Monthly Archives: December 2013
Disciple Your Staff
We often have plans to develop training or courses for the church. We probably have schedule to meet the leaders of the church and hold meeting with them. We may also meet those potential leaders in our midst. But one group of people we tend to miss is our staff. We maybe discipling them while they are not yet staff. But when they come on board and become our staff finally, we start to neglect them. Suddenly we have a lot of expectations on them to perform. We have a lots of work for them to do and follow up. We expect them to do well and show results. We may give comments and feedback but most of the time is about their work and duties. We do little about their character, their values and principles. Well, we may send them to a seminary and hope that the seminary transforms their lives. But it does not go this way most of the time.
We cannot leave the work of discipling or mentoring our staff to an institution or a programme or courses. It must be done in person. Being our staff, they have become the most important people to be mentored and discipled. They should have the priority in our time. Dear leaders, don’t neglect your staff. They are your most important assets in church. They would be your future leaders. Don’t just get them to work. Don’t just expect them to perform. Don’t just want them to show results. Spend time to relate with them and disciple them in their life, not just ministry.
Slow Down
We are often so busy and even hectic. We walk so fast and speak so fast. We don’t have time to enjoy the beauty of nature along our way. We don’t have time to listen to the voices of the people around us or tend to their needs. We don’t even have time to talk to our spouse or play and listen to our children.
Yet the irony is that while missing out so much of these things, we may be busy serving God, visiting people or sharing the Gospel with others. We have a whole list of people we need to meet and talk to. We attend so many meetings and accomplish so much things. We have become so programmatic and mechanical. Everything must be in accordance to our schedule and we must meet our goals.
Perhaps it’s time to slow down. Don’t do too much. Take time to enjoy the beauty of nature. Observe the people around us and listen to their inner voices. Talk to your spouse and play with your children. Allow things to get a bit ‘messy’. Don’t strive to control all things including time. Yes, we may be serving in church, but we maybe serving programmes and not God. We maybe just meeting our goals or quotas. Don’t be too deliberate in all things. Let things come naturally. We will realise that we always have people we can listen to, help or even discipled. We need not just restrict ourselves to targeted people only.
Let the life of Christ flow out of you naturally. Don’t try to squeeze it out. Don’t try to box it up. Time to slow down friends.
Centre for Transformation and Development 