Why unexpected disruptions in your ministry can be seen as a gift

Disruptions in our ministries are usually seen as negative things and sometimes that is exactly what they are, especially when they are caused by problematic behaviors. There is, however, another side to disruptions - positive or negative - to consider: They are often the catalyst for us to up our game and refocus our leadership. When things are going well it is easy to become complacent. When that complacency is disrupted by a surprise it is an opportunity to rethink, refocus, realign and reconsider.

I don't welcome disruptions but I have come to realize that every disruption is an opportunity to learn from, to rethink something, to refocus on something that I have probably not focused on for a while and even to rethink my paradigms. Think of these examples:

• A key staff member leaves and it causes us to think carefully about the role they played, how we might configure differently or what we need in the future.
• A staff member behaves inappropriately toward the opposite sex and we are forced to evaluate our training, clarify our expectations and open a dialogue with our staff.
• A financial crisis occurs which prompts us to differentiate between critical ministries and ancillary ministries.
• Something happens that causes us to turn to God for wisdom and solutions, increasing our dependence on Him.
• Something brings conflict to the surface revealing a lack of alignment allowing us to clarify and align.

I could give many more examples but the point is that unexpected disruptions are often an opportunity in disguise - if we will see them as such and take advantage of them. They may be a nuisance but they can also be to our ultimate advantage.

All of T.J. Addington's books including his latest, Deep Influence,  are available from the author for the lowest prices and a $2.00 per book discount on orders of ten or more.

The genius of the great creeds of the church

Why the church creeds? They came out of a need in the early church to clarify the essential doctrines of the faith, combat error and teach new believers the great and indisputable truths of true faith. In addition, they unify the church around what is truly central and core rather than allowing the many peripheral doctrines of the faith that are not as clear to divide us.

Not all points of doctrine in Scripture are equally clear. I remember one of my beloved seminary professors who when speaking on issues he believed but which were not clearly spelled out would get louder and louder. We knew that the thinner the ice, the louder he was. There are simply some things that we believe that are not all that clearly spelled out - which is why there are various interpretations. An example is the teaching and beliefs around the second coming of Christ. The creeds remind us that Jesus is going to return physically to judge the living and the dead. That is what we do know. Many of the other details are a bit fuzzy. 

I appreciate those who study doctrine to better understand the Scriptures, the nature of God, our own nature and all those topics that find there way into systematic theology. I don't appreciate when believers elevate their particular non essential elements of the faith to the place of dividing believers from one another. If all points of doctrine were equally clear we would not have differences but those differences should not divide believers who can subscribe to the great creeds of the faith - the grand outlines of what we know to be true - and which unify us.

It strikes me that in a world in which there are many more illiterate believers, that the creeds of the church ought to be taught more often or recited together as a congregation. I fear not only that we divide over non-essentials but that many don't understand the essentials. We can argue over the wrong things and we can be ignorant of the right things.

All of T.J. Addington's books including his latest, Deep Influence,  are available from the author for the lowest prices and a $2.00 per book discount on orders of ten or more.

The Holy Spirit in the leadership equation

The best leadership is a mix of personal health, spiritual depth, leadership skill and a great intangible that is hard to quantify but makes all the difference in the world: The Holy Spirit. If we want to know the mind of God and be open to His counsel it is the Holy Spirit's promptings we need to lead well.

We don't know what we don't know. God does. We don't know all the consequences of decisions we might make. God does. There are all kinds of issues we face as leaders that can help or hurt our leadership and the more attuned we are to the counsel, direction and promptings of the Spirit the better our leadership will be. That is why mere skill is not enough to lead well. The Psalmist said of David that he led with skillful hands and integrity of heart. Skill is necessary but hearts deeply connected to God will multiply the skill because He knows what we don't know.

This is why snap or quick decisions are often counterproductive. They don't give us the time to talk to God about our decisions and listen to whatever He might want to say to us. He may speak to us directly or He may speak to us through other Godly and wise individuals. Either way we are always dependent on the wisdom from "above." Our wisdom is finite. His wisdom is infinite. Taking the time to pray, consider and allow Him to speak into our decision is what wise leaders do.

I cannot list the number of times that a quick decision on my part would have been the wrong decision. We often pride ourselves as leaders as being able to make quick decisions. We should not because quick decisions are often not good decisions because they do not allow us to consult the Lord of the universe who cares about all of our lives. 

Think about what Paul says in 1 Corinthians 2. 

The Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God. 11 For who knows a person’s thoughts except their own spirit within them? In the same way no one knows the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God. 12 What we have received is not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, so that we may understand what God has freely given us. 13 This is what we speak, not in words taught us by human wisdom but in words taught by the Spirit, explaining spiritual realities with Spirit-taught words.[c] 14 The person without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God but considers them foolishness, and cannot understand them because they are discerned only through the Spirit. 15 The person with the Spirit makes judgments about all things, but such a person is not subject to merely human judgments, 16 for,

“Who has known the mind of the Lord
    so as to instruct him?”[d]

But we have the mind of Christ.

We have the mind of Christ....If we take the time to listen. It is the most wonderful gift a leader can have.


All of T.J. Addington's books including his latest, Deep Influence,  are available from the author for the lowest prices and a $2.00 per book discount on orders of ten or more.

If we saw ministry in the United States through missionary eyes we would do things differently

We need a fresh look at ministry in the United States. In fact, we need to see the ministry challenges here through the eyes of a missionary. Here are some of the ways that missionaries look at ministry and the contexts where they work which could change the picture of how we approach ministry in significant ways.

Missionaries do not assume that there is one way to approach ministry. In fact, they are usually very flexible in how they see their context looking first at where there are pockets of people who are open to the gospel and secondly to the methodologies and strategies that might be effective if tried. In other words, most missionaries are not locked into a single paradigm of ministry but need to be highly flexible and entrepreneurial in their approach.

Because of the exploding populations of the world, missionaries are often focused on how to move from addition models of ministry to multiplication models. In the United States we often hire people to do ministry for us rather than truly having to equip others to do meaningful ministry with us. Internationally that is not an option, nor is it Biblical which explicitly teaches an equipping model whether it is Jesus, Paul or Paul's teaching (Ephesians 4:11-12). One of the critical factors in changing the equation of ministry in the United States is that all believers think of themselves as Kingdom entrepreneurs who are called to bring the gospel into all places where God places them and where they have influence.

Nor are missionaries content to think that the only people qualified for significant leadership have a formal theological degree or are full time. We believe that while formal theological education has a significant place for church leaders (pastors) that there are many creative ways to delivering the necessary theological skills and education and that God can use all kinds of individuals who are bi-vocational and part time. It is only in the west where the majority of churches have full time pastors with formal theological degrees and it was not common in the early church as well.

Further, most mission activity is about relational ministry rather than programs. Programs generally (not always) say, bring people here to the church and we will introduce them to Jesus. Relationship based ministry generally says we will go to where people are who don't know Jesus and develop friendships and relationships that can open doors to conversations about Christ and where non-believers can see what our lives look like as we follow Jesus.

In addition, missionaries pay great attention to the large cities in their region as the cities are where people gather and are the centers of influence. In other words while not all ministry internationally is focused on the city a great deal of it is. In the United States we have generally left the city for the comfortable suburbs, leaving great gaps in the large cities of our nation. Internationally we are drawn to the cities like magnets and the opposite is often the case in the United States.

There is another key difference. Internationally we understand that no one group can reach any city or region by themselves. We are forced internationally to work with other denominations to reach the cities and regions in which we work. We know we need one another. We call this a Bride over Brand approach in ReachGlobal where the priority is in multiplying the church and the spread of the gospel over our theological differences. If the United States is going to be reached effectively we need to see our fellow churches and denominations (who are evangelical) as partners and colleagues rather than competitors and a threat. This is a major difference in how we think about ministry.

Internationally we also know that for those who have no felt need for God that when people experience the love of Jesus in very tangible ways that they become open to experiencing the truth of Jesus. In other words, while we start with programming and church activities in the United States we often start with the practical love of Jesus and meeting real needs internationally. 

Here is the truth. All of us can become myopic and locked into paradigms when all we see is our own context. It is when we move out of our context that we are able to look back in and see things that we did not previously see. This is why we need to see our own ministry through missionary eyes. If we were missionaries here how would we see our context, the opportunities, the ministry options, the populations that are open to the gospel, our cities and our opportunities to see ministry in a deeply wholistic way.

All of T.J. Addington's books including his latest, Deep Influence,  are available from the author for the lowest prices and a $2.00 per book discount on orders of ten or more.

Why I write and how it can help you

I like to write because it clarifies issues and I am all about clarity. More than that I desire to help others be all that they can be, so my writing helps me and I hope helps you.

You are free to use any of my posts to help your church, ministry, organization or circle of influence. All I ask is that you attribute it to the blog. Other than that, use whatever is helpful and no permission is needed from me.

I have learned most of what I know from others. I want to pass it on. And I hope it is helpful.  Blessings.

All of T.J. Addington's books including his latest, Deep Influence,  are available from the author for the lowest prices and a $2.00 per book discount on orders of ten or more.

Essential skills for every believer who wants to have influence

It is clear that some individuals have more influence than others. It is not a matter of education or place in life. Rather it is a matter of certain skills that increase our influence with others. These skills are available to everyone and they are essential for believers who want to make a difference for Jesus in their corner of the world.

1. The ability to treat all people with the grace of Jesus. It is the skill of love, acceptance and grace which overlooks flaws, sin and dysfunction and just accepts people for who they are. And then graciously points them to Jesus, the One who is the paradigm of grace.

2. The ability to speak words of encouragement and grace rather than words of condemnation. There is a place for speaking truth but we are too quick to condemn rather than to love, to criticize rather than to encourage and to take the role of the Holy Spirit to fix people rather than to let the Lord work in their lives.

3. The ability to see the potential in people rather then their flaws. We all have flaws. Often we are most critical about the flaws in others that are similar to our own, All of us gravitate to those who accept us as we are and see our potential rather than our fractures.

4. The ability to forgive easily and handle conflict biblically. If we desire influence we need to forgive quickly and resolve differences quickly and with humility. The ability to stay in relationship is one of the most important skills we could develop. It is OK to disagree and still be in relationship. Jesus did it quite well.

5. The willingness to step into tough situations with the love of Jesus and the help that we can give. If we flee from messy situations we lose out on our greatest influence. Being willing to enter into the mess and bring the love or help of Jesus yields great influence.

6. The ability to not get enmeshed with other people's issues which often creates distance from those others are distant from. We control our friendships and need not divide from those others divide from. 

7. The ability to hold our own counsel in tough situations. Sometimes we need to speak truth in love. Often we are better off keeping our thoughts to ourselves and not creating conflict where it is not needed - from us. Wisdom and discernment in what we say and write (email) is a huge part of our influence.

8. The ability to be flexible when things don't go our own way. Drawing unnecessary lines in the sand divides rather than unites. Influence requires flexibility and adaptability.

9. The ability to be patient with our personal agendas or goals when they don't go as we desire. Life is like that.

10. The ability to see others and love others as Jesus sees them and loves them. Might be the hardest skill to learn but it is why we can live in God's grace as he does it with us. People are quirky - even you and I. Jesus sees beyond our quirks and so should we.

All of T.J. Addington's books including his latest, Deep Influence,  are available from the author for the lowest prices and a $2.00 per book discount on orders of ten or more.

Transformational ministries with toxic staff cultures

There is a disconnect in many ministries that claim to be about transformation. That disconnect is that their own internal staff cultures are often toxic, dysfunctional and highly untransformed. It is a sickness that pervades even high profile ministries that purport to be on the forefront of leadership and transformational ministries.

If our staff cultures are not healthy we do not have the moral ground to claim that our ministry is about transformation. There are too many places where fear and intimidation and lack of care for staff is the norm. It usually reflects the senior leader's lack of EQ or concern for those on their staff. It is often fueled by a leader's drive to succeed or their own insecurities. Whatever the cause it is inexcusable and sad. And not consistent with the kind of cultures that reflect the culture of Jesus.

Healthy staff cultures are marked by these kind of characteristics.

• All are treated with dignity
• Grace is extended in all situations - even when tough issues are being dealt with
• Truth is spoken in grace
• People are developed, empowered and valued
• Candid discussion is valued
• People are in their "lane" or sweet spot
• Men and women are treated equally
• There is a high value in helping people become all they can be
• Leaders serve their staff to help them be successful
• There is clarity of roles and people are given the tools to do their jobs
• Teamwork is highly valued
• Relationships are collegial 
• Opinions are valued
• Staff find their roles fulfilling because they understand the mission they are contributing to
• There is high trust
• Fairness is practiced in all situations
• Appreciation is regularly expressed

How does your staff culture measure up and where could you do better? Transformation starts at home, in our own ministries. As ministry leaders our commitment to transformation starts with our own staff.

See also:
Signs you work in a toxic workplace

Signs you work in a healthy workplace


All of T.J. Addington's books including his latest, Deep Influence,  are available from the author for the lowest prices and a $2.00 per book discount on orders of ten or more.