8 Talents

Over the last three years I have been leading the children’s ministries at Faith Evangelical Free Church. As the Children’s Pastor I oversee the church ministries for children ages 0-12. When I took the position I had the joy of joining a team of high capacity leaders, already in place, who oversaw the various aspects of each piece of the program. Over time those leaders have either moved away or moved on to other areas of ministry. It was after they moved on that I realized just how much each did. As they moved on, many were not replaced, my responsibilities have increased and some of the things we have done in the past are no longer getting done. This has been a discouragement to me several times.

Over the last six months God has stirred my heart in many encouraging ways. I have come to realize that presenting myself as a leader and being a leader are two different things. The latest stirring has been the revelation that I have been asking what is wrong and how do I fix it vs. what should the children’s ministries here at FEFC look like and what do we need to do to get there. In a position where I depend on hundreds of volunteers throughout the course of a year it seems so much easier to ask them to be a part of a dream instead of asking them to place their finger in a hole to plug the leak.

I have been encouraged and challenged in great ways by Cornerstone in Simi Valley California.

Recently, in one of their podcasts, they played a video about how they felt it was time to lead their church down a more biblical path. Not that they weren’t biblical, they communicated that they want to see more of two things.

1. Community- People meeting each others needs.

2. Every member ministry- The idea that a few should not be paid to minister to all but to equip and train.

For some reason the video left me with a longing. I know there are lots of churches that value these two things. Yet, there seems to be a difference between valuing them and working them into the DNA of a church. We must ask the tough questions… If we aren’t like that why, and how can we become more like that? I am sure Cornerstone has some rough roads ahead of them as they lead their flock into a place of living out this vision. A place where one persons problems become a group of peoples problems. Below is the video from the elders and church leadership, minus Francis Chan, take a look and I would love to hear your thoughts.

If you want to hear Francis Chan unpack these thoughts a little more you can find the full podcast at their web site.