by Bob D’Ambrosio
A – Assign teams…Create teams to oversee each ministry and model the value of teamwork.
B – Build on a biblical foundation…Teach believers that discipleship involves the process of discovering and using our God-given gifts and abilities.
C – Create a volunteer-friendly culture…Motivate, encourage, equip, and assist people as they connect to a group or ministry role.
D – Delegate ministry responsibilities…Give volunteers opportunities to be involved in significant ministry functions.
E – Energize your team through affirmation…Lift people up with words, praise their efforts, and encourage them in their gifts.
F – Focus on the vision…Continually cast the vision of the ministry to keep people inspired.
G – Give it time… Allow time to build a church culture that supports the values of equipping and empowering people for ministry.
H – Have fun…We give you permission to lighten up and not take yourself—or the demands of ministry—too seriously.
I – Identify the uniqueness of people…Help people discover their gifts, talents, experiences, passions, and abilities to find their place in the body of Christ.
J – Join a community…Find a support network of other equipping leaders or connect with us on our Refresh the Church Facebook page. We’re all in this together.
K – Keep a positive attitude…You can’t control what happens; you can only control how you respond to what happens.
L – Lead from your strengths…Effective ministry leaders maximize and develop their strengths and learn to manage their weaknesses.
M – Mobilize people…Create a discovery process to help people understand their gifting and uniqueness for placement in an area of serving, community, or training.
N – Notice the progress…Constantly affirm the value of change, and the people who are making the change possible.
O – Organize your connecting systems…Evaluate how you move people from sitting to serving and fine-tune the systems needed.
P – Prepare people for ministry…Teach the biblical foundation for serving so people understand that God calls and equips us to serve.
Q – eQuip God’s people for works of service… Ephesians 4:12 directs us to prepare God’s people for works of service. No one-man bands!
R – Recognize people for what they do…Give recognition to cheer people toward faithful service.
S – Stay the course…Don’t give up on God, his church, people, your vision, or yourself.
T – Talk openly…Fearless conversation is vital within your team, congregation, and with other church leaders to overcome challenges and move forward.
U – Utilize available resources…Invest in resources that develop you as a leader and empower your team.
V – Value people…Avoid the rookie-leader mistake of assuming your people know how important they are to the mission or how much you appreciate them.
W – Worry less; pray more…Find a prayer partner who can help you leave the details and pressures of ministry in God’s hands and will remind you that God is in control.
X – be eXternally focused…When a church is internally strong it can be externally focused.
Y – take care of Yourself…Prioritize your personal spiritual growth and self-care.
Z – add some daZzle to your ministry…As representatives of the Great Dazzler, we should strive to live lives that wow people for Jesus in our community, our worship, and daily interactions.
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