Powerful footprints

One of the most powerful things we can do as church leaders and friends is to help those in our circle of influence think about the ministry footprint that they leave. Ministry footprints are powerful prints.

Ephesians 2:8-10 tell us that God created us for relationship with Him and to engage in a special work for Him. Paul writes, "For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith - and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God - not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do."

I believe that most believers get the relationship part of this equation. What they don't get is that they are uniquely created and gifted by God to do unique things for God which God actually prepared them for. To the extent that many believers have not figured out and are not engaged in the role they were created for there is a hole in God's plan for his Kingdom. The lack of influence of the church today is directly related to this lack of engagement in the work that God created for each of his children.

In a recent blog I referenced the fact that Paul's phrase "God's workmanship" could be translated as God's unique work of art. There never has been and never will be anyone just like me - or you. That uniqueness also translates into the unique work that only I can do - or only you can do.

Not only are each of us unique but the contribution that each of us can make to the kingdom is also unique. That is a powerful statement. It means that my contribution matters in God's plan. It means that my life and your life have huge significance in what God wants to accomplish in this world.

In fact, these verses address the two deepest needs of the human heart: relationship and significance.

But here is what most believers don't get. God intends to use them in their setting, with their gifting, with their personality, with their quirks (we all have them) in ways that are consistent with how God wired us.

So the challenge is helping people understand how they are wired, what their particular strengths are and encouraging them to leave ministry footprints in their unique way.

What we often do instead is to create jobs, slots or ministries within the church and fit people into those slots with little regard to wiring, gifting and sweet spots. In addition, because our focus is so "church centric" we have created the impression that ministry is in the church when God created us primarily for ministry in the world where we live, work, have relationships and where the people who need God's love are.

The other challenge is to help the average believer (those who don't have the up front gifts or theological education) understand that their contribution to God's work is hugely significant in God's plan. The truth is that God created them for a very unique role that only they can play. And it is when we are all fulfilling our unique roles in the kingdom that the church is effective.

I cannot do what my wife does and she cannot do what I do in God's plan. She amazes me as she uses her gifts of grace and care to help people who are hurting and messed up. I may have a more public job but her contribution is unique to her and her ministry footprint is totally unique - designed by God before she was conceived for His work in her lifetime with her skill set. She is also able to reach a whole segment of people that I will never connect with like she does.

What would happen if we celebrated, honored, and held up all the ministry footprints of our congregations? And if we helped people figure out their unique contribution rather than creating a "ministry slot" for them? Not only would it create ministry ripples throughout our communities but it would give every one of God's people the significance that they are looking for.

This only happens when church leaders are intentional in helping Christ followers understand the unique role God wants them to play in His Kingdom enterprise. It is perhaps the most powerful things we could ever do in our ministries. Oh, it is also the job that God gave church leaders! Ephesians 4:12

The temptation of leaders

It is a potential sin of all who lead and it is fed by success, knowledge and the power inherent in leadership. It is arrogance: hubris or pride – an inflated view of our own self importance.

As a reader of history I have run across any number of individuals who suffered from this deficiency. George Patton wrote this in his diary in the Second World War: “When I think of the greatness of my job and realize that I am what I am, I am amazed, but on reflection, who is as good as I am? I know of no one!” And then there was Winston Churchill who said that history would be kind to him because he would write it.

God has a lot to say about arrogance including this nugget in 1 Samuel 15:22-23 regarding Saul:

“Does the Lord delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as much as in obeying the voice of the Lord? To obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed is better than the fat of rams. For rebellion is like the sin of divination, and arrogance like the evil of idolatry. Because you have rejected the word of the Lord, he has rejected you as king.”

Why is arrogance so distasteful to God? Certainly because humility is what he looks for in leaders since humble leaders are teachable and able to follow while arrogant leaders do not have either ability. Arrogant individuals have an inflated view of their own importance and thus listen less, feel entitled to special treatment, demean those around them in attitude or words and essentially raise themselves by putting down others. If not checked, arrogance can become narcissism and that is where King Saul found himself.

How do we protect ourselves against arrogance? One of the ways I do so is to lead through team which does not limit my influence but it does my power as that power is an intentionally shared power.

In addition, being aware that privilege brings with it the temptation to inflate my own importance, I seek to keep a sense of who I am and my own vulnerabilities. The more I know the “full me” including my shadow side, the less likely I am to think I am any different from others (I am not). Arrogant individuals are able to overlook the areas of their lives that are problematic or excuse them away. When we do that we run the risk of losing our perspective on whom we really are.

Finally, the more we serve others the less likely we will be to develop arrogance. Serving others is the posture of a good leader and of Jesus. Service develops humility as we identify with our staff rather than see ourselves above them. Humility before God and men keeps us from the sin of arrogance.

Ten reasons we don't fulfill our God given destiny

My observation is that there are many believers and even many Christian leaders who do not fulfill their God given destiny (Ephesians 2:10). This is not because they don't sense it's presence. They feel the call but for various reasons they don't respond.

One: We don't have the faith

This was the case with the ten spies who went into the promised land for Moses and then declared that the people were too strong to conquer and caused the people to roam for forty years in the desert because of their lack of faith in God. When God calls us, it requires faith to respond.

Two: We don't have the courage

Responding to God's call requires courage. We must take the first step: He will not do it for us. This was Abraham when he chose to follow God into an unknown destiny when God called him.

Three: We don't want to take the risk

Following His call can be risky. We don't know the outcome - we only have the call. This was Nehemiah who risked it all to respond to the prompting God had given him regarding Jerusalem. He was willing to risk his life and reputation for that assignment.

Four: We fear failure

This is a natural fear and it is why the command to "fear not" is the most repeated command in all of Scripture. We have much to fear but we have a God who is larger than any circumstance we could face.

Five: We don't believe God can really use us

This is Moses when he was eighty and God was calling him to lead the people out of Egypt. Here is the irony. When Moses was forty he thought he was something and God could not use him. When Moses was eighty he thought he was nothing and God could then use him.

Six: We don't believe we are qualified

Again, consider Moses who had all kinds of excuses for why he was not qualified for his assignment. Let's face it. None of us really are. That is why we need the empowerment of the Holy Spirit and the presence of Christ on a moment by moment basis. God makes us qualified!

Seven: We don't understand the role of the Holy Spirit

Romans 7: There is nothing that can separate us from the love or presence of God. We are indwelt by God. Jesus said we would do even greater things than He did when the Holy Spirit came. Every Christ follower has Jesus living in them through the Holy Spirit! 

Eight: We don't understand our part in God's meta story

Life is not a random series of events. Every one of us who knows Christ steps into His story with a divine reason to be there (Ephesians 2:10). We don't know how the threads of God's tapestry connects but one day we will. Today we see the messy back side but in heaven we will see the beautiful front side.

Nine: We are caught by the expectations of others

When my father told people he was going to Hong Kong as a missionary many years ago, some prominent individuals told him that he was throwing his life away. How often others have a plan for our lives when God does as well. Who we choose to listen to makes all the difference in the world.

Ten: We are too comfortable

What if Abraham had said to God, "Look, I Googled the place you are sending me and it doesn't look too promising?" I think that is often the case. We weight the odds and think, "Hey, I am comfortable, why rock the boat."

Why follow God when He calls? It is the most exhilarating and amazing experience we could have. And what gives us the confidence to step into our destiny? It is as David said to Saul before he went up against Goliath. I have met the bear and the lion and God gave them into my hand. He based his faith on what God had done in the past and we can as well.

Do you want to raise the bar for you and your team?

I am convinced that one of the most important discussions we can have as ministry teams is how we can raise the bar on our effectiveness - personally and corporately. This is not about working harder or longer but working smarter and with greater focus. It is easy for all of us to gravitate toward the comfortable rather than to stay focused on what is most important.

There are a number of questions that can help us reflect on ways we can raise the bar.

As I look at the coming week what is the single most important thing I need to do in order to move the ball down the court? That may sound simplistic but the truth is that getting the most strategic thing done in the course of a week is far more important than getting many non strategic things done.

Do I take time each month to prioritize my work and activities? One of the secrets of highly productive people is that they take the time to think about their upcoming month and prioritize their activities so that what is most important gets done and those things that are of lesser importance are done last. I do this with a Personal Retreat Day each month to think through my schedule and activities.

If there was one thing that would help me be more productive, what would it be? This can be as simple as scheduling the most important activities at the time when we are at our best, or blocking out time without interruption, email or phone calls. Answering this simple question - and acting on it - can make a significant difference in effectiveness.

Are there activities in my schedule that I could simply eliminate to free up time for more important things? We often accumulate activities and obligations that over time start to weigh us down when critical analysis would tell us that they are no longer critical to our work. Time is the one thing we can never get back so jettisoning those obligations that are not critical can help us move to the next level.

Are there activities that need to get done that can be done by others in order to free up my time for those things that only I can do? Often, there are activities that someone needs to do but that we don't need to do. On the other hand, there are some things we must do because we do them better than others. Delegating what we don't need to do frees us up to do those things that we really must do. A rule of thumb is that if someone else can do something 70% as well as I can, I should generally let it go.

Can I connect my activity with specific key results that I want to see from my work? Remember that there is a difference between activity and results. Often our activity gets in the way of focusing on the few key results that we want to see from our work. Making sure that our activity is the right activity to get to those results is a simple but profound principle.

Does my calendar reflect my priorities? Our calendars (how we spend our time) tell the real story of what our priorities are. Unfortunately there is often a disparity between what we would say our priorities are and how we actually use our time. Bringing our calendar into alignment with our priorities is a game changer.

Taking time to reflect on our activity, lives and work will almost always help us raise the bar on our effectiveness. Taking the time to slow down and think through what we are doing and how we are doing it can be truly freeing.

Top Missions Blogs: Getting to strategic mission strategies

The blogs related to missions receive some of the highest readership on my blog site. I have compiled the top read missions blogs below with links to the individual blog you are interested in. I hope this can be a resource to missionaries, supporters and mission committees in local churches.


Missions and Europe: Should we be sending missionaries to a place that has been evangelized in the past?

Partnerships in missions: Five key principles

Can the great cities of Europe be re-evangelized

Accountability for missionaries: Rethinking the paradigm

The both/and of missions: The gospel and compassion

What is missions? Be careful how you define your missions efforts

Short term missions: Doing it right

Mission agencies: choose wisely

The nine critical shifts that must take place in missions today

Helpful and wise words from a veteran missionary to the US church

What I wish my supporters understood about my work

A wake call for missions: the world is moving to the city

Sticker shock in missions

Best practices for training overseas

Strategic missions strategy: leveraging your investment

Missionary support team building: very tough work

Holistic Missions: Cautions and opportunities

Bride over Brand


TED talk at the Mission Exchange on critical shifts that need to take place in the mission world today

Parents: A major inhibitor to sending new missionaries

It really is a very bad idea

Changing antiquated local church mission strategies

Muslims are not the problem

Straight talk about results in missions

Disappointment in missions

Leadership in missions

Missions in the 21'st century: Two circles, one goal

From leader to partner in Global Missions

What kind of churches should we be planting around the world?

Western vs. indigenous missionaries

Missions and the Holy Spirit

Determining what missionaries to support

The changing face of world missions

What do you pray daily?

The answer for me is simple. There are many things I pray about but there are three things I pray for every day and before every key interaction: Wisdom, empowerment favor. Let me explain.

Wisdom because I want to be to able apply God's counsel and understand how He would have us respond in any given situation. As a leader there are many options from which to choose. The key is to have the wisdom of God to know which is best. It comes from Him so I ask for it regularly.

Empowerment because unless I am walking in the power of the Holy Spirit I will not have the wisdom or insight that I desire. It is the Holy Spirit that helps us see clearly and apply God's truth wisely.

Favor with people because without favor there is no influence. Unless God gives us favor so that others respond to us well, we cannot lead them or have the influence we desire with them. 

I have been amazed at how faithfully God answers these prayers as I am faithful in praying for them. What do you pray for daily?

Our real identity

Our identity is a complicated puzzle made up of many factors. For instance, I grew up in Asia so I am defined as a "third world kid." I feel most at home there but my home is here. Add to that the family each of us grew up in, our experiences through life, the education we received, the job we have and our station in life. No one of these is sufficient for identity but together they profoundly impact who we believe we are.

Now, I believe that God uses all of our history to craft who we are in the present and he uses the present to craft who we will be in the future. But at its core, our identity is all about who God created us to be in relationship with him rather than the external factors that we often falsely believe are our core identity.

For many men, their job defines their identity. What happens if the job goes away and I am unemployed? Did my core identity change? If my 25 year old son who is a strapping outdoors man were to suffer an accident that left him as a paraplegic did his identity change?

External factors in our lives are certainly important in shaping who we become when we allow the Holy Spirit to grow us. But our core identity is found in our son ship and daughter ship of the King of Kings. In the end we are more defined by our relationship with God than our jobs, our position or life experiences. All of those may be wonderful and may have had a part in forming us but many of these can go away. Our life "in Christ" can and will never be taken away. It is the core of our identity for all eternity.

Believing that and living it out changes everything.