Because of God’s grace to me, I have laid the foundation like an expert builder. Now others are building on it. But whoever is building on this foundation must be very careful. For no one can lay any foundation other than the one we already have- Jesus Christ. 1 Corinthians 3:10-11
“To plant is to take that which is hidden in the secret recesses of your heart and pass it onto others. Planting can be messy and awkward, but at its very core, planting comes from a humble desire to serve. To “sow into” someone’s life is not about handing over money for another’s progress; it means taking responsibility for our part in their ministry, growing spiritually with them as they grow in their calling.”
When helping church establish leadership, I often can find a person who are staffed at the church sense with frustration in their current leadership that they have been place into. The need for helpers is great an many times we are placing people in a need that let’s be honest they are not good at. Whether it is in the church or in the marketplace it is easy to fill spots because of the need but placing people in the wrong position will take away the value that God has placed inside of people as well as the excellence of servantry.
God’s view for His children is for them to do well with what he has placed in them. The seed of value must flourish and bear fruits for the greater good He has planned for them. Jesus picked people according to the Father’s heart according to the fathers will for them. The value placed on people was created from God’s love for them and not in what they can do. When people do not commit to their commitment it does not change Gods love for them. But it does alter their identity if doubt steps in and places a question on what it is the Lord called them to do.
Under Shepard’s (leaders) have the responsibility to love like God and have that same love poured into His people. By helping people find the value God has a place in them and allowing them to embrace their gifting is what leadership is all about. Helping people find their passion is where the voice of grace will be found overflowing in them. That one thing they can’t stop thinking about, dreaming about is the very place they should be trained in.
I Corinthians 12:4-6, There are different kinds of spiritual gifts, but the same Spirit is the source of them all. There are different kinds of services, but we serve the same Lord. God works in different ways, but it is the same God who does the irk in all of us. A spiritual gift is given to each of us, so we can help each other.
Spiritual gifts are always a question and rarely accurately discovered. If we have a new weapon and we do not know how to use it, we can choose to practice until we learn or never learn how to use it at all. But even before learning, we must know what kind of weapon it is and how it functions.
How do we even discover the gifts in people?
God has given gifts to prophets who can see the gifting (grace)in people and know how to function. But not everyone has that gift or maybe they don’t have a prophet in their ministry.
The marketplace can be the same way instead leaders have discovered something we Christians have been using as well. They are assessment test that reveals to the leader where a person would best fit and be most valuable to the team.
Here are a few steps that can be taken to best place people in the right position.
The first step is going through their “Passion” and then “SAT” with them.
- Passion will tell us where they will be most motivated in.
- Spiritual Assessment Testing (SAT) this assessment test that helps both parties identify what values are placed in the person to help the person find the best way they will serve.
- Marketplace “DISC” test which allows the leader to understand a person personality to better place you in the right position with the right team.
Next step is having a “Database”. If you do not have a database that stores the leadership information you might want to begin doing so. We cannot remember everything about everyone, and it is important that we care enough to value what the Lord values about the people.
- Creating a profile of the person will help the leader to not only remember special dates and areas of the person but we will always know who will fit best when an opportunity to serve opens.
The last step is what we call a “Pulse Check”– Don’t forget to check their pulse by setting aside time to pour love into people. It is exactly what Jesus did with the disciples. We are no different today having lunch and taking out time to listen to what they are saying is in their heart. The planet, sow, prune into them. God led conversation meetings will always help shift both parties.
- Every 3 months there should be an overview with the person and see how they are doing in that position. They might feel like they love one thing and hate another. Then match what they hate with someone who loves what they hate.
GRACE CULTURE:
Create a grace culture it allows them to know it is okay to fail but try again. Even when you don’t have grace for them because of their constant mistakes you need to find out what is creating this consistency of failure in that person. By considering on applying the “Hands In” method in these types of situations.
- Hands In – is when you bring someone alongside you and allow them to learn what you are looking for in the position you know they have grace for. It’s giving them hands-on where they can see what they couldn’t, and you can understand how they perceive things which helps you understand how their mind works.
By applying these steps, it may help you to better answer some common questions that will arise when leading a ministry or even a company.
- Do I have enough workers to meet the need?
- How many people will it take?
- Do I need to increase the people and how?
- How long will it take to get them on my pipeline?
- How do you find out if these people are healthy and happy?
- Do you need to look outside of your circle?
- How often are you rising leaders?
Most of these questions can be found in your database that hopefully, you have considered creating. By simply filtering the needs it will help in finding a match for the servant needs or upcoming projects.
The life of a leader can become so much easier when we place people in the right position and not just place them in a position that needs to be filled. We cannot expect to plant a seed on uncultivated grounds and expect it to grow healthy. Start by cultivating a foundation that will help build solid leaders by identifying where they can flourish.
Churches should make it their duty to place people in the right positions for maximum growth. Paul wrote to the Corinthian church, “Now if anyone builds on this foundation using gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay or straw,” (1 Corinthians 3:12) meaning that leaders must carefully assess their churches and set up systems to promote its members’ spiritual health.
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