Do You Have The Right Voices Around You? - Part 2
By Nathan Camp
(THIS IS PART 2 IN A SERIES. TO SEE PART ONE - CLICK HERE)
As we said last time, Pastoring is hard work!
And no one can do it alone!
To be successful in ministry, there are going to have to be more voices involved in your life then just yours. In our last blog post, we talked about how critical it is to have the right board of directors.
It is your board of directors voice that will play a vital role in the times when ministry is the hardest. The questions we need to ask is: Do I have the right voices on my board of directors?
From my own personal experience, I have found that Pastor's need 3 voices on their board of directors.
3 Voices Every Pastor Needs to Hear:
1. The Voice of Encouragement
As I said before, every pastor is going to have those “low days”. These are days when it would be easier to quit than to fight. As a young church planter, I knew I needed the voice of encouragement!
Did you know that the word encourage means to give courage, give confidence, give hope?
An encouraging voice is one that will leave you with a mounting sense that God’s presence is with you; of His promises for you; and the unmistakeable truth that “If God is for me, who can be against me"?
We all need voices in our lives that encourage us!
The first change I made to my board of directors was add the voice of encouragement. I found a few friends who were encouraging voices in my life and added them to my board of directors. The change was immediately evident. Instead of walking away from board meetings discouraged, I walked away with a spring in my step and faith in my heart. As I would lay out the plans that God had put in my heart, my new board members would beging to speak encouragement over me and the vision. This was a breathe of fresh air to both me and my ministry.
Do you have the voice of encouragement on your board? Here are some questions to help you recognize this voice.
Who on your board is the voice of encouragement?
Who fires you up?
Who gets your blood pumping again for the vision?
Who is “holding up your hands” during battle?
Whoever those people are; put them on your board of directors. As a pastor, it is critical to your success that you have a Voice of Encouragement in your board.
2. The Voice of Faith
Pastoring, especially church planting, is a leap of faith. As a church planter, you are living for a vision that does not yet exist outside the heart of God. You live by faith, walk by faith, and preach by faith. For church planters, faith is an everyday need.
Do you have the Voice of Faith on your board of directors?
I love the story in the Old Testament where Jonathan and his armor bearer take on a whole army of Philistine soldiers. In this story, Jonathan is getting ready to pick a fight with his enemy, but there is only two of them and many of the enemy. At that point, Jonathan’s armor bearer is probably looking at Jonathan and thinking “How can we win with so many to fight?” I love when Jonathan says, “God can win by many or by few!” They went on to gain a great victory over their enemy that day.
Jonathan gave us a great illustration of the voice of FAITH!
As a church planter, there will be many times when you will feel out-numbered, out- gunned, and out-manned! When the vision will seem to be too much. It is at this point that you need to surround yourself with the VOICE OF FAITH!
When you go to your Board of Directors with a vision to gain a great victory for the kingdom, how does your Board respond? Do they tell you reasons why it can’t be done? Or do they speak words of faith like Jonathan, reminding you that God can win by many or by few?
Again, there are few things as important in the life of your ministry as your board of directors.
Make sure one of them is the voice of Faith.
3. The Voice of Wisdom
The truth is we need more then just the voice of encouragement and the voice of faith on our board. We also need the voice of wisdom.
I believe that there is a need for a two-fold wisdom for board members.
A. The Wisdom of this World
At StartCHURCH, there probably isn't a day that goes by that we don't speak to a church or ministry that is not compliant legally with the laws of the land. These churches and ministries have been going for months, some for years, and are violating the law, putting all they have worked so hard for in jeopardy. And most of the time, the issue isn't a desire to break the law, but a lack of wisdom about how to lead their church legally.
But, this isn't an area that can be overlooked. To represent Jesus correctly in our world, we need to adhere to the laws of the land. In doing so, we show, not only a faithfulness to the vision God has given us, but an faithfulness to integrity as well.
Many churches don't have this voice easily accessible to them. At StartCHURCH, we have packages that allow your church or ministry to have a compliance audit to find out if you are compliant or not. If you would like to know more about that service, please give us a call at 770-638-3444 or send us an email at support@startchurch.com
B. The Wisdom of God
I want to emplore you to look for board members who have more than just a sense of intelligence and the knowledge of this world. The voice of wisdom is also one that knows not only the heart of man, but also the heart of God. These are men and women who have the ability to discern the seasons of your ministry and help you see the big picture of what God is doing in and through you and help you make decisions with the lens of the heart of God.
I love to hear a board member say, “I feel like the Lord’s will is...” or “ It seems right to the Holy Spirit to...”
This is showing the wisdom of God. It is showing an ability to discern the will of the Lord, and every pastor knows, that is the deciding factor in church planting.
Having someone who is both wise in the world, but is also wise in the Father’s business is a major value to your board of directors.
Conclusion
There are few things as important to the life of your ministry as your Board of Directors.
This is the point where the streams of ministry and administration cross paths. It’s here that your Board of Directors really comes into play, and you find out if you have the right or wrong board.
As you close your books for 2010 and look into 2011, I want to encourage you to take a close look at the voices around you, especially those on your board.
Do you have the right voices in your life?
Every pastor needs the voice of Encouragement, Faith, and Wisdom. Do you have the right voices around you?
Let Us Know If We Can Help
If you find yourself in the position of needing to add or remove board members, StartCHURCH is here to help. These types of changes in your board of directors must be made in accordance with your Constitution and Bylaws. If you would like us to review these documents, or if you need these documents created, please give us a call at 770-638-3444.