am." John Wooden, perhaps the greatest basketball coach of all time, reminded his team, "The man who puts the ball through the hoop has ten hands."

Call it whatever you want--teamwork, association, synergy--partnership is the remarkable ability of two or more people working together to accomplish more than what each could do alone.
This truth is a fit reminder to God's people that when we are working together in harmony, the talents and gifts of the body minimize the weaknesses and shortcomings of the body, thereby making a stronger unit. Just as a baseball team needs nine players on the field or the game is forfeited, the local church needs everyone participating, or the strength of the body is weakened and the advancement of the gospel is threatened. If you took away one musician from an orchestra, the symphony would be incomplete. So, too, if one member of the family of God is missing, the church is incomplete.

We need each other.  You need someone, and someone needs you.

How To Engage Ministry Volunteers

Does it seem like there’s more ministry work to do than people do it? Do you have trouble recruiting good volunteers to contribute to your ministry’s work, or sadly watch good volunteers quit when you still need their help?

It’s possible to get good volunteers to serve faithfully in your ministry if you engage them in ways that will motivate them to give their best effort. Here’s how you can engage your ministry’s volunteers:

Start with prayer. Make prayer your first response whenever you encounter any kind of crisis or special need for God’s guidance, such as opposition or open doors. Ask God to give you and your ministry’s volunteers the strength, comfort, and wisdom to deal with whatever happens with the ministry. Let your volunteers know that you’re praying for them regularly.

Give families opportunities to serve together. When volunteers serve alongside their spouses, children, siblings, or other family members, they may enjoy serving more and be more likely to stick with regular service. Create opportunities for families to serve together at events such as evening vacation Bible school, on local community service projects, or on family mission trips. Recruit family members of existing workers to contribute to the ministry’s work.

Keep your volunteers focused on the right issues. Counteract distractions that can weaken the quality of your volunteers’ work by helping them focus on what kindles their passion and motivates them to give their best effort to their work. Also, whenever you want to lead them in a certain direction on a particular issue, focus on one issue at a time, such as the importance of being on time or the need to see the big picture of how their volunteer work impacts others. Shepherd them through the changes you’d like to see them make by heading in that same direction yourself and lovingly calling them to follow you rather than trying to drive them harshly. Help your volunteers remember key concepts you’re trying to communicate to them by reviewing, reminding, and repeating.

Help your volunteers find personal meaning in their work. If your volunteers find personal meaning in their ministry work, they’ll be less likely to quit than if they didn’t find their work personally meaningful. Get to know your volunteers’ personalities and passions, and try to place them in ministry positions where they’re best able to connect with people to make a positive impact and feel fulfilled. As often as possible, include your volunteers in the thrill of leading people to relationships with Christ. Talk with your volunteers about how they can grow spiritually from their service experiences, and give them opportunities to do so. Express your heartfelt appreciation to your volunteers often, through whatever ways would be most meaningful to them, from giving them gifts and to writing them thank you notes.

Equip your volunteers for their work. Give your volunteers the support they need to do an excellent job. Establish a clear chain of command and follow-up policy, unified strategies for all ministry workers, clear rules for volunteers and all the people they serve, and an organized structure that helps volunteers understand what to do and when to do it. Train your volunteers to develop all the different types of skills they need to work effectively in your ministry, such as teaching skills and technical skills. Come up with incentives to motivate your volunteers to work hard, such as encouraging words, gifts, or awards.

Equip your volunteers for spiritual warfare. Ask God to deliver your volunteers from evil forces that may be trying to undermine their ministry work. Encourage your volunteers to read the Bible often and absorb its truths into their souls. Set a good example of holy living for them by making daily decisions that reflect the love and integrity that God wants you to have. Help volunteers resolve conflicts and develop peaceful relationships with each other. Urge your volunteers to have faith in God to empower them to minister to people successfully, rather than relying on their own efforts apart from Him. Help volunteers deal with the frustrations of their ministry work by looking at challenges from an eternal perspective.

Connect your volunteers to God’s vision and other people. Your volunteers are likely to remain faithful to their ministry work if they feel closely connected to God’s vision for the ministry, to the people they serve, and to their fellow volunteers. So give your volunteers plenty of opportunities to interact with each other so they can develop camaraderie that will help them work well as a team toward the common goal of fulfilling God’s purposes for the ministry. Encourage volunteers to pray for each other and help each other succeed at their tasks. Schedule some joint outings and regular training and prayer sessions for your volunteers.

Practice what you preach. Ask God to help you successfully serve as a good role model for your volunteers of personal holiness and devoted service. Do your best to obey God in all areas of your life. When you fail, be open and honest about your failures. Let your volunteers see that you’re a real person, just like them, struggling with vulnerabilities, grief, and uncertainties. Be most concerned not about what your volunteers think of you, but about what they think about Christ as they watch how well you represent Him. Be humble, reminding yourself daily that you’re one of Christ’s ambassadors who should serve Him as well as you can. Make a habit of confessing and repenting of your sins so you can keep growing closer to Christ.

7 Things I Want My Kids To Know About Me

1. That I love God

I want my kids to know that I believe in a God who created the Universe and created me to know him. The way that I live, the decisions that I make, the way that I spend money, and the way that we interact with our neighbors all flow from my relationship with God.

2. That I love their mom

Jacque and I celebrated 26 years of marriage this year.  For the sixteen years that we have had children, my kids have seen me love and prioritize my wife. I want my kids to see me put their mom before myself. I want them to see the committed, love relationship that exists between us. I want them to see us be affectionate with each other.

3. That I love them

Daily, I tell my kids that I love them and I work hard to show them that I love them. When correcting my kids, I labor to make sure that they feel and experience love from me. I want Tori to feel loved by me and to not look for inappropriate love from another man. I want Ian to know that I love him and value him.

4. That I work hard

God created us to work. My kids would love for me to hang with them all day every day. I do spend a lot of time with them, but they also see me work. In parenting them, I continually explain to them the value of hard work.

5. That I care about other people

The second greatest commandment is to love your neighbor as yourself. As a family, we prioritize showing love to other people. I want my kids to see me model this.  We strive to know and care about our neighbors, we look to build and grow friendships, we are committed to love our extended family members.

6. That I tell the truth

I am constantly telling my kids to tell the truth. Telling the truth is sometimes difficult. I work hard to model truth-telling for my kids, teach them the importance of keeping their word, and commit to model speaking the truth in love.

7. That I apologize when I am wrong

Being wrong is hard, but I am an expert at it. I have apologized to my kids many times when I was wrong.  I have apologized to their mom in front of them when I was wrong.  In doing this I explain the importance of taking responsibility for your actions.