Rick Warren on How to Structure Your Church for Ministry

A couple of weeks ago, I shared 10 of the books that have had an impact on my life and leadership (click here to see the list) and The Purpose Driven Church held a prominent spot in that list.

Most of you know that I had the privilege of serving on staff with Rick Warren at Saddleback before starting The Journey and I’m constantly keeping an eye on what he’s up to.

Here’s a great article from Rick that I read recently:

Structure your congregation to encourage more ministry
By Rick Warren

“The more organizational machinery your church sets up, the more time, energy, and money it takes to maintain it. That is precious time, energy, and money that could be invested in ministry to people instead. ” Rick Warren

I love my congregation and so this past weekend I told them I needed to be honest: “If you just want to sit around passively over the next 10 years and waste your life on things that won’t last, you probably want to find another church because you’re not going to really feel comfortable here. Because if you’re in this church, I’m coming after you to be mobilized.”

I want them to know that a non-ministering Christian is a contradiction of terms. God calls all believers to minister to the world and the church.

But here’s a common mistake I’ve observed over the years with churches who want to mobilize their members: we teach our people that every member is a minister, but then we take the brightest and best and turn them into bureaucrats! They aren’t able to mobilize for ministry because they’re too busy attending meetings about the budget or taking care of the building. They have no time left for frontline ministry.

You can drain the life out of people by scheduling a constant string of committee meetings. In fact, when I meet cantankerous and critical Christians, I usually discover that they’re not involved in a ministry that fits their shape, strengths and abilities. Yet, I’ve seen again and again that all it takes to change their attitude is to get them directly into ministry where they can see how God uses them to change lives.

“Biblical Christianity uses everyone’s gifts. At Saddleback, we teach that every Christian is created for ministry (Eph. 2:10), saved for ministry (2 Tim 1:9), called into ministry (1 Peter 2:9-10), gifted for ministry (1 Peter 4:10), authorized for ministry (Matt. 28:18-20), commanded to minister (Matt. 20:26-28), to be prepared for ministry (Eph. 4:11-12), needed for ministry (1 Cor. 12:27), accountable for ministry, and will be rewarded according to his or her ministry (Col. 3:23-24).” Rick Warren

Here’s what I want you to think about — most churches are structured where the lay people do church maintenance and the paid staff do ministry. So you end up with, say, two hundred members responsible for the maintenance of the church while one pastor is supposed to do all the ministry! How stupid is that? This kind of structure will not only burn-out the pastor, it will also keep members, who God gifted to minister, from being mobilized to serve.

This is how we’ve conditioned people to think that their responsibility as a church member is fulfilled by simply voting on church business!

If you’re serious about mobilizing your members for ministry, you must create a church structure that maximizes their opportunities to engage in ministry. The more organizational machinery your church sets up, the more time, energy, and money it takes to maintain it. That is precious time, energy, and money that could be invested in ministry to people instead. The kind of structure your church has does not cause growth, but it does control the rate and the size of your growth.

If you release people for ministry, and relieve them of the maintenance, you’ll create a far happier, harmonious, high-morale church. Fulfillment comes from ministry, not maintenance.

Is there anything about your church’s structure that’s limiting your potential to mobilize for ministry?

What steps can you take this week to release more of your people for ministry?

P.S. For more on structuring your church’s Ministry System and mobilizing the maximum number of people for ministry, check out The Ministry Seminar.

What Could You Do with 150+ New People Serving? + Free Downloads

One of the new resources we released in 2009 is The Ministry Seminar. It is our newest systems seminar and it’s all about getting the maximum possible number of volunteers involved in serving at your church.

Here’s a recent email I received from my good friend Roy Mansfield, Small Groups Pastor at Northstar Church in Panama City, Florida (and former CLI Director of Training Events), about how they were able to use The Ministry Seminar in their church:

Hey Nelson,

We hired a Marketing entrepreneur in our congregation to work three days a week to oversee our “Front Lines Ministries” (greeting, ushers, cafe, parking, child check-in etc…).

I had him listen to The Ministry Seminar and worked with him to design the process and ministry ladder for the Front Lines.

Marty and I team taught our version of “You Were Shaped to Serve” in our 40 Days of Purpose campaign (I climbed a “leadership ladder” and everything) and we had 171 people sign up to serve for the first time!

By Thursday, Mark and his team had everyone contacted to schedule their first serve opportunity.

It was a great day (we even had 9 people become Jesus followers and 11 more request info about making that decision) and I think the law of spiritual preparedness was a big part of the effectiveness.

The Ministry Seminar was a great tool for me to give to Mark!

Pray for us as we’re kicking off our “LOL: Discovering the Joy of Service” series in two weeks and our plan is to challenge people in one service to walk out of the service the are attending and stay and serve in the next service.

Thanks again for your investment in so many churches.

Roy

171 People signed up to serve for the first time in ONE DAY! That is unbelievable – way to go!

Roy also sent over some of the documents they’re using with all of the new people serving, and gave me permission to share them with you, so here they are (right-click and choose “Save As…” to download each of them):

• Front Line Ministry Opportunities & Commitments
• Front Line Service Sign-Up
• Ministry Leader Covenant & Commitments
• Weekly Server Covenant & Commitments
• Service Leader Covenant & Commitments

P.S. What are you going to do in 2010 to get the most possible people involved in serving at your church? Check out The Ministry Seminar for a comprehensive look at how to build your church’s ministry system.

Serving Others – A Saturday Quote

“Service to others is the rent you pay for your room here on earth.”
– Muhammad Ali, boxer

The Ministry Ladder – How to Hold Volunteers Accountable

I have been excited to see how well my latest church system seminar – The Ministry Seminar - has been received and how many of you have jumped right into improving the way your churches mobilize volunteers.

One of the parts of this resource that is proving to be helpful is something known as “the ministry ladder,” or the path by which a first time volunteer becomes a regular, growing, Christ-like volunteer.

The idea of the ministry ladder is to think through and plan out the desired steps for volunteers to move forward and grow at your church and the requirements at each rung.

In implementing the ministry ladder at your church, ask yourself this question – at what point on the ladder does a person have to be:

1. A Christian to go to the next rung?
2. A church member to go to the next rung?
3. A tither to go to the next rung?

Rather than trying to compose a “one size fits all” ladder to be applied to the various ministries of your church, each ministry area is responsible to develop and maintain its own ladder.

In The Ministry Seminar I’m able to go further in depth on a couple of specific ministries at The Journey and what their ladders look like.

For each instance, don’t make it too tough to get on the ladder but make it harder to stay.  In other words, try to get as many people as possible serving but increase the required commitment level and accountability as they move up the ladder.

And finally, you don’t want to make it too hard to climb the ladder but you do need to make it clear and don’t compromise (for example, I will allow you to lead a group one semester without being a member but you MUST be a member in order to lead the second time).

P.S. For more on the ministry ladder and other proven principles to maximize your church’s volunteers, click here for The Ministry Seminar.

How’s Your Church’s Volunteer System?

I saw this study a few days ago:

One out of every five Christian nonprofits is reportedly relying to a greater extent on volunteers to offset the economic downturn, according to a study conducted by J. David Schmidt & Associates for the Christian Leadership Alliance. In addition, with the downturn in the economy, more people are without current employment and have free time to volunteer.

I’ve often heard that leading a growing church is one of the toughest jobs in the world. Compared to the corporate world, we are in a much different position because of our great reliance on volunteers. And with the current economic climate, it seems we’re all running leaner than ever when it comes to staffing.

What better time is there to perform a tune-up on your church’s ministry system?

Here are a few questions to get you thinking about how to do that:

• How many people are serving in your church? Do you even know?
• How well are you involving new believers in serving? What are the best “on ramps” to service at your church?
• Are there any volunteer roles that a non-believer could fill at your church?
• How long have your key volunteers been serving without a break?
• Does everyone who volunteers at your church know how much they’re valued?
• Is your church’s ministry system functioning to its fullest potential?

My latest 3 hour system seminar, The Ministry Seminar, will help you in each of these areas (and many more).  I lay out a systematic, practical approach to maximizing your church’s volunteers that involves more than just “getting things done,” but also helping each of them to grow to become more like Christ.

For more information or to secure your copy of The Ministry Seminar, CLICK HERE.

The Power Of Systems In Mobilizing Disciples

I wanted to share this brief article that I wrote recently:

You and I may look different on the outside but beneath our skin we are a function of common machinery. We both have hearts that pump blood, even though we are different blood types. We both have senses that take in the world, though some of yours may be more elevated than some of mine.

In the same way, all churches are made up of a set of common systems, even though we may utilize those systems in slightly different ways based on our individual calls to ministry. The question isn’t whether or not these systems are in place, but whether or not we acknowledge and maximize them.

Even if you are not sure what the eight church systems are, much less how to keep them healthy, they are there, ready to help you achieve God’s purpose for your church – and we all know that part of that purpose is to mobilize disciples.

None of the eight systems of the church would be able to function without people. In fact, I like to say that relationships are the tracks on which systems run. Each system encourages you to fine tune your skills for developing disciples and mobilizing them to carry out the work of the church.

That said, there is one system that focuses specifically on this goal: The Ministry System. The Ministry System asks, “How do we mobilize people for significant ministry in our church?” God wired people to grow as disciples through serving. If you don’t have a system in place that helps your people get plugged in, you will be hurting both yourself and your untapped leaders.

You will never mobilize disciples if you aren’t continually creating disciples and teaching them to have a heart for service. And since all of the eight systems will ultimately be run by volunteers, you need as many dedicated servers as possible.

Your church will thrive – and you will save yourself a lot of stress, time, energy, and money – when you have well-developed systems in place and stocked with people who are motivated in pursuit of a common vision. How do you make that happen? By understanding and strengthening each of the eight systems that operate within your church.

To learn exactly what these systems are and how you can do your part to cooperate with God by maximizing them, check out my free report “Healthy Systems, Healthy Church” at:

http://www.churchleaderinsights.com/resources/church_systems_report.php

God is not haphazard with His church, and neither should we be. Let’s all do our part to develop the eight systems of the church fully so that God can work through them mightily.

Are You Reaching Non-Christians This Christmas? (Part 4)

This week, we’ve been thinking about how you can work with the natural surge that God has built into the Christmas season to influence those who don’t yet know Jesus.

We started by making sure we are outwardly-focused this season. Then, we talked about how to increase the number of guests at our Christmas services. Yesterday, we learned how to make sure that those guests feel welcomed and want to come back again and again. If you’ve missed any of these posts, you can check them out below.

Today, we are going to wrap up this mini-series by exploring the importance of follow up. When your Christmas service is over and the pre-New Year lull hits, how will you follow up with the first-timers God gives you this season?

The way you follow up, or follow through, on the guests who come to your church will impact whether or not those guests choose to return. With your follow up, pay attention to the three Fs. Make sure it is Fast, Friendly and Functional:

FAST – Don’t underestimate the power of a quick follow up. Today, people are used to a whole new level of immediacy, thanks to technology. I suggest getting an email in your guest’s inbox within 36 hours of her visit.

FRIENDLY – Your follow up needs to reach out in a warm, personal way. Make your guests feel valued as individuals, rather than sending them something that resembles a mass form mailing. At The Journey, we send a handwritten note from me (or that week’s teaching pastor), along with a small, relevant, free gift within 96 hours of a guest’s visit. Handwritten notes seem to find their way to the top of everyone’s mail pile!

FUNCTIONAL – Follow up with your guests in a way that meets them where they are. Be simple and straightforward. Use the opportunity that follow up gives you to extend a clear invitation for them to come back to your church. I mentioned the free gift… you might include a $4 gas card and say something in the note like, “We’d love to see you again. This trip is on us!” Be creative!

This Christmas, God will bring millions of unbelievers into our churches. We can either let the opportunity to influence them with his truth pass us by, or we can make some decisions now that will help us reach them effectively.

Let me challenge you to make this the year you focus on non-Christians at Christmas. Enjoy the celebration of our Lord’s birth but while you do, make sure you do your part to introduce him to those in your community who don’t yet truly understand the significance of the season.

- Nelson

P.S. – For more on creating a follow up system that will keep your guests coming back, check out Fusion: Turning First-Time Guests Into Fully-Engaged Members Of Your Church.

Are You Reaching Non-Christians This Christmas? (Part 3)

Yesterday, we learned how you can have more first-time guests than usual at your Christmas service. But what do you do with your guests once they arrive? How can you make them feel comfortable? Is there anything you can do now to make sure they’ll want to keep coming back to your church in the new year?

Turning first-time guests into fully-engaged members of your church is what assimilation is all about. In my book, Fusion, I detail a plan for creating a system that will help you keep the newcomers who come through your doors. If you haven’t had a chance to study that system, let me encourage you to do so. In the meantime, here are a few things you can do to make sure your first-time guests have a great experience this Christmas:

1. Spiff your church up – make it look as good as it can look.
2. Have signs in place to point people where they need to go. (For example, have signs pointing the way to the children’s area, the restrooms, and the main sanctuary.)
3. Make sure each guest is properly greeted, directed, treated and seated. Let’s look at this one in a little more detail…

First impressions are very important to your first-time guest. One of the best ways to make sure he feels welcomed and gets a good first impression of your church is by creating a strong pre-service – one where he is:

Greeted – Welcomed with a friendly smile by someone at the front door
Directed – Simply and politely shown where he needs to go (preferably by a sign and a volunteer)
Treated – Happily surprised with comfort food/drink (Offering hot coffee and donuts in your service will speak volumes to the new people who show up.)
Seated – Led to a comfortable, appropriate seat by a volunteer

The first-time guests you’ll have this Christmas will be making gut-level judgment calls about your church from the minute they hit the parking lot. What they see, before your service even begins, will determine whether or not they’ll ever come back.

Take some time today to think about what you can do to make your first-time guests feel welcomed this Christmas season. Put some time into polishing up your method of Greeting, Directing, Treating and Seating.

If you put some intentional focus on your assimilation efforts as you prepare for your Christmas services, you will see many more of those first-time guests become second-time guests, then regular attenders and ultimately, fully-engaged members in 2009!

- Nelson

P.S. – If you’d like to learn more about how to keep the first-time guests God brings you, check out Fusion or take a look at these tools and resources. Have a great Thursday!

Are You Reaching Non-Christians This Christmas? (Part 2)

Welcome to Part 2 of the “Are You Reaching Non-Christians This Christmas?” mini-series. Yesterday, we talked about the importance of making sure your church is outwardly-focused, especially during the Christmas season. If you missed that post, you can check it out below.

Now that you realize how important it is to focus your attention on non-believers this season, let’s jump into the best ways to do just that. We all know that God will bring more first-time guests than usual to your church this month, simply because it is Christmas. People who rarely darken the door of a church will often show up for a holiday service. You already have some natural momentum working in your favor. So what can you do to maximize that momentum?

You can work with the Spirit in prompting people to your Christmas service – through evangelism! Evangelism is critical throughout the year, but at Christmas it takes on particular significance.

Servant evangelism is one of the easiest and most effective forms of evangelism – and one that you can get your members and regular attenders involved in. It’s a simple way to serve the people in your community as you invite them to church.

Around The Journey, we are big fans of Servant Evangelism. Throughout the year, we mobilize our people to stand on street corners and hand out granola bars, packs of gum or bottles of water along with an invitation to church. In fact, 30% of the first-time guests who show up at our services say that they discovered The Journey through a Servant Evangelism touch.

At Christmas, you can take advantage of the power of Servant Evangelism to invite the people in your community to your Christmas service. Here is a brief overview of the steps you need to take to initiate an SE outreach before Christmas:

•    Have some postcards printed that advertise your Christmas service. Make sure you include your church’s location, meeting times and some information on the message you’ll be preaching.

•    Buy several dozen (or several hundred!) boxes of candy canes.

•    Pick a date, time and place for the SE project. Choose a busy downtown area or maybe a location near a popular shopping mall.

•    When your volunteers arrive, hand each person a couple of boxes of candy canes and a stack of postcard invitations. Coach them to hand a candy cane and an invitation to each passerby as they say, “Would you like a free candy cane?” or even just “Merry Christmas!” Then, spread your people out over the area and let the evangelism begin!

Not only will this Servant Evangelism project bring non-Christians to your Christmas service, it will also stir your members’ passion for the unchurched. Engaging your people in evangelism at Christmas-time reminds them what the season is all about.

Check back tomorrow for some tips on how to make your first-time guests feel comfortable when they arrive for your Christmas service!

- Nelson

P.S. For more information, tools and resources on Servant Evangelism, click here.

Are You Reaching Non-Christians This Christmas? (Part 1)

Is your church doing a Christmas play? Hosting a church-wide party? Inviting all of the couples to a Christmas reception? Holding a Christmas Eve service? I hope you are doing at least one or two of these things. Christmas is a time for celebration! But as you go about your usual holiday festivities, let me challenge you to think about where your focus is this Christmas…

Are you simply focused on celebrating the season with your members and regular attenders? Or are you making the most of the opportunity Christmas gives you to reach those who are not yet Christians?

For the rest of this week, I will be giving you some ideas on how to reach out to your community this Christmas season, how to treat the guests who visit your church for the first time and how to follow up with them after the fact to make sure they keep coming back in 2009.

For now, let me challenge you to think about this question… How can I ensure that my church stays outwardly-focused this Christmas season?

You’ve probably heard me discuss the importance of making sure that your church is and remains an outwardly-focused church. In case you aren’t familiar with the concept, an outwardly-focused church is one that makes an intentional effort to keep its energy and focus on the people who need Jesus outside its doors. The outwardly-focused church realizes that it is all-too easy to become consumed with the concerns of its members and regular attenders to the exclusion of reaching new people, so it protects itself from allowing that to happen.

People are more likely to visit your church around Christmas than any other time of the year (except maybe Easter). If you take some steps now to make sure you are focused on reaching those newcomers, you can pave the way for them to meet Jesus as we celebrate his birth.

Spend some time today thinking about where you’ve been focusing your energy… and then check back tomorrow! I’ll be giving you a great tip on how you can get even more first-time guests than usual to your Christmas service.

- Nelson