#33
Moving the vision forward to reality involves four action words beginning with “D”:
DELIBERATE: Think over, discuss carefully, and pray seriously before reaching a decision. The MLG needs to determine (1) the need for this ministry, (2) what this ministry will do for the congregation and (3) how this ministry will fit into the total life of the church. The MLG must be convinced that its time has come.
DECIDE: It is best to formalize the decision in some definite fashion. The method may be (1)Polling the members one by one for a verbal “yes” or “no” (2) written ballot, (3) standing, or (4) raising hands. Before taking the vote, spend time in prayer seeking the leading of the spirit of God. Depend on God’s promise in Isaiah 30:21: “Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you saying, ‘This is the way; walk in it’.
DOCUMENT: Be true to put your decision in writing, date it, and have each member of the group sign it, Copies of this will be valuable in presenting your decision to the official board for approval, and in publicizing the decision to the congregation through the church newsletter or by mail.
DECREE; Request a place on the church’s official board’s agenda to present your decision. It is assumed that you made periodic progress reports as you developed the ministry, Secure the necessary action for authority to launch the ministry. Such action gives the Lay Pastors Ministry a place among the other ministries in the church. When the birth happens, celebrate!●
(Audio/Byeong) Dr. Melvin talks about the decision to do this ministry at a local church. If you like to do something, it needs to be decided, you know it already. Melvin used 4D for this and I paraphrased: 1) Think is it a necessity for our church? 2) How to formalize this thought? Depending on God’s promise in Isaiah 30:21: “Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you saying, ‘This is the way; walk in it’.” 3) Putting your decision in writing, and in publicizing the decision to the congregation through the church newsletter or by email. 4) Request a place on the church’s official board’s agenda to present your decision. It is assumed that you made periodic progress reports as you developed the ministry, securing the necessary action for authority to launch the ministry.
COMMENTS
in relation to Formalize the Decision to Have a Lay Pastors Ministry
Tom Corbell, USA, says
One of the best known British preachers of the 20th century (with a 30-year tenure as minister of London’s Westminster Chapel), Martyn Lloyd-Jones, speaks of how he feels a greater spirit of unity with those whose identity is shaped by a common love for the Lord than with those whose identity is shaped by a denomination:
“Some people come in to me and they say, ‘I am glad to meet you, I come from India (Australia, America or some other country), and I am a good Congregationalist,’ or others come and say, ‘I am a good Methodist,’ or ‘I am a Baptist,’ and immediately I feel there is no union. But others come, and they do not tell me whether they are Baptist or Methodist or Congregationalist, they just come in and say, ‘What a wonderful Lord we have! Thank God this is the same gospel here as in my home country and my hometown!’ And immediately I am one with them. We are related, we are in the same family, there is a fundamental union of Spirit. I feel that I have known them all my life, and that if I were to meet them again in the future, I would never be more close to them than at that first moment. That is the unity our Lord talks about; it is not an external matter, nor a matter of denomination or organization.” -Lloyd-Jones, Growing in the Spirit: The Assurance of Our Salvation (Westchester, Ill.: Crossway Books, 1989), 140.
You might ask what has this do so with Lay Pastors Ministry. Remember Jones wrote: “Thank God this is the same gospel here as in my home country and my hometown! And immediately I am one with them. We are related, we are in the same family, there is a fundamental union of Spirit.”
The beauty of LPM is that it is united under the Lordship of Jesus Christ and under the direction and power of the Holy Spirit. It is not tied to any one denomination. It is tied to, tethered to, and solely dependent on the Holy Bible for direction, commission, and ministry.
Our Vision and Purpose is to equip churches for ministry: But each of us was given grace according to the measure of Christ’s gift…. The gifts he gave were that some would be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, some pastors and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the Body of Christ. Ephesians 4:7, 11-12.
Will you join LPM, or continue in your present “care” ministry to be God’s vehicle to bless His people and provide solid Christian Pastoral Care to those who need our love? I pray your answer will be “Yes!”■
Byeong, Melvin University, says:
Decision is very important to leader of any organizations but you have to complete once you made the decision. Why?
Equipping: Equipping is another difficult for pastors to do ministry, their position is the issue there. Many experts on the lay ministry give advice that if pastor wants to success in this, they have to step aside a little bit. Then laypeople come up to the space and they do what they have to do. Even they talk to laity “come up and to do your ministry” but no space to take it, they couldn’t go up there, when the pastor step aside then laity come up, and both go out of the world. That is the correct concept, but it’s not easy for pastor to step aside, because they were there for a long time, that was their position, their function, their role for a while, so it’s difficult to give it to other people, especially to the laity, because they were their disciples, they want to keep that position permanently, might say such like “you are my inferior.”
To approach in another way, pastor thinks the ministry was their baby, so whenever they think to give to another they feel very sorry, such as giving my baby to the other person, because I raised it for a while, so reluctant to give away. But they have to take a risk, then something good will be happened to them.
Actually, giving it to the other person means ‘sharing his burden with other people.’ That is the real issue on the lay ministry. This is one benefits of lay ministry, as many people say pastor alone cannot do it alone, better to think not giving his baby to the other person but sharing his burden with other laypeople. How is that? This is better concept for pastor, not negatively but positively. Yes, there are two for pastor one is negative, another one is positive. It’s totally up to the senior pastor. David Kim, Hallelujah church, once said, if we give ONE to the laypeople, then they return back TWO to the pastor. Why they do not know about this, Allah! He said that. Do we really need laypeople’s help for our ministry? Given them one, then they gives us back two?
Yes, some pastor’s afraid that if they give it to them what happen to church and also to them? I understand what that mean. Their worries are that there will be some confusing in the church if they let them do it. Yes, first time they will be confused and make mistake, but through that they are growing and try to do better, that‘s the growth process. That’s why we need to equip them. Without equipping them, it’s’ not possible to expect anything to happen. That’s why at Ephesians 4:11-12, Paul stress that pastor’s job is to equip the saints, for what? For the work of ministry.■
ADDITIONAL COMMENT
by BYEONG
Bad habits of successful CEOs: There was often a saying, “He is a pastor of pastors,” referring to experts in ministry who help and guide pastors. Most of them will be para-church experts, but in Korea, we can talk about leaders such as
Discipleship-making, Home church, Cell Church, and NCD, etc.
I recently read a book written by an expert who helps, and guides CEOs, which tells us the problems he found while talking, teaching, and even personal meeting the hundreds of successful CEOs.
It’s about successful CEOs, who were actually able to succeed because of their competent and superior leadership. This is a remarkable ability.
However, there were some flaws that he was found in common through them, about [relationships with others]. It’s not about skills or abilities, it’s about “bad habits (flaws).” These are almost unconscious habitual behaviors that result in self-defeating of good standing and respect as a CEO. In other words, it was something that CEO should stop to do. Peter Drucker met with many successful CEOs and said, “Now they don’t have to learn more about doing something better, but they need to learn what they stop to do,” which I think is in the same vein.
First of all, they often criticize less brilliant ideas from subordinates when there is a meeting. (just better to listen.) In addition, if employees challenge their CEO’s decision, they should not argue or make excuses. (just better to listen.) And when someone else makes a helpful suggestion, don’t tell them you already know it. (just better saying thank you)
Specifically, 20 common habits (flaws) have been found as follows, and I think our general leader will need them (including myself), so I will summarize and introduce them here. Almost the same things were collected and organized.
First of all, successful CEO always have the idea of winning. Any success is to overstate it. And trying to look smart and wise.
They present too many principles, and they always emphasize them.
It is recognized by the other person that he has no manners because he is stingy in acknowledging or praising what others have done well and does not express gratitude.
He tends to blame everyone but himself, and he wants the other person to apologize to him by insisting that he is not wrong even after making a mistake. They do not admit their mistakes and do not take responsibility. They always want the other person to apologize to him and blame the other person for the bad things in the past.
Furthermore, they often only use pessimistic expressions and always start talking with negative expressions, and use negative expressions unconditionally, and furthermore, angry language too much without asking.
It is said that information that is beneficial to the other party is not distributed.
They treat people unfairly according to their standards, and they become passive in listening without listening well to the other person.
And finally, they don’t recognize the purity of the person trying to help them.
I think there are readers who disagree with the above bad habits. However, it is considered to be a reminder and a warning to us. Some of these were thought to be true of myself. It is believed that it makes sense enough to say that it is not directly related to ourselves, but personally those flaws are acceptable because it is what successful CEOs in the world have in common.■
note)
The above 20 quotes are from the following books:
What Got You Here Won’t Get You There (How successful people become even more successful)by Marshall Goldsmith, (Ⓒ copyright, June 12, 2008)
From the subtitle, “The Twenty Habits That Hold Us Back from the Top” (pp.44-49)
실패는 필요한가?
미국 평신도목회LPMI의 창시자 멜빈목사님은 실패에 대해 글을 쓴 적이 있다. 그는 전제하기를 실패를 안해본 사람은 없다는 것이다. 그러면서 실패로부터 배우면 된다는 것이다. 세상에는 실패해본 사람들도 많고, 또 성공한 사람들도 많다. 그런데 실패한 사람들을 보면 임시적인 실패인 경우가 허다하다.
나는 우리 학교의 한 졸업식에서 학생들께 실패에 대해 가볍게 얘기한적이 있다. 졸업식장에서 너무 세게 하면 아닌것 같아서 살짝 터치만 해주었다. 그러나 집중해서 들었기에 내 뜻은 충분히 전달되었다고 본다. 학생들에게 한 내 얘기의 요지는, “실패는 필요하다”는 것이었다. 굳이 실패는 할 필요가 없지만 실패하게 될 경우에는 받아들이라는 의미였다. 더 나아가 실패가 필요하다는 얘기까지 했다. 그러면서 “실패는 성공의 어머니”라는 말도 해주었다 왠고하니 졸업생들은 이제 사회에 나가면 모든게 다 될것같은 환상(비현실적인)에 사로잡혀 있을수도 있기때문이었다.
예로서 토마스 에디슨: 수많은 실패를 거듭한 후에야 성공을 누린 에디슨은 유년기엔 선생님에게 “뭘 배우기에 너무 멍청하다”는 지적을 받았다. 그러나 지금은 전구를 발명한 에디슨의 이름을 모르는 사람은 없다. 한 번의 성공을 위해 1,001번의 시도가 필요했던 것이다.
월트 디즈니: 세계적인 만화영화 회사 대표도 힘든 시기가 있었다. 그는 1919년에 ‘캔자스시티 스타’ 신문사에서 해고되었는데 이 잡지의 편집장은 디즈니에게 “상상력이 부족하고 쓸만한 아이디어가 없다”고 지적했다.
빈센트 반 고흐: 그의 그림은 현재 몇백, 몇천만 달러를 호가한다. 그러나 그가 살아있었을 때는 아무도 그의 그림에 관심이 없었다. 10년 사이 그는 약 900점의 작품을 만들었는데 딱 한 개만 팔렸다. 그것도 친구에게 매우 싼 가격에…
실패에는 두가지가 있다고 본다. 임시적실패와 영구적실패 (Temporary failure & Permanent failure). 임시적인 실패는 하루 자고 나면 잊어버리게 된다.
그런데 임시적인 실패를 갖고 마치 영구적인 실패자가 된것처럼 자신에게 낙인찍고, 또 때로는 극단적인 선택을 하는 경우도 많다. 임시적인 실패는 어쩌면 축복이요, 기회라고 봐진다. 하나님께서 사랑하는 사람에게는 실패를 허락하신다고 하면 어불성설인가!
더 나아가 실패는 정말 실패자를 만드는것인가? 예로서 신대륙 어메리카를 발견한 이탈리아 탐험가 콜럼부스. 그 때문에 우리는 신대륙에 대해 배우고, 또 알게 되었다. 그러나 사실 그것때문에 감옥에 갇혀서 처형될날만 기다리고 있은 적도 있었다. 마치 실패자로 여겨졌을 것이다. 그러나 이후 그의 이름은 많은 영광을 얻게 되었다. 지역이름으로 그의 이름이 사용되었고, 캐나다에는 British Columbia, 심지어는 현재 미국의 수도인 워싱턴도 공식 명칭은 워싱턴 D.C, 즉, Washington, District of Columbia이라고 씌여진다.
결국 실패자라는 용어는 그리 쉽게 붙여질 호칭이 아니다. 콜럼부스와 같은 경우가 허다하다. 결국 임시적인 실패는 우리에게는, 그리고 미래가 많이 남아있는 젊은이들에게는 꼭 필요한 것이라고 여겨진다.●