I submitted the following thoughts in the Star Herald a few weeks ago; I submit them for those of you who may have missed it.
Please allow me to share one more reflection of the effects of the ice storm in March. As devastating as the ice storm seemed at the time, it’s amazing to see how the trees have filled in so nicely. For the most part, it’s hard to tell we even had the storm, although occasionally I still see a dead branch in a tree that hasn’t fully detached. The broken and dead branches are still attached to the trees, but the breaks were severe enough to stop the nutrients from getting to the branches or the leaves, and therefore the branches have died.
As I think about it, those dead or dying branches are like many people who claim to be Christians. I think you will agree. See, there are many people who claim to follow Jesus, yet if you were to look at their lives, it would appear they are spiritually dead.
Rarely, if ever, do they gather for corporate worship. They have little peace or joy. They pick and choose who they will love. They refuse to participate in ministry in the kingdom of God and they’re stingy when it comes to sharing their financial resources to help others. Like the branches, they claim they are part of the church, but in reality they bear no fruit because they are spiritually dead.
Jesus warned the disciples of the same tragedy on the night before he was crucified. Seizing a teaching moment, he said to them, I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful… Remain in me, and I will remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me. “I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. If anyone does not remain in me, he is like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned.” John 15:1-6
Jesus is like the tree in my neighbor’s yard and God the Father is the tree trimmer who cares for the branches to make them fruitful. The branches are all those who claim to be followers of Jesus. The fruitful branches that are bearing the fruit of the Spirit are true believers who are actively involved in a relationship with Christ. But those who are like dead branches—those who don’t stay connected through prayer, Bible study, and acts of service or who turn their back on God after something bad happens to them—will be cut off from the tree. Jesus warns that those branches will be removed and destroyed.
When reflecting on my life, there are still branches that God continually prunes because they aren’t bearing fruit—maybe you have some dead branches as well. Unlike a tree branch, the good news for you and me is that our branches can be revived. Just get on your knees and reattach yourself to the true vine. Share with Jesus why you’ve detached yourself from him. Open yourself to his Word and let him begin pouring his life into yours which will produce a harvest of righteousness.
May it be said of ARC that we are people who abide in the true vine.

Remaining in Him, Mike

Vicki and I had the pleasure this past Sunday of going on a picnic in the park with Mitchell and Traci and our granddaughter, Rilyn. Rilyn is two and half years old and just loves going to the “powk” and was so excited to play on the playground equipment. On our drive to the park we told Rilyn we were going to eat lunch first before we played, so when we arrived we found a couple of picnic tables in the shade near the “elephant slide.” While we were setting the table with Vicki’s mouthwatering fried chicken, corn on the cob, cheesy potatoes and raspberry cheese cake, Rilyn kept begging to go down the elephant slide just one time. And, although we had firmly established no play until we finished eating, “gwampa” caved into Rilyn’s request to go down the slide.

After we had finished eating, we told Rilyn that she could play anywhere in the park as long as she stayed inside of the road. So, the fun began. With great joy and energy Rilyn ran from one piece of playground equipment to the next—a few minutes on this swing and then on to the next. Then she wanted to try the monkey bars and next on to the curvy slide until she noticed the big lion with the open mouth drinking fountain; it was time to play in the water. Next, all the way to the east side of the park to play in the sand volley ball court, for two hours she just ran from one thing to the next; it was so much fun to watch her and to play with her.

As I reflected on Rilyn’s desire to run from one fun thing to the next, I thought of the person who once shared the illustration with me that being in God’s will is like playing on the playground. I often meet people who struggle with knowing if they are doing what God wants them too. I’ve come to believe that God isn’t as interested in what we do as he is about our behavior wherever we are playing or working. Just like we didn’t care whether Rilyn played on the swing, or the slide, or in the sand, as long as she was kind to the other kids and stayed within the boundaries of the park, so too, I believe God’s will has more to do with how we work and play with others.

Yes, I believe there are times like with Abraham, Jonah, and Paul that God has a specific place and assignment for us to carry out, but for the most part we are free to roam in his kingdom to enjoy the passions he’s placed on our heart.

My prayer is that you are truly enjoying the freedom of living in God’s kingdom—enjoying the variety of opportunities for work and play on your journey with the circle of influence and with God. Like David when writing Psalm 119, may you feel the joy and peace of living in the center of God’s will, “I grasp and cling to whatever you tell me; God, don’t let me down! I’ll run the course you lay out for me if you’ll just show me how. God, teach me lessons for living so I can stay the course. Give me insight so I can do what you tell me—my whole life one long, obedient response. Guide me down the road of your commandments; I love traveling this freeway!“ Grace and peace to you, Mike

One of the daily e-newsletters I get is from Outreach Magazine. The newsletter is usually filled with great ideas for reaching out to the unchurched. This week for something different, I’m including Thom Rainer’s 10 Commandments of Guest-Friendly Churches. Thom S. Rainer is the president and CEO of LifeWay Christian Resources Outreach Magazine. I thought the following insights are a great reminder for all of us.
Thom writes, I travel a lot and spend a lot of time in different churches. I have had a church consulting firm that did “guest” visits as part of our services. Sadly, many times I do not feel welcome as a guest when I visit churches.
The Bible is replete with admonitions of hospitality and servanthood. I just wish our church members understood that the servant-like spirit should also be manifest when we gather to worship. Guests are often uncomfortable, if not intimidated, when they visit a church. We are to be gracious and sacrificial servants to them.
In response to this need for more guest-friendly church members, I have devised the 10 greatest needs, at least from my perspective. I will reticently call them “commandments” and throw in a little King James English for effect.
1. Thou shalt pray for people in the services whom you don’t recognize. They are likely guests who feel uncomfortable and uncertain.
2. Thou shalt smile. You only have to do so for about an hour. Guests feel welcome when they see smiling people. You can resume your somber expressions when you get home.
3. Thou shalt not sit on the ends of the rows. Move to the middle so guests don’t have to walk over you. You’ll survive in your new precarious position.
4. Thou shalt not fill up the back rows first. Move to the front so guests don’t have to walk in front of everyone if they get there late.
5. Thou shalt have ushers to help seat the guests. Ushers should have clearly marked badges or shirts so that the guests know who can help them.
6. Thou shalt offer assistance to guests. If someone looks like they don’t know where to go, then they probably don’t know where to go. Get out of your comfort zone and ask them if you can help.
7. Thou shalt not gather too long in your holy huddles. Sure, it’s OK to talk to fellow members, but don’t stay there so long that you are not speaking to guests.
8. Thou shalt offer your seats to guests. I know that this move is a great sacrifice, but that family of four can’t fit in the three vacant seats next to you. Give it a try. You might actually feel good about your efforts.
9. Thou shalt not save seats. I know you want to have room for all of your friends and family, but do you know how a guest feels when he or she sees the vacant seats next to you occupied by three hymnals, one Bible, two coats and an umbrella? You might as well put a “Do Not Trespass” sign on the seats.
10. Thou shalt greet someone you don’t know. Yes, it’s risky. They may actually be members you don’t know. And you may get caught in a 45-second conversation. You’ll be OK; I promise.
May we never forget that part of the reason we exist is to glorify God by helping other people feel the love of Christ. Thou shalt love one another! Mike

I’d like to begin this article by saying thanks to the 47 people who came out for the Congregational Discovery Workshop. Although our time was a bit hurried, I found it to be a rich time of discovering where we see God at work. I was especially blessed to hear your stories of the awesome works God has been doing in and through the ministry of the American Reformed Church over the past 58 years.
For those who weren’t able to make it, please allow me to give you a brief summary of the workshop. First, we spent time in our table groups sharing stories of where we saw God at work in the past. Reflecting on the timeline that was assembled by the Refocusing Initiative back in 2000, participants shared their stories of how ARC was started, how the church got its name, how you grew through adversity, and ways in which they experienced the transforming power of the Holy Spirit.
Then each of the seven groups were encouraged to list highlights of the past 11 years along with giving it a title and identifying what you learned about God, about yourselves, and what he wanted to do through your lives. A few examples of the titles defining 2000-2011 were “Expanding Our Reach”, “Trial by Fire”, and “Growing Pains”. Highlights included Pastor Dave’s ministry, the birth of New Life Celebration Church,” the beginning of small groups through the 40 Days of Purpose, changes in worship, increased desire to reach out into the community, and the new building addition.
Next we spent some time identifying the current state of the ministry. We reflected on our success in living out the ministry values established in 2000 and noted that many of the goals that were set have been met. I shared with the group that counting attendance on Sunday morning and the weekly offering totals were an inaccurate means of determining the health of our church and shared my fear that the Church in America has been losing its focus.
Using Jesus’ special message to the seven churches in Asia Minor as our “scorecard,” we read through the seven passages from Revelation 2-3 in order to make a comparison of which church ARC most closely resembles. The overwhelming consensus was that ARC most closely resembles the churches in Sardis and Laodicea. (I would encourage you to read what Jesus had to say about those two churches). We concluded the second portion of the workshop with prayer celebrating the “good deeds” we have been doing, but also asking God to grant us repentance for our “spiritual luke-warmness and lifelessness”.
For the remainder of our time, which I will be communicating in greater detail in the future, we focused on where we see God at work ahead of us. Having identified wealth, busyness, traditionalism, ignorance, and deception as obstacles to why we lack spiritual fervor, we expanded our “collection of intentional decisions” we must make in order to give us the best chance to be more fruitful in the kingdom of God. We experienced the power of the Holy Spirit speaking through many people as they shared what they believed are the next steps God is calling us to take. In summary, many of these insights had to do with how we develop disciples.
I am truly grateful for those who so eagerly engaged the process. Although, I will say I was a bit surprised that other than a couple of individuals, there were no participants between the ages of 16-40. I’m not quite sure how to interpret your absence. Regardless, like Paul, “Being confident of this, that he who began the good work in us will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus!”
Soli Deo gloria, Mike

In his book the Advantge, Patrick Lencioni writes about the importance of Creating Clarity within an organization. Creating clarity is all about achieving alignment so as to minimize any possibility of confusion or disorder that might negatively impact our ministry. Lencioni would go on to suggest if leaders are going to bring clarity to their organization, then they must agree on the answer to these six questions: Why do we exist? How do we behave? What do we do? How will we succeed? What is most important, right now? And, who must do what?
Over the past few weeks I have addressed the first two questions, why do we exist and how do we behave. This week we will look at what is most important right now and who must do what. But first, let me remind you of the Congregational Discovery Workshop set for Tuesday night July 16 at 7:00. I truly believe that God speaks through the whole body in regards to where he is at work. I would feel blessed if you made it a priority to join us, and don’t forget to bring your “collection of intentional decisions” (See last week’s Nectar for the Soul article).
Then once we’ve assembled our collection ideas, we proceed to answer question number five: What is most important right now? What Lencioni suggests next is to take the ideas and lump them into three categories. For example, we could take all of the ideas and filter them through the three growth areas approved by the General Synod: Transformation in Christ, Equipping Emerging Leaders and Engaging in Mission. Then once we’ve categorized the ideas, the staff and Consistory would choose what we believe is the top priority to focus on in the next year.
Next, when the top priority is identified, Lencioni then suggests making it “The Rally Cry.” The rallying cry becomes the thematic goal answering the question, what is most import right now. Let’s just say through this process we discerned what is most important right now is that “we must identify and counter the obstacles to becoming equipped ambassadors and fishers of men.” That decision then becomes the rally cry for the next nine months to a year. So within the everyday activities of this ministry we would focus on equipping each other to become ambassadors and fishers of men.
Then once the rally cry has been identified, next the Consistory would begin to answer the sixth question: Who must do what? The Consistory would determine what team or committee or types of people would be most equipped and effective in helping us reach our new goal. And when that decision is made, the staff would be available to help equip and support. The rally cry or the thematic goal must become the collective responsibility of the leadership team.
In a small way this method reminds me of the process Nehemiah used to rebuild the wall around Jerusalem. After examining the devastation to the walls of Jerusalem, Nehemiah gave this report, “Face it: we’re in a bad way here. Jerusalem is a wreck; its gates are burned up. Come—let’s build the wall of Jerusalem and not live with this disgrace any longer.” I told them how God was supporting me and how the king was backing me up.
They said, “We’re with you. Let’s get started.” They rolled up their sleeves, ready for the good work” (Nehemiah 2:17-18).
May it be said of us that we are always willing and ready to adjust to where God is at work.
Soli Deo gloria, Mike

In his book the Advantge, Patrick Lencioni writes about the importance of Creating Clarity within an organization. Creating clarity is all about achieving alignment so as to minimize any possibility of confusion or disorder that might negatively impact our ministry. Lencioni would go on to suggest if leaders are going to bring clarity to their organization, then they must agree on the answer to these six questions: Why do we exist? How do we behave? What do we do? How will we succeed? What is most important, right now? And, who must do what?
Over the past few weeks I have addressed the first two questions, why do we exist and how do we behave. This week we will look at what do we do and how will we succeed.
First, what do we do? Lencioni suggests that this is the easiest of the six questions to answer and requires the least amount of time to address. In fact, he suggests condensing what we do into one sentence. So, avoiding the temptation of naming all the little things we do as a church, we must keep the big picture in mind. What do we do? We do the Great Commandment and the Great Commission. The staff crafted the answer to the question this way: We build a redemptive kingdom by intentionally seeking out and developing reproducing apprentices of Jesus who are extravagant lovers of God and equipped ambassadors and fishers of men. Our current purpose statement says it this way, “We glorify God worshipping together, bringing people into a personal, saving relationship with Jesus Christ, nurturing people in loving fellowship, equipping people with the Word for service.”
The next question is a question we’ve been praying about for the past two months: How will we succeed? This question is essentially about our vision which leads to strategy and goals. The future success of ARC depends on these strategic anchors and goals. Lencioni suggests coming up with a collection of intentional decisions we must make now in order to give us the best chance to advance the kingdom of God in the future.
And here is where we need your help, taking into consideration our changing culture, and taking into consideration how we’ve experienced God at work in the past and presently, what would you say are some intentional decisions ARC must make now in order for us to grow in “seeking out and developing reproducing apprentices of Jesus who are extravagant lovers of God and equipped ambassadors/fishers of men?” How will we succeed? The staff and Consistory would appreciate your input to this important question. (Please see your mailboxes for the “collection of intentional decisions” that have been brought up by the staff and Consistory).
And what should you do with your ideas? Please join us on Tuesday evening July 16 at 7:00 in the fellowship hall for the Congregational Discovery Workshop. And again, why are we reflecting on these six questions and why are we hosting a Congregational Discovery Workshop? Using Paul’s exhortation to the church in Corinth “Test yourselves to make sure you are solid in the faith. Don’t drift along taking everything for granted. Give yourselves regular checkups. You need firsthand evidence, not mere hearsay, that Jesus Christ is in you. Test it out. If you fail the test, do something about it. I hope the test won’t show that we have failed. But if it comes to that, we’d rather the test showed our failure than yours. We’re rooting for the truth to win out in you. We couldn’t possibly do otherwise.”
Soli Deo gloria, Mike

Hopefully you’ve been following along with the recent ARChive articles and are aware that the staff has been working through Patrick Lencioni’s book The Advantage in order to assess the health of ARC.
We’ve been looking at the importance of Creating Clarity. Creating clarity is all about achieving alignment so as to minimize any possibility of confusion or disorder that might negatively impact our ministry. Lencioni would go on to suggest if leaders are going to bring clarity to their organization, then they must agree on the answer to these six questions: Why do we exist? How do we behave? What do we do? How will we succeed? What is most important, right now? And, who must do what?
Last week I began addressing the second question, how do we behave? Basically Lencioni would say that, whether good or bad, an organization’s behavior flows from its values. So what are some values of ARC? Lencioni suggests dividing our values into the following four categories: Core Values, Aspirational Values, Permission-to-Play Values and Accidental Values. Last week we considered our permission-to-play and accidental values. Thanks to all of you who submitted additional thoughts.
For the remainder of this article we will consider what the staff perceives as our Core and Aspirational Values. First, core values are just two or three behavioral traits that lie at the heart of the organizations identity. Core values should be used to guide every aspect of the organization. Second, aspirational values are the characteristics that an organization wants to have, wishes it had, or believes it must develop in order to maximize its future effectiveness and success.
Determining our core and aspirational values isn’t as easy as it seems simply because there are so many to choose from. Is family unity a greater core value than leadership development? One person may believe prayer should be a core value while others believe welcoming all people should be a core value. Some believe outreach should be a core value, however we all agree that outreach is an aspirational value of ARC.
So how did we reconcile our thoughts? Well, after an eighteen month discovery process, it just so happens that the Reformed Church in America has just adopted three new values at General Synod that they are going to be focusing on in the next ten to fifteen years. And along with each value, they have listed a number of bullet points to bring clarity to each value. So in order to work in cooperation with what God is doing in our denomination we suggest that ARC also adopt the following values as our combined core and aspirational values. They are 1) Cultivating Transformation in Christ 2) Equipping Emerging Leaders of Today and Tomorrow 3) Engaging in Christ’s Kingdom Mission. (Please see full document in your mailbox).
As the staff and Consistory has been looking at this recently approved denominational document, we feel there are some additional measures and words to tweak in order to make it fit our context. Those possible additions and changes will be covered at the Congregational Discovery Workshop on Tuesday evening July 16. And again, why are we reflecting on these six questions and why are we hosting a Congregational Discovery Workshop? We are working through this process in order to be attentive to what God is doing in our hearts, to repent where necessary, and to discover where he is at work in our community and world so that we can join him there.
In the meantime, after reflecting on the newly adopted focus of the Reformed Church in America, would you agree that those three sets of values are values that should be core values of ARC?
Soli Deo gloria, Mike

The staff has been working through Patrick Lencioni’s book The Advantage. Our regional minister to the Classis, John Sikkink, recommended we use it as a tool to assess the organizational health of ARC.

In last week’s article I introduced Discipline 2: Create Clarity. Creating clarity is all about achieving alignment so as to minimize any possibility of confusion or disorder that might negatively impact our ministry. Lencioni would go on to suggest if leaders are going to bring clarity to their organization, then they must agree on the answer to these six questions: Why do we exist? How do we behave? What do we do? How will we succeed? What is most important, right now? And, who must do what?

Last week I shared that the reason we exist is to glorify God and enjoy him forever. This week I would like to begin addressing the second question, how do we behave? Basically Lencioni would say that an organization’s behavior flows from its values, whether good or bad. So what are some values of ARC? Lencioni suggests dividing our values into the following four categories: Core Values, Aspirational Values, Permission-to-Play Values and Accidental Values.

For the remainder of this article we will look at our permission-to-play and accidental values, then next week I will share more about what the staff perceives as our Core and Aspirational Values.

First, permission-to-play values are the minimum behavioral standards that are required in any organization. Although extremely important, permission-to-play values don’t serve to clearly define or differentiate one ministry from another. Below is a partial list of extremely important values we find in Scripture that define the behavior of those who follow Jesus. (I would love to hear from you in regards to additional words we could add).

Passionate Intimacy Radical Transparent Grace Humility

Undignified Boldly Truth Integrity Sacrifice Fruit of the Spirit

Submission Committed Respect

When I reflect on these values, I get excited to think what God could do through ARC as each person grows in displaying these values as an apprentice of Jesus.

Secondly, accidental values are the traits that are evident in an organization but have come about unintentionally and don’t necessarily serve the good of the organizations. In many ministries, behavioral tendencies develop over time simply because the history of the people shares similar backgrounds. One day everyone looks around and realizes that we all look, sound, and act the same. Lencioni would caution leaders to guard against accidental values taking root because they can prevent new ideas or people from flourishing in an organization. Below is a partial list of accidental values that the staff has come up with.

Middle Class Pretense Hard working Safety Caucasian Entitlement Stoic Convenience Reformed Structured Comfort

When I think of these accidental values, they remind me of characteristics valued by the Pharisees. Maybe nothing wrong with the value, but because of how it was abused, it actually hindered the kingdom of God. And sad to say some of those values reveal the Pharisee in me. (Again, share what you perceive as accidental values).

You may be wondering, so what’s the advantage of identifying all these different types of values. The advantage is that we have a greater awareness of how our behavior affects our impact and effectiveness in the kingdom of God. As we allow godly values to penetrate our hearts, we become more like Jesus.

And finally as an advanced notice, the Consistory and Staff would like hear your thoughts; therefore we are inviting you to join us in this conversation on Tuesday evening July 16 at 7:00 PM.

Soli Deo gloria, Mike

ad·van·tage  /(ăd-văn’tĭj)
Noun – A condition or circumstance that puts one in a favorable or superior position.
Verb – Put in a favorable or more favorable position.
The staff has been working through Patrick Lencioni’s book The Advantage.  And while the book is written to help business leaders understand the importance of organizational health, we have found Lencioni’s “Four Discipline Model” useful in helping us think about the organizational health of American Reformed Church.
In last week’s article I focused on the first Discipline which is to Build a Cohesive Leadership Team. And according to Lencioni, a cohesive team is marked by these five behaviors: building trust, mastering conflict, achieving commitment, embracing accountability, and focusing on results.
This week I am going to begin addressing Discipline 2: Create Clarity.  Creating clarity is all about achieving alignment so as to minimize any possibility of confusion or disorder that might negatively impact our ministry.  Since the 1980’s many organizations have attempted to center their clarity and alignment efforts around the “mission statement.”  However, according to Lencioni, the major disappointment with most mission statements is that “they have neither inspired people to change the world nor provide them with an accurate description of what the organization actually does.”
Lencioni would go on to suggest that creating clarity and alignment requires a much more rigorous and down-to-earth approach than grouping a series of generic buzzwords and aspirational phrases crammed together.  He recommends if leaders are going to bring clarity to their organization, then the must agree on the answer to these six questions: Why do we exist? How do we behave? What do we do? How will we succeed? What is most important, right now? And, who must do what?
So let’s begin with the first question, why do we exist? Why did God create mankind? Did he create mankind to procreate and take care of the earth? No, that’s more of a response for question number three—what do we do?
Why do we exist? I believe the first question and answer of the Westminster Catechism helps us here. Question: What is the chief end of man?  Answer: The chief end of man is to glorify God and enjoy him forever.
David writes in Psalm 86:9, “All the nations you have made will come and worship before you, Lord; they will bring glory to your name.” In John 17:4 Jesus spoke to his Father saying, “I have brought your glory on earth by finishing the work you gave me to do.” And in addressing our freedom in Christ, Paul instructs in I Corinthians 10:31, “So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all of the glory of God.”  And finally from Revelation 4:11, “You are worthy, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things and by your will they were created and have their being.”
The Bible seems to be pretty clear about why we exist; God created us—God created everything—to bring glory to his name. Which raises many questions like: Is it truly your desire to glorify God through your life? Would you say your daily focus is on enjoying God’s presence or enjoying many other things? Are you seeking the heart of God to fulfill the plans he has for your life, or is your heart mostly set on fulfilling your plans? And would you say ARC is growing for God’s glory?
May it be said of us that we are a grateful people whose only concern is to bring glory to God through our lives, for there is no other reason we exist!    Soli Deo gloria,  Mike

ad·van·tage  /(ăd-văn’tĭj)
Noun – A condition or circumstance that puts one in a favorable or superior position.
Verb – Put in a favorable or more favorable position.
Since January, the staff has been working through Patrick Lencioni’s book The Advantage. While the book is written to help business leaders understand the importance of organizational health, we have found Lencioni’s “Four Discipline Model” useful in helping us evaluate the organizational health of American Reformed Church.
Lencioni would suggest the first discipline in creating an advantage in a business or ministry is to “build a cohesive leadership team”. He writes, “An organization simply cannot be healthy if the people who are chartered with running it are not behaviorally cohesive in five fundamental ways. In any kind of an organization, from a corporation to a department within that corporation, from a small entrepreneurial company to a church, or a school, or a family, dysfunction and lack of cohesion within the leadership will inevitably lead to lack of health throughout.”
So first, what defines a leadership team? A leadership team is a small group of people who are collectively responsible for achieving a common objective for their organization.
And then second, what are the five fundamental behaviors of creating a “cohesive” leadership team? Lencioni lists the five behaviors as building trust, mastering conflict, achieving commitment, embracing accountability, and focusing on results.
Now, when reflecting on the information so far, I think you would have to agree that Lencioni’s insights are also biblical. The Old Testament is full of stories that prove if the leadership wasn’t healthy, then the rest of the nation wasn’t healthy. The story of Gideon and the Israelites in Judges 6 is just one example.
And when thinking of the definition of a leadership team, doesn’t it remind you of Jesus and his twelve disciples—a small group commissioned to achieve a common objective.
And how about the five behaviors of a cohesive team; think about Jesus’ challenge of building trust within his team. Someone always seemed to be contending for a higher position. And was not Jesus the master in conflict resolution within his group of disciples.
And did not Jesus often address the level of commitment. In Luke 14:28 Jesus said, “…those of you who do not give up everything cannot be my disciple.” And again when fighting for higher positions, Jesus held them accountable by reminding them in Mark 10, The Gentile leaders ruled over the people with a heavy hand, “But not so with you. Instead whoever wants to be great among you must be a servant.” And then finally, relationships were vitally important to Jesus, but he also was concerned about the results. Often times he would get away with the disciples to reflect on the fruit of their ministry.
I’d like to close by saying thank you for the opportunity to be part of the leadership team of this ministry. I feel so blessed to be part of a cohesive staff that reflects such a great servant attitude. And I am grateful to partner with a Consistory that truly desires to be spiritually healthy so as to help each member of the body to function in unity.
Building a cohesive team is vitally important if we are going to have an advantage in reaching our full kingdom potential. And the best news of all, the fact that God so loved us that he sent his son, Jesus, to pay our sin debt in order to restore our favored position with God. And then also, that Jesus asked his Father to send his Holy Spirit to be with us and to live in us gives the best advantage possible of fulfilling the Great Commandment and the Great Commission.
May God’s grace enable us to walk by the Spirit, fully enjoying our favorable status as God’s adopted sons and daughters through our faith in Christ.     Growing for God’s glory,  Mike