Leader's Meeting, Secrets of Maximizing Participation

You know, as we have allowed our arms to be open to larger numbers of people of less spiritual background, the tendency is, the tendency for us is personally, I guess it's to lower our own level of intensity to kind of, you know, fit in with where they are, rather than more greatly intensify our hunger for God and our expression of love for Him so that they'll be drawn up, you see. And it's really clear as she was sharing that, the Lord was just reminding me that Jesus, when He went to the multitudes, went and clearly spoke in parables and simple things and all the kind of stories and things, He said, well, that's not all that profound and spiritual. But He took those times when He went away and just got really intense with God because He knew the capacity of the rest of that crowd to drink Him. It requires of us a discipline, doesn't it, saints? It really does. To be all the more intense about seeking God while we give away to those who are really unschooled and uneducated. Let's sing one more chorus that reminds us of the glory of God together. This is a new one. If you weren't here Wednesday, you don't even know this. So learn it with us. I'm going to keep things in a rather serious note today because I feel we're all in a little bit of a hurry. I feel strongly today that the Lord wants us to tune in on a few things together. It doesn't mean I'm unhappy. Is that okay? Normally, I'll start. We'll try it that way. I think you can still see it. But, you know, first of all, I want to say to you that these have been weeks since about Palm Sunday. What day was that? Wasn't that March? Or was that April 8th, right? That was when Malcolm Smith was here and that week before and then all through Palm Sunday and that week between Easter and so on and all the whole month of April. I've been in an unusual kind of dynamic in my own life about seeing things in the Spirit, seeing things here in our body and yet realizing the frustration. You know, it's like you've had the dream where you're trying to get somewhere and you're in molasses or on a slippery slope and you're just not getting there. And it's been kind of interesting. I've had to finally say, Lord, I'm not going to get there unless you get me there somehow and get us there. And those kind of confessions are tough, aren't they? At our table this morning, some good sharing going on there about one brother was saying how he wanted so badly for his dad to come to Christ. So he'd fly to see him. His dad just had a stroke and was hospitalized and then in a long recovery and was going to see him practically every week with an agenda to get him saved. You ever had that agenda for somebody and they just don't do it? And he said, finally one week I went down with no agenda. I said, Dad, what are you thinking about? He said, Jesus and God. And he met Christ and saved now. And that's kind of how I think. I don't know why God operates that way. I'm going to have a discussion about that. It seems like the more we want it, the more we have to let it go. And I've been finding this to be a point of real growth in my life, just letting go of some things and yet realizing that I believe what the Lord is saying is something he wants to have happen. It's just that he's not going to happen by me trying to make it happen. I won't go over a lot of statistics, but in case you've missed it, and I know we're all busy in our little zones and stuff, but through the month of April, the Lord sent us, I believe it was the Lord, not our marketing because we really didn't have anything but those dumb little cards, over 200 visitors to our church. About 100 of those said they were interested in becoming part of the church. And all the things out there saying that God is sending, God is sending. I mean, Seeker last night was more full than Sunday night. We had 800 people here last night. They were standing around the corners. There's no doubt, brothers and sisters, that God's fulfilling that, his part of the deal. He usually does that. He's doing it. He's sending us. And yet, I shared on a Wednesday night, and again, I know some of you are not able to be consistent. I want to go over this. Numbers are great, and God cares about numbers of people, but I shared on the Wednesday night, if you weren't here, how the Lord broke that down for me as numbers. Remember that? Things that numb our sensitivities. They numb our sensitivities to things like, go ahead, put the first one down there. The needs around us. There's a sense when it's full of people that we're all just going in and out. We're just a big mob, and we don't even know the needs. Another one. To the true condition of people's hearts. It's so easy to be lost in numbers. It's not easy to be lost in a little group. You kind of sense what people are going through. Another one. The spiritual integrity of hearts. How honest are people being with you? That gets lost in numbers. How many of you are aware that all the externals can be right, but in the heart, there can be things that just aren't happening at all? Progress. Some people can sit in a group for years and look. I'm thinking right now of a person who sat here for three years. I think I met Christ here, and I just was a happy person out here week by week. I just found out that now they've moved in with their boyfriend and the whole thing. It's back to where the old life was. Why? Well, because probably, I don't know, but probably it's likely that in the numbers of things, somebody wasn't getting inside there. That's normally what happens. Somebody wasn't personally making that contact. Another thing. The whole issue of reproducing. You see, when there's lots of numbers, it's easy for us out here to just not worry about who's taking care of whom. Who's really reproducing? What impact are you as an individual having? Those kinds of issues get lost when the numbers are growing. Those issues are very evident when the numbers are small. Those are things that you just put your finger on. I want to share with you. You'll see how fresh this is because it's in Jay's home computer. This is my response to those things. Very important. I know you don't have anything to write on, but if you don't write this down, I'll be upset. I have big outlines here, but I don't want to give these to you. This is the freshest stuff. I'm going to do it right now. This I'll come back to, and we'll talk about. Three things we need. We need regenerating relationships. In other words, folks, somehow, somehow, and if one of you out there knows this and is holding it back, God will deal with you. I want to know how is it that we can just worry about, like each one of us, worry about one other person and teach that other person how to worry about another person and teach that other person how to worry about just one. I mean, it would be incredibly impactful. Instead, we have a few that worry about too many, or we have a whole ton who worry about none. When I say worry, I mean help to nurture, help to grow. I mean defining care in that way. Regenerating relationships. I see us trying to do this, but I'm not sure that we really understand how to do it clearly. Focus, focus, focus, focus. By the way, just so you know, the Wednesday night discipling teachings are going to be bringing this out. Then starting May 20th, the Lord's directed me to have the final series of this segment of ministry is going to be on the glory of love. I'm going to really zero in on relational love together. I haven't done that for a year. I felt the Holy Spirit saying that people need to understand love from God's perspective one to another. We'll talk about sacrificial love and radical love and tough love and tender love and Father's love and those kinds of things. We're going to address that, but it's going to take the Lord showing us how we can focus. The second thing that I see is that we need to reestablish, or you could have said reaffirm, common ground. What are the things that we do that we won't sacrifice, we won't surrender no matter how many people come? What are those things? Someone tell me. Like we worship this morning. Where can you do that with other people? At home group? Certainly, hopefully we can do it here. Worship is a unique experience. You don't do that at USX or you don't do it at Boron or Paper Products Unlimited. What's another common ground that we have? We won't ever let go. We won't ever surrender. Prayer. Prayer is something we can't, if we let that go, then I recognize that we are on our own, folks. I don't want to be there. I have to say, I'd give just about anything to have a prayer meeting this size anymore. Morning prayers, it's a faithful band that's maybe 30, 40 people. That's all it is. I don't know what to say about that. There's other little pockets happening, which I'm grateful for, and I think that's good. But we can't let those common ground, those common elements, those threads, we can't let them go. And our new people have to own those. Our new people have to say, hey, this is what the life's about here. I'm going to be part of it. What's another common ground that we have? Yeah, our relational integrity of a small group fellowship band. The elders confronted this in ourselves last summer, and we did something about it. And all the elders have a home group now and are meeting faithfully together. And we pray every Tuesday at 5.30, and that meeting. Yeah, Carl said a.m. And there's not an elder in the place that wouldn't tell you that that's been a transforming time. It's been a faith-building time. I would say that those are the ones. I mean, I don't know anything that's more foundational than those three things. Except that if it's not number four, which would need to be our mission. I mean, we don't exist for ourselves. We exist for mission, for the sake of reaching people. So those are the four things that I would say are indispensable common elements. We can have a singles ministry. We can have over 55. We can have this or that tennis club. We can have seekers. But if we don't do those four things I just described in some way, we're not doing it. Yeah, that's talking about practices that we're doing. Talking about certainly the Word of God is foundational. That's more of a belief issue. Sure, sure. The Word of God is the thread that pulls these together. And we can talk about the Holy Spirit and those other doctrinal things. But talking about common ground practices. All right, and quickly then, and this is the third one for today. I believe that in order to overcome this numbing effect, you need refresh in the Holy Spirit. Very easy to just kind of get dried out in doing this stuff. Why don't you go to Jesus called the Holy Spirit a river of living water. It's flowing, it's gushing, it's flowing. River. I was reading some devotional or something. And the Lord, this was about two weeks ago, on a Friday morning, I shared it in morning prayer. We pray for the Lord to do these things and supply these needs and so on. And interestingly, in your Bibles, if you have your Bible, look with me to Luke chapter 11. There, Luke 11, and listen to verse 11 if you don't have your Bible. 11, 12, and 13. Which of you fathers, if your son asks for a fish, will give him a snake instead? Or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children. There's the whole thing of gifts, all right? The whole thing of needs, the whole thing of individual things. How much more will your Father in Heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him? Now, I've applied that verse in different ways in terms of faith for the baptism of the Spirit, those kind of things. The Lord applied that to my heart recently as what you need more than anything is you need the Holy Spirit. More than the individual gifts, more than the individual needs and answers to pray. You need the Holy Spirit as the supply of life. Jesus said that the Spirit of the Lord has anointing, Luke chapter 4. And when that anointing came upon Him, that was the inauguration of His ministry, was it not? And Jesus said when that took place in Him, that a flow of life began to come out, to preach good news, to proclaim freedom for the prisoners, recovery of sight to the blind, to release the oppressed, and proclaim the year of the Lord's coming. I don't know anything else that our ministry exists to do than those five things. There's healing in there, there's deliverance in there, there's the gospel in there, there's the proclamation of grace in there, and God forbid that we just so slip into our own efforts that we lose the Holy Spirit's enlivened power in our lives. I like to think that that's one thing that's different about our church, that we openly declare that we depend upon the Holy Spirit and look for Him to visit us. In fact, why don't we stand right now and pray for that? In fact, why don't we do it this way? Why don't you join with one or two others and just pray for a fresh anointing of the Spirit of God on your life, alright? And if you have a place where that really needs to happen, share where it is. Go ahead and minister to each other and ask the Holy Spirit to touch your life right now. Go ahead. Join in a two or three. He is the peace. He is the peace. As God our cares are dear, for He cares for you. He is the peace. He is the peace. As God our cares are dear, for He cares for you. He is the peace. He is the peace. Oh, Jehovah Shalom. Lord, when all the uncertainties and frustrations and closed doors seem to arise, be our peace. Lord, when we hit the walls of rejection or frustration, be our peace. Lord, when we know that we're not seeing the fruit that you desire to see born, let us run back to you and be our peace. For, Lord, it's not in our striving, it's not in our pushing, but it's in your power. Not by our miter, by our efforts, but by your Spirit. I pray, Lord, you'd cement that in my heart today and every one of us here. Father, what you've given us as methods and what you've given us as strategies are wonderful, Lord. The secret still is in your Holy Spirit. Be praised. Jesus. Every time you gather for the next month, this month of May, I want you to pray for that. Would you do it? Make a note of that up here and maybe in your trumpet day planners. Pray every day for the Holy Spirit. Pour out a fresh, renewing filling for those who would be open to such. I'm open. Are you open today? I really, I believe it's something God is wanting to do. We're ready for it. Carol and I often joke about the fact that throughout our ministry, there's rarely a time when the Lord just kind of breaks the things out of the way. You know, it's always just sort of dismantles. It just takes one block and then it just kind of rises to the next level. And maybe we're the problem, you know. Maybe we just need to get someone else in there that'll, but all I can tell you is I know how much I want that to happen. Let's be seated for another moment. I want to ask you, anyone who would like to feedback for a moment about what I've shared, and then I'm going to go on and quickly share with you the things that I promised I'd give to you today as secrets of that. In fact, Pastor Scott, if we get some men to help you, let's put these out to everybody. One of each for those. Any questions or comments about what I just shared that you would like to feel addressed the body here with today? I mean, I sense your unity in that, but Charlie? But you won't name him, right? Sometimes Charlie's body's there. When you're reading a word and it says, eyes don't move. I remember I said that two weeks ago, one of the things that pleases God, and that's the last thing I said. It's not the victories, it's the faith. It's persevering. So God said, well, all right, see how you like this. Give us a try. Well, I do think that's where fellowship helps you to ride out those ups and downs that we all go through. All the comments I'm sharing here really are corporately speaking. I see us in the Lord dumping bushels full of fruit, but a lot of it's not abiding fruit. And Jesus clearly said that he wants our fruit to abide. And the reasons I think that is true are some of the things I've shared with you. I think there's a lot of relational things that have to happen far more spontaneously. It's impossible to structure the way we want to, and yet it isn't this group of people as much as it is the next group out there. The hundreds of people that are the next level are what we would call members of the Northwest who haven't quite yet caught the vision. See, folks, where we are now as a church, the issue is the mobilization of the masses of people who call themselves members. That each one of them would find that vision of reproducing themselves. And through their ministry, whether their ministry is in the groundskeeping or the children, that they'd know the vision of caring for another through that ministry. And that's the only way we can grow. That's the only way it'll be personal and can still be functional. It has an important... ...community friendship, just soaking in the Word. You do soak in the Word, but you invest some time in relationships. Even if they're not the relationships that you're wanting to see spread out, even if they're not relationships, you invest where you want to be. I just wanted to share that principle because it was a wonderful reminder for us. If you need love in your life, if you need peace in your life, don't go spend your time on the golf course. Don't withdraw from the body. Start loving. Start bringing peace into people's lives. Start planting what you want to see and are bringing God for. And ultimately, in the right season, we will enjoy the harvest. Look at the sort of... What do you call it? Blue-green sheet? Aqua. Aqua. Thank you. Is this plain blue to you? Let me see that. Careful. Look at that. All right. Here's a few things that need to undergird your thinking as you address people. Now, when I'm talking about maximum participation, this can apply to a home group leader and how he or she develops participative attitudes. So everyone in your ministry is participating. You can talk about youth staff people. It can apply to a children's ministry person. It certainly can apply to anyone who has responsibility over a group of people. That's who this will apply to. If you have a discipleship group, if you have a overhead ministry group, whatever you might have. All right? Here's my assumptions. This is what I think we believe these things sort of foundationally. And this is important because if you don't believe this, then you'll be off on the wrong track. Number one, people really want to obey Jesus. In other words, that's different from us thinking that they don't want to do it. They really want to do something with their lives and they want to obey the Lord. Should we take a vote on that? Sometimes you feel like they don't, don't you? You feel like, oh, I've got to drag this person. I've got to bug them. But I think fundamentally they do. What we have to do for them is to remove the obstacles in their lives. We have to help simplify. And I do think that that continues to be a scary reality in our church. We have to simplify and focus and help people say, this is what you do well and keep encouraging them to do it because we know they really want to. Most people who are born again and filled with the Spirit really know that that's something that gives them joy and peace and they want to do it. And if we have to continue to say, do it, do it, do it, do it, then I would suggest that that's the wrong person in that role. I'll talk a little bit about that. Number two, God's rule, that is the kingdom of God, is the primary mission and issue of church life. Now hold on to this one. It is not self-preservation. And it's not church programs. Understand what I'm saying here is, we don't exist just, and we don't go out to get people so the home group ministry or the harvest ministry or the music ministry can keep doing its stuff. That's very important. The primary assumption is that our role is to keep bringing the rule of God to the needs of the world. So therefore, if a ministry is not doing that and all we're doing is dragging people in to keep the ministry going, people keep quitting, people keep dropping out, then I would say we better look at whether or not that ministry is fulfilling the primary mission. And that happens sometimes. The programs that we structure, the things that we do are a means to an end. What is the end? The kingdom of heaven is at hand. The rule of God is being extended. It's very important. Some churches sometimes just keep finding volunteers and recruits so that they can perpetuate that program. I want you to know, when that has to happen, I'm going to let it die. Who's that, Tony? All right, that's very good. In fact, if you'll hold that thought, Tony, you'll see me come to it at the end of the page here. All right, number three. Third assumption is quality leads to quantity. Jesus said it this way, if you're faithful in small things, I'll make you faithful in great. You know, if you just keep tuning what you're doing with your small home group, it will become a large home group and eventually multiply itself. If you just keep improving the excellence and the quality of it, it will grow. People are attracted to it, and I'll tell you why. Number four, commitment to excellence releases confidence. People can be relaxed when they know that things are done well. In other words, what's one of the fears about getting involved in something? You're going to get dumped with it all, and it's going to fall on your shoulders, and all of a sudden, you're going to carry the burden. People want to be successful, and they want to do a good job. Remember, they want to obey Jesus, but they think, oh, you're just going to unload on them. And when things are kind of slipshod and thrown together, and you're getting last-minute calls from your home group leader, would you do this for me, or could you take care of that, and it doesn't seem like it's very well put together, that tends to send a message, folks, that keeps people from stepping into it and embracing it. We've joked here. Some months ago, I showed the staff an article that was in, I think, Newsweek, about why people go to Disney World. Probably most of you have heard this. As they polled all the people that came to Disney World, the number one reason wasn't Mickey Mouse, wasn't Space Mountain, wasn't the Nautilus or anything. What was it? It was clean. It was cleanliness. The number one reason. I know. Some of you husbands are looking at your wife and saying, see, that's why no one ever comes to visit us, honey. No. It's cleanliness. Think about it. Have you ever been to Disney World or Disneyland? How long does it take for someone to pick up a piece of paper? It's like they come up out of the pavement and back down again. Number one reason. A couple of things. You think about it. Unfortunately, none of our custodial staff are here. They've heard this already. People, when they see that it's clean, what do they think? It's safe. It's well managed. It's in order. There's one person I heard say recently when I taped it, if they're out there putting all that effort into picking up the trash, I know the roller coaster is not going to go off the end of the track because they're taking care of those things too. Frankly, those kinds of details and things, people pick up on that. You don't see it, but it really does free them then to open up and trust. I just want to encourage you, if you want to build a ministry and you want to get people involved, then keep looking for ways to increase excellence. It helps people feel safe. They say they want to be there. By that, I mean don't think that it doesn't matter if you're not organized. You just sit down and wing it. People pick up on that right away. If you haven't gotten your ducks in a row for your times of gathering, and soon, it isn't long. You can get away with it once in a while, but it won't be long before they'll pick up on it. Number five. We have to train our people that being involved in ministry is serving Jesus. It's not serving North Way. It's not serving Jay or you. Ministry is serving Jesus. You say, well, that might be true if you're preaching or giving a Bible study. It's not true if you're doing nursery duty. Oh, yes, it is. One of the greatest ways to help people in your ministry is to feel part of it, to help them to see that whatever they do, Colossians 317, do all unto the Lord with thanksgiving. It's unto Him. It's His offering that you're giving to them. If you make it the project or the goal, that eventually will lose its shine. By the way, a corollary to that is who's going to reward them then? Jesus will reward them. I've recently alluded to how many times that has touched lives. Number six. There are different levels of commitment and calling. Not everyone that you work with will be as committed as the next person, and that can be frustrating. Your level of commitment is obviously very high. You wouldn't be here. But some of the people that you work with won't be that committed. They'll give you a certain number of hours a week, and it'll frustrate you because you see all their potential, but they'll say, no, I've got all these other things I'm into, and that's all I'm going to give you. And maybe it just might be that that's all that God's really called them to do. And even though you see more potential, if you've pressed on it a little while and nothing opens up, then you're wiser just to accept that. I used the numbers there. There was 120 in the upper room. There was the 70 that Jesus sent out. There was the 12 close apostles, and there was the three who were, I mean, intimate. You would do well to see that within your ministry area, you might have, Bill, two or three volunteers that are really calling to me to that ministry, but you might have another seven or eight that are there but not quite as sold out. Don't put them down for that is what I'm saying, but put your energies into the ones that are calling committed because they will reproduce themselves more likely than not. And one final assumption is, and this is what Tony was saying, and brother, I guess you probably read this. That's how you got all this, right? Obviously, he knows what he's talking about. Personal relationship is the basis of all successful ongoing ministry participation. Let me step out from behind the curtain here. Ushers, how many ushers are here? Bill? Okay. Ken, George, Sean. Really, what your ushers want is to be part of a team. I mean, they like the idea that they're serving the Lord, but they want to think that they're doing it as part of a team, that we could be the best ushering team, that we as brothers and sisters can share some things together. Music ministry. I mean, you go right down the line. What we people really want to know is that they're important to some other people. And if they're not there, they're missed. If something's not happening in their life, that someone cares about that. And it isn't really the achievement. Well, I managed to see 27 people today. It doesn't float their boat very long. But to know that they're important, they identify. That's really what it's about. And I'll tell you why I believe this so strongly, is because I think the Gospels tell us this. Those disciples were bonded together, weren't they? They were knit together. And it wasn't going out and delivering and healing and saving. It was the bonding together. And I suppose that some of us know that sense of belonging. That's a great gift, isn't it? So I assume that. That's an assumption. That's something I believe that we need to kind of foster and promote. All right. We've got eight minutes to finish. Let's stand up. It's shoulder rub time. Face Mo, Curly, and Larry over here. And let's... All right, reverse. All right. Very quickly, any feedback on that list? Let's put them all up again, Virginia. Any feedback or improvements? Any thoughts you want to add? Called and committed? Now you just have to live it out. Have you ever watched people come into worship and they're looking for somebody? It's a very strange kind of dynamic that happens. I mean, it doesn't matter how glorious the anointing is up there. They're looking for that one person that they know that's maybe saving them a seat or said they were going to meet him there. And it all has to do with that tremendous thing in us that needs to belong. And really, the secret of getting people involved in whatever ministry you have is helping them know they belong there. It's what their fashion... Maybe it's just for a season. Maybe it's only for six months or a year. But maybe it's for the rest of their life. All right. Let me touch real quickly then. And I'll honor your 10 o'clock. Number one, suggestions for maximizing participation. I've given you the assumptions. The basic things that I believe are foundational. These next few things very quickly. Establish the foundation with them. Now, let's say that right now, for example, out of each Discovering the Way, we have anywhere from 20 to 30 people who say to us, I want to get involved. I just had 30 people in my house last... April the 7th, whatever it was. Scott has... How many tomorrow? 25 or so. So, consistently. And we have a list. And they say, we want to be involved. And you're going to be, through the ministry staff, you're going to know who these people are and you're going to have the opportunity to meet with them and talk with them. Here's what I would tell you to do. Number one, if you want to get them involved and participating, establish the foundation by defining the expectation. Tell them what you hope they will do as part of your ministry. Virginia has the overhead ministry. She would say, well, I am counting on you to do these things, to be at this one particular service every week at a certain time and do these things when you get there. I'm always counting on you and being a training meeting once a month or whatever it is. But they need to know, and we're not very good at this yet, we're getting there, but I think it's even a good idea to write it out. Here it is. So then, if they're in for youth ministry, they say, well, I see. You want me to come every Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday night. I have Sunday off, right? Well, it's basically what it is. It's a job description. It's a ministry function description. It helps you. Invest an hour or half an hour to write it out for whatever your ministry might be. If it's an assistant home group leader, write it down. If you don't know how to do it, ask your district elder. If he doesn't know how to do it, we better pray. Okay. It's in your manuals, alright? Number two, then, define the relationship. Tell the person what you will be to them. And see, here's where you start to take the job and you make it personal. I will be here for you. I am available in these times for you. I will help train you in doing this. I will be beside you. If it's an overhead person, I'll be right there beside you the first time you do it so that when, you know, Jay scowls at you, you'll know he doesn't mean it. Alright? Whatever it might be. I'll be there with you. But define your relationship. Tell them exactly what they can expect of you. And that'll be important to them. And then, number three, define the purpose. Show them how what they're going to do is going to contribute to God's purposes here. I mean, sometimes if you just ask a person to, you know, let's, you know, think of a job no one wants. Let's think of one. The parking lot ministry. Alright? Although, I have to say, Dave Erdner's done a great job in the last, hasn't he? The last five, six months to improve that. And, I'll tell you, that's not a difficult one for me to give people eight or ten reasons how that job contributes to the purpose of extending the kingdom of God. When it's done well, it's a big plus. When it's done poorly, or not at all, folks, people just drive right by. You won't, because you'll fight for a seat. But, most people who are trying to win will go somewhere else where there's lots of parking. Even if it's dead. Did I ever tell you that statistic that the average baby boomer who goes to church for the first, who's been out of church for ten years or more, when they go back the first time and it's a negative experience, they