Bill Easum – Developing An Equipping Culture
What is a Culture of Equipping?
- Occurs when leaders live for making sure everyone is serving others at every level of the church
- Mobilizing the congregation is the goal, not filling volunteer slots
Biblical Foundation
- Ephesians 4:11-12
- The only biblical role of the pastor is to equip the church.
- John 21
- The role of the shepherd was 3-fold
- Keep the sheep mobile to find good pasture
- don’t focus on building
- keep fed to make more sheep
- Get the sheep into pastures where they can reproduce
- Protect the sheep from the wolves
The Way Jesus Lived Is Our Model
- His legacy was eleven men who would change the world
- His model was to hang out with them and share himself
- His plan included:
- Spending time ith a small, diverse group
- Choosing leaders based on character and giftedness
- Not woking with everyone nor treating everyone the same
- Singling out people to mentor
- The rule of 10-12
Leadership In A Culture Of Equipping
DNA Must First Be In Place
- Jesus shared his DNA with the disciples
- We must share a clear, simple statement of why our church exists
- Must be owned and managed throughout the congregation
When DNA Is In Place
- Leaders are able to articulate it
- Organization is structured and budgeted around it
- All staff should know how and if God has called them to this DNA
- Staff is hired on the basis of being an equipper
Definition Of Leadership
- It is not in what leaders accomplish but what they cause to happen in the lives of other people
Two Metaphors To Explain
- Think spiritual mid-wife
- Think Coach and Scout
- You Get What You Look For
- Don’t Think Player
- Most staff want to play the game rather than coach people to play
Different Levels Of Leadership
- Leader of leaders
- Leaders of systems
- Leaders of major ministries
- Leaders of programs
- Leaders of committees
- Apprentices in training
- Visitors
A Big Step Toward Equipping
- Let go of actual ministry and move from a “doer” to an “equipper”
- Focus on your “To Be” list rather than your “To Do” list
You Are The Curriculum
Hostage To Teaching Content
- Westerners are hostage to content
- Discipleship isn’t something that can be taught in a classroom
- Christians were first called “followers of the Way” not “People of the Book”
The Two Tracks Of Equipping
- Intentional Modeling
- Modeling, mentoring, coaching
- Content training
- Cognitive training and actual equipping
The BIG Question
- How much time do I spend mentoring future leaders and holding our present leaders accountable?
Equipping Systems
Think Incubator
- People need a warm, welcoming, safe place to grow and mature
You Need A Farm System
- An intentional process that takes people from the market place to the mission field
- A process of watching how people serve in small ministries to move them to greater ministries
- New Hope Christian Fellowship
Farm System Requirements
- A system is in place for:
- Identifying
- Inviting
- Equipping
- Deploying
- Coaching
The Staff Meeting
- Focusing on the “To Be” list
Equipping Staff Meetings Are Different
- They focus on people not programs
- The “To Be” list replaces the “to do” list
Questions Asked At The Meeting
- Who have you added this week to your “to be” list?
- Who have you taken off and why?
- What new guest did you meet this week and what did you learn that we need to know?
- Who is new in the small group ministry and how many new apprentices this week?
- Have the new members this month found their way into the community?
- What are you doing to improve your spiritual health?
Changing The Culture
- Step One – Assess The Church
- What is the current culture of the church?
- How is our culture communicated?
- How does our existing program emphasis reflect our culture?
- What and where is our readiness for change?
- Step Two – Envisioning The Future
- Where do we want to go?
- Who do we want to be?
- Who needs to be involved in formulating the vision?
- Who needs to own the vision?
- Who is responsible and capable of communicating and expanding the vision?
- Step Three – Embody Values
- How do we incarnate our values?
- Where do we need to change/grow?
- How do we facilitate change in our leadership team?
- Step Four – Strategize
- How do we reach our desired future state?
- How do we move churchwide culture toward the vision?
- Step Five – Prepare The Foundation
- How do we lay the Biblical framework and foundation for the vision within the church?
- Step Six – Cast The Vision
- How do we share the vision with the church body so each person can see his or her place in it?
- Step Seven – Affirm Models
- What good models/examples are there within our church to affirm?
Building The System
- Step One – Vision, Strategy, and Team
- What and why are we building?
- What is the vision for gift-based ministry?
- Who am I as a leader?
- What do I bring to the ministry?
- What do I need to take care of myself?
- Where are we now?
- What is in place for:
- Identifying
- Recruiting
- Discovering
- Equipping
- Matching
- Deploying
- Coaching
- Affirming
- Who are the builders?
- How do we select and build the equipping ministry teams?
- Where do we go from here?
- Vision casting and strategic planning
- How do we work together?
- Team dynamics
- Step Two – Integrate
- How do we integrate equipping ministry into our existing church systems?
- What might be the barriers?
- What and who are we willing to lose?
- Step Three – Support Systems
- What software do we need?
- What will be the office strategy?
- Step Four – Connecting
- How will we identify and recruit?
- How do we identify the gifts and match?
- Step Five – Equipping Systems
- Training
- Affirmation
- Feedback
- Evaluation
- Leadership development multiplication
- Recognition and reflection