Early In The Morning

So much happens in ministry behind the scenes….and I love it when God lifts that tiny corner of His Plan and I GET TO see a bit of it…. and then truly appreciate how He works through us when we least expect to see Him.

Last Sunday, I had the opportunity to serve early and once again, I found myself remembering the sweet quiet of a few volunteers who were also moving through the building. 

So much happens in the bible “early in the morning”….

Genesis 19:27
And Abraham got up early in the morning to the place where he had stood before Jehovah:

Genesis 20:8
And Abimelech rose early in the morning, and called all his servants,

Genesis 28:18
And Jacob rose up early in the morning, and took the stone that he had put under his head, and set it up for a pillar, and poured oil upon the top of it

Genesis 31:55
And early in the morning Laban rose up, and kissed his sons and his daughters, and blessed them

Exodus 8:20
And Jehovah said unto Moses, Rise up early in the morning, and stand before Pharaoh;

Exodus 34:2
And be ready by the morning, and come up in the morning unto mount Sinai, and present yourself there to me on the top of the mount.

Joshua 3:1
And Joshua rose up early in the morning;

Psalm 5:3
In the morning, O Lord, you will hear my voice; In the morning will I order my prayer to you, and will keep watch

I remember several years ago when God showed me His early servants. For some reason, my clock was “confused” and I woke up at 5am and left the house at 6am, unknowingly! One hour earlier than my normal routine. When I got to the church at 6:30am I was met with several of God’s “behind-the-scenes” volunteers:

Tom met me at the front door as he was already busy getting our building ready for Sunday – opening doors, carrying bulletins, setting out parking cones……helping me take apart and store the giant rainbow from the Volunteer Expo….all with a great big smile!

Jeff comes in the door next with a great big “Good Morning Sunshine!” as he arrives to prepare breakfast for our guests that rely on getting a yummy, hot breakfast when they come to church.

I get to the Shuttle lot and it’s raining. James is putting on his rain gear – coat and pants; picking up random trash and inspecting the lots.

The Shuttle arrives but it stops before getting into the parking lot. Mike gets out (in the rain) to set out more cones and Shuttle Parking Signs.

It’s like a silent, early morning “dance” as James and Mike work together to prepare for us and our guests.

I sit in my warm, dry car and say; “Thank you Lord for getting me here so early to witness your servants… early in the morning…”

Disney vs Trader Joes?

Ok, seriously, I love Disney, so this is not a slam or criticism of Disney. I have experienced their behind-the-scenes tour and they totally knock it out of the park in hospitality.

But lately, Trader Joes has really gotten my attention:

1.     They are smaller
2.     They are local-focused
3.     They invite you into their space
4.     They have a “happy atmosphere”
5.     They provide exactly what I want AND…
6.     They show me things/products that I didn’t know I really wanted/needed.
7.     They are laser focused on mission.
8.     They are all about PEOPLE over everything else. (Their podcast, “Inside Trader Joes” Episode #4 The Store Is Our Brand talks about why their people love their jobs)

AND their website concludes with:
“It’s not complicated. We just focus on what matters — great food + great prices = Value.”

I mean…FOCUS! All. Day. Long!

And this is a great reminder that if you are a church of less than 500 or 300 or 200, you have a place in this world.

In fact, I believe that every local church has a place in this world (large or small).  AND I believe that we can and must challenge ourselves to take note of of places like TraderJoe's and when they state “…. just focus on what matters…”

What if we simply took this model and to see what it could look like for the local church? 

1.     They are smaller..
According to Barna Study JAN-APR 2016, 
                                      46% attend a church 100 or fewer attendees
                                      37% attend a church 101 - 499
                                       9% attend a church 500 - 999
                                       8% attend a church of 1,000 or more

2.     They are local-focused.
What is happening in your community? Right now? Be aware and be intentional of community events to become a part of them rather than create a separate event. What local charity or community group could use a boost of hands or dollars?

3.     They invite you into their space.
Church should be THE MOST inviting space on the planet! So starting planning now for that person who is not attending any church! It's never too late! 

4.     They have a “happy atmosphere”
And I would add, updated, clean, fresh scented and joyful people. So why do we think it's okay to have frowns and furrowed brows greeting and seating guests? Joy in the midst of pain or trials is the point and we are called to encouraging one another toward great joy in the Lord! 

5.     They provide exactly what I want AND.....
There is no need to apologize for being about God and asking if we can pray for people and be intentional about it. Yes, we can be casual or fun but putting God first (or not) in how we start each and every service will be evident. And I believe that Huddling before serving is a huge component to being able to provide what God has planned for the day and His people. 

6.     They show me things/products that I didn’t know I really wanted/needed.   
This is where ALL the "What If's" come into play: What if volunteers voluntarily ran to the messes! What if volunteers came early so that people could tell "these people really care". It's not about being expensive or big but rather paying attention to details and stewarding all our resources well. 

7.     They are laser focused on mission.
Are there too many events, classes or topics that muddy the water or become "white noise" for visitors? 

8.     They are all about PEOPLE over everything else. (Their podcast, “Inside Trader Joe's” Episode #4 The Store Is Our Brand talks about why their people love their jobs).
People are God's most precious resource, so what if we trained, encouraged and equipped volunteers so well, that the overflow resulted in radical hospitality in ways that you could never train for? Why do we think all we need to do is tell people where to stand rather than pour into them and learn about their lives, their struggles and how to serve them first? That old adage “People don't care how much you know until they know how much you care." really is TRUE! 

As a “foodie” I am always looking for interesting and quality service in restaurants and grocery stores.

As a child of God, I am passionate that no other place or business on this planet should ever exceed the goodness, joy and love of the local church.

We can do this! I’ve seen it. I’ve experienced it!

Leaders Are Followers

I've been learning to dance over the past few months. Oh sure, I can do the twist (I'm dating myself), a good wedding line dance or just a free-for-all. But I'm talking about Ballroom dancing like the Fox Trot, Cha Cha, Nightclub Two-Step and Swing dances like the East Coast Swing and the West Coast Swing. 

This dancing is a new world for me and I'm all ears and feet. I am digging in to learn, listen and practice as much as I can. The instructors call out steps to "Leaders" or "Followers". Leaders' steps and moves signal the Followers as to what is coming next. This signal or "lead"  is usually sent as a light touch of the fingers or a press on the shoulder.  As a new Follower, I rely on strong Leaders who know more than I do and have the kindness and patience for me when I mess up; a lot!

But then I noticed that there were Leaders dancing with Leaders. What is this?!  

Ahhhh...the really good Leaders will dance as a Follower with another good Leader so they can learn how to lead better. (I know...right?!)

A Leader explained; "I now understand why my Follower didn't make the move I needed them to make. I didn't give them the correct "lead"! 

Hey Leaders! You cannot lead with heart, compassion and credibility unless you have been where you are asking others to go. Even though you may be leading people to an unknown place or season, your past experience in trusting someone else to lead you to the unknown can be the perspective you need to lead well now. Did you experience those questioning thoughts or an idea that was not allowed to be given a voice to be heard? Did you hear those side conversations with others on the same journey as you and heard their fears, concerns or frustrations?

At church, we had a  remote parking area that needed volunteers to help guests with finding  where to wait for the Shuttle and helping with entering and exiting the Shuttle. Sending volunteers to serve there was a challenge and one team, in particular struggled more than the other teams. I listened to the leaders as they explained how they couldn't understand why they kept getting push back from their team. 

I asked: "Have you served at the remote post yourself?"

They looked at one another. They looked at me. And then shared it never occurred to them that they should do that!

"How can you understand the needs, concerns, barriers that your team is facing if you haven't stood where you are asking them to stand?" 

I saw the lightbulb moment. This was an opportunity to not only learn and understand the needs of this area such as:
             Which volunteer would this post be the best fit?
             What supplies would they need?
             What happens in bad weather or how long should they stay at the post?
But they also would be filling their Trust Bucket as their team saw them as Servant Leaders with the best interest of the team and the mission first! 

Learning as a follower can be the best education for strong leadership.

People over Processes...All. Day. Long.

Do you need people to greet at a door?
What about people to serve coffee or direct traffic?

How many people do you need? Ten? Seven hundred?

Here's the thing about needing people to volunteer to "do stuff".  It takes people.

And, if you know people, if you are a "people", then you cannot ignore the obvious yet most ignored fact about leading a group of people who volunteer - they are people. Which means, they/we, you and me, are messy.

Churches ask me to help train or provide information about leading a volunteer ministry to get people to serve and "do stuff".  While there is a certainly an important component to the logistics, it's more about serving, encouraging, empowering and loving on the people than just organizing a bunch of jobs or posts.

These are people that have lost jobs, lost parents, going through major health issues, struggling financially, worried about friends and pretty much simply - this is life with all it's mess. So I cannot simply say,

"Make sure you have smiling faces at the door!" Easier said than done most days.

How do you place "smiling faces at the door" on a consistent basis?

It all starts with the best and most important question ever...WHY?

• Why should we be smiling when we are hurting?
• Why should I smile at that person who is angry, or rude or ignores me?
• Why should I even show up when I don't think it really matters or that it will make any dent in anyone's day...really.

If we ignore addressing the inner voices of our volunteers and their own personal circumstances and struggles, then we are ignoring the very reason Jesus paid the ultimate price - death - which is to rescue PEOPLE!

I have learned 3 Lessons:

FIRST: I have learned that the real work in leading a group of volunteers is to constantly remind myself of my own brokenness. How I can hurt others without even realizing it or intending to hurt them. How I can get territorial when nothing is mine to begin with and how I can push processes above people.

SECOND: We must remind one another to have the conversations that say - YOU matter. You are loved even though you made a mistake or behaved badly. We must say, tell and act out the belief that "people trump processes". And that if people really do matter to God, then people must matter to us.

THIRD: We must RUN to the messes - including the "hot messes". Especially when there are disagreements and, do I dare say, even fighting, gossiping, and angry words within the ranks. At church? Yes! Because the last time I looked, there are people at church. And I'm a hot mess too!

I'm grateful for the leaders who run to my messes. Who lovingly point out my weaknesses and areas where I can do and be better. I really do want to honor all that I have been given to steward.

Super grateful that Jesus died for me anyway.