In my last post I mentioned that how much you enjoy ministry depends on who you’re doing ministry with. Let me share with you seven traits that I see in my staff that are blessings I dare not take for granted:
1) Loyalty. These wonderful people are not just loyal to me. They love the church and they love one another. They cover each other back to back.
2) Growing spiritually. Their spiritual growth is my primary concern. It is so easy for those in full-time ministry to seek God for others instead of seeking God for ourselves. We've got to do ministry out of the overflow of what God is doing in our lives! That is why I begin every staff meeting with what the Lord has been speaking to them and I go away every time awed by what I hear them share.
3) Positive attitude. Attitude really is everything. The staff have such great attitude. I haven’t heard a complaint in so long. I haven’t felt a negative climate in the office even in very stressful seasons.
4) Verbalize rather than internalize. I enjoy a staff culture where people can have tough conversations about tough topics. Life is too short to hold a grudge. So if you walk into our Staff Meetings or the Question & Contribution sessions, you will often hear strong opposing views. Sometimes a few sparks will fly. But what the staff have learnt is that while it is okay to disagree, it is never okay to disengage. John 1:14 is a good philosophy for conflict. Jesus was full of grace and full of truth. Truth means I'm going to be honest no matter what. Grace means I'm going to love you no matter what.
5) Having fun. We all have bad days. We all have long days. But if ministry isn't enjoyable you need to get out of the game! The top quality I look for in prospective staff, besides a thriving relationship with Christ, is a sense of humour and the penchant for clean healthy fun without apology! And these guys know how to let their hair down.
6) Making mistakes. I have no problem with mistakes. I expect the staff to try new things, take risk and make mistakes and learn from them. I just don't expect staff to make the same mistake over and over again!
7) Riding On A New Win! I think a dose of divine discontent is healthy! We should never become satisfied with what has worked well in the past. We need to apply right brain thinking. We need to keep getting a new win. This allows the staff to keep depending on God and growing in the adventure of faith.
Bravo Staff! You are a blessing!
