If you want to change the world, focus on leaders. If you want to change leaders, focus on them when they’re young.

Now Try This Discuss: How is this activity like or unlike how we do our children’s ministry? How are teams more effective but also more difficult?

The Problem Most church “leaders” are not gifted in leading (92% Barna)

Empower Others

Ministry Madness Why Add When You Can Multiply? If it’s going to be, it’s up to “we.”

Leadership is the process of helping people accomplish together, what they could not as individuals. Leaders are those who get leadership going. Defining Leadership

No Mo’ Mo! Adding leads to burnout and frustration; multiplication results in results (Exodus 18)

WDJD 1. Give up possessiveness (It’s not your ministry!) 2. Give up insecurities (Let go my ego.) 3. Give up need for limelight (Be honest about end-user strokes.)

WDJD 4. Give up need for control/ micro- managing kills team spirit; is a poor substitute for lousy leading: * Recruit better * Train better * Motivate better

3 Strategies Addition: do a lot of the ministry yourself Multiply: lead a team of doers/ equip ministers Exponential: become a developer of leaders of teams

Create a Team Culture Training meetings Get rid of your excuses: (Everyone’s too busy. No one shows up. I can’t ask for so much commitment) Make them fun (a can’t-miss- event): Don’t under-estimate friendship. If you’re not a “fun” person than recruit them to emcee. Provide door-prizes, funny stories. Affirm, affirm, affirm

Create a Team Culture Training meetings (cont’) Make them empowering: Cast the vision (keep the big picture in mind). Give them skills beyond children’s ministry. Elevate your best practitioners to train others Run them well: Stay on time. Prepare/rehearse. Follow up on absentees positively

Lead Up –Know your pastor’s personality and preferences –Make it YOUR job to feed him/her info, updates, and praises –Invite your pastor to get involved (make him/her a hero) –Develop an advocate who is a gatekeeper to the pastor –Become invaluable: come w/ solutions and keep the mothership in mind

Lead Laterally –Empower your peers (lay or paid) (Silo’s thrill, but they also kill.) How can we help you? Affirm: “Nice job!” Hang time. –Play well with others

The Problem Most formal leadership training does not begin until ages –Post primary character formation –Post formidable years of learning

Think Higher Math Exponential leadership: focus on developing new gen leader –Define leadership properly (not discipleship or service) –ID those most gifted to lead (SIS) –Don’t minister out of fear (elitist, political correctness); Jesus didn’t Develop and unleash your young leaders

We Can ID Kids w/ Org Lead Aptitude

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Influencers

Solution Give young leaders a year head start

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