Thursday, April 8, 2010

Small to Great, People Make a Difference

It never gets old to me to watch what a small group of people can do to make a difference. This year I have been in awe of my sons’ high school, in the fall their school started a Rachel’s Challenge program. The program sets up the “road map” for making a difference, being inclusive, and being kind to one another. Since October the kids have raised thousands of dollars for people in our community. There was the widow with 5 children, the fellow student whose home burnt down two weeks before Christmas, Christmas for a another family of 6, and last month in support of a fellow student who’s Leukemia has returned, the school hosted St. Baldrick’s. Several students and staff had their heads shaved and raised $50,000, including one girl who raised $5,000.

In ministry it is often easy for us to be fooled into believing that we have to own it all. As a leader one of the lessons I had to learn over the years was how to provide a road map, but stay out of the way so that others can own the vision. The key as a leader is to create the “box”, provide the vision, and empower those you lead. My experience has been that most people don’t like to just carry out my plans. What makes them own and engage in ministry is to have not only the task, but the authority to complete it. That means my roll is to encourage, ask questions when I think it is moving away from the vision put in place, and support. Sometimes my biggest roll is to order supplies, offer the meeting space, or I get the job no one else wants. This is a version of servant leadership.

What I know to be true is almost 100% of the time, I am more blown away with how someone else owned their portion of a plan, than if I had done it all myself. God has created us to complete his mission in community, He has designed each of us with our own gifts and talents, and it always more fun to celebrate in team!

No comments: