By Todd Adkins
We know our job as church leaders is to equip the saints for the work of the ministry, according to Ephesians 4. But the reality is that you can’t give away ministry unless you have clarified and simplified ministry processes to hand off.
Here are three common responses when it comes to giving away ministry responsibilities.
The Iron Chef
Often, church leaders think that they are the only people that can complete ministry tasks to their standard. They treat it like an iron chef who says, “I don’t know what ingredients I am going to get on Sunday. And only I have the experience and knowledge to take those mystery ingredients and make a cake on that day.” These leaders sacrifice equipping the saints for ministry on the altar of excellence because they think that they are the only people who can bake a cake.
Grandma
Now, Grandma is wonderful. Grandma knows how to make the cake, and we all love it. But the problem is she never takes the time to write the recipe down. She just does it herself. Grandma simply enjoys baking and that everyone is pleased with her cake. It’s not an excellence or pride issue. She just hasn’t taken the time to write the recipe down.
Cake-in-a-Box
A cake-in-a-box is great. It says, “Hey, here are the ingredients you need. In fact, some are already mixed together for you. Add two eggs, a cup of water, and a cup of oil then mix well, pour in a greased pan, and set the oven timer for 35 minutes.” This process is scalable and repeatable. And it actually helps church leaders to live out Ephesians 4.
One of the best tools to establish a cake-in-a-box approach is a ministry checklist. When you simplify a ministry process by creating a checklist, you improve both your ability to equip and develop others in ministry and the effectiveness of your volunteers.
For sample checklists and even a checklist to create checklists, check out our FREE Guide to Rapidly Recruit Volunteers and Realign Ministries on Ministry Grid here.
