Staff FAQ's

After planting CBC, what were the first hired positions?

The first employee was myself. As the church started to grow, I hired an administrative assistant. Next, I hired a youth/music combo or you can hire a part-time youth pastor and a part-time worship leader. Those were the first key positions for CBC.

How does your relationship with your staff change as the church grows?

I become more of a cheerleader and less of a technical expert. They are the technical experts. My job is to keep them resourced, give them inspiration and cheer them on by telling them how great they are doing. I do that at our all-staff Praise and Prayer each week.

How do you distribute responsibilities between staff and volunteers?

There are over 380 on staff at CBC. We have a hybrid between pure volunteer led and pure staff led events. A full-time staff person has a big volunteer base they work with regularly. We also have several part-time staff persons. And with part-time staff, you spread the volunteer management out more broadly among the part-time staff. On average, people will only volunteer 3-5 hours a week. If their work isn’t inspiring or meeting a felt need, they won’t stick around. We use a test from www.assessme.org to help our volunteers find the right position for them.

How available are you to the staff?

I study at home and have an open door policy at church. Anyone can come see me. If they have job complaints, they go to their direct supervisor. Otherwise, they can drop in or set up an appointment with me. I will stop by their offices periodically and ask them how their life, marriage and ministry are going. 

Create A Culture That Honors Volunteers

Everyone on staff at CBC knows that the only way we are successful is through Jesus and our volunteers. Our staff is always telling volunteers, members and visitors that the volunteers make all the difference. We always try to thank our volunteers for serving, ask if they have suggestions, and ask how we can help them succeed. And we are always recruiting more volunteers. Volunteers are the reason that church happens. Make sure you take the time to honor them and appreciate them because without them, church won’t happen. Happy and appreciated volunteers are much easier to retain than those that never get recognized.

Here's how we honor our volunteers at CBC:

Church-Wide
We have a department called Connections. Their job is to connect volunteers to the opportunity that is right for them. Go to communitybible.com and click on Connections CenteràGet Connected and you can see the process we use.

We have a once a year party for everyone who has volunteered in anything for the past year. We roll out a red carpet with bright lights, the church staff lines up and applauds the volunteers as they walk in. We have dessert for them and I talk to them about all the ministry they have accomplished over the past year. I give out 3 servant awards of which the staff gives me recommendations for long-term volunteers and those who really go the extra mile.

Department-Wide
Each department honors their own volunteers throughout the year. Some departments will buy their volunteers coffee or a meal or something else as a thank you periodically. Some departments will host a party twice a year at the staff leader’s house. It’s a great time to celebrate the victories, welcome the new volunteers and get a chance to connect as a whole department.

Take the time to care for your volunteers. It will mean a lot to them and keep the ministries running smoothly with volunteers who feel appreciated.

Empower Others

Are you leading 10 people in weekly Bible study, fellowship, prayer and ministry? Are you leading 50 people? Who are your leaders? If you are leading 100 people, what are the 2 names of your leaders of 50 and the 10 names of your leaders of 10?

Matthew 9:35 challenges us to send out more workers. What are you doing to send out more workers?

One pastor can care for about 150 people. They know you and you know them. It’s just enough people to care for and attend to their needs. You will make enough to keep food on your table and keep you as busy as can be. If you feel called to lead more than 150, you have to learn to empower people.

Empowering people is how you multiply yourself, expand your ministries, and increase the variety of ministry. Once you empower people, you become a cheerleader rather than a workhorse. You become a leader rather than a solo pilot. You run a marathon relay instead of just a marathon.

Empowering allows other Christians to use their God-given gifts for the kingdom. The more people you empower the more excitement there is in the church. When you empower people they invite more people. If your church has become stiff, boring, stale or stagnant, it’s almost always because you are micro-managing rather than empowering. Empowering is recruiting, training, and supporting. And if they make a mistake, you let them fix it the same way somebody let you make your mistakes and fix them yourself when you were starting in ministry. Same way you teach your children to ride a bike, balance a check book, or buy a car. All of life is about empowering people and ministry should be too.

Empowering people keeps your ministry going long after you’re gone. Instead of an ego-centric ministry it’s a gift-centric ministry. Jesus empowered his disciples when he sent them out 2 by 2. He gave them authority to teach, preach, heal, and cast out demons (Matt 10).

A good example of not empowering was Paul, Barnabas, and John Mark. Something happened where John Mark decided not to go further in the journey. Barnabas wanted to grab him again and Paul didn’t want it. It was the 2^nd or 3^rd heated discussion in Acts. Paul took Silas and Barnabas took John Mark. Barnabas empowered John Mark who failed the first time. Barnabas gave him a second chance by empowering him. No books of the Bible were written by Silas, but the second book of the New Testament was written by John Mark. When Paul was writing one of his letters, he gave John Mark a big shout out. John Mark had been useful in ministry and Paul realized it.

Recruit, Train And Empower People In Ministry. (Acts 16:1-5)

Master the art of recruiting, training, and empowering people to help you in ministry.

Who is active in ministry because you recruited, trained and empowered them in ministry? Paul was active because Barnabas recruited, trained and empowered him. Paul recruited Silas, Timothy, Luke and several others. I tell my staff to do the same. Always be looking for more people to help in ministry. Take them to lunch. Talk to them and find out how they are doing. Support their ministries. Help them to be the best they can be. Jesus recruited, trained and empowered leaders. Paul recruited, trained and empowered leaders. We should be recruiting, training and empowering people in ministry.

One of the first things Jesus did in ministry was to recruit, train and empower some partners in ministry. You have to invite people to your ministry. Give them a chance to get involved. Give them an assignment so they can have some “buy in.” Pray with them. Brainstorm and dream with them. Address problems and come up with solutions together. Synergy is better than energy. Energy is you. Synergy is all of you together. Jesus wasn’t just taking a walk, he was recruiting leadership. Go and do likewise.

Recruit by asking what they are interested in. Start there. Ask them, “If you could do anything in ministry, what would you want to do?” Find out what their passion is and help them do it. Ask, “What has the Lord put on your heart to do and how can I help you do it?” If we have a ministry that’s going, I try to connect them with the current ministry. If it’s a brand new ministry idea, I try to help them develop it. Everybody has gifts and talents they bring to the table. Instead of trying to get them to come to the table with what you want them to do, have them come with their gifts and passions and build your church around that and it makes all the difference in the world. Announce it and put it in the bulletin. Push it. The guy in the pulpit has all the power. You can speak to 100 people at one time and announce that you need people to work in this ministry. You can cover more territory in one announcement than they ever can on their own.

Help them define a win. Where, what, how, meet again. I like to get started sooner rather than later. I would rather take off with the plane and figure out where I’m going once in the air then to have a flight plan of where I am going to be in the next 6 hours. Somewhere between start tomorrow and start next year.

Training is showing them how to do ministry for themselves. Lead by your example. Give them the head knowledge. Let them have the experience. Evaluate the results. Empowering is letting them do their job without your direct supervision. It is very important that you master the art of recruiting, training and empowering people to help you with the ministry. 

Don’t Limit the Lord on His Choice for Leaders. Acts 9:1-9

Paul would have been the last person anyone would choose to become the great Christian leader of all time. Yet Jesus chose Paul to be the top leader for Christianity. Jesus did not consult with other Christian leaders to get their opinion of Paul. If he had, they would have certainly rejected Paul. Jesus did not worry about how it would look to have the top anti-Christian becoming the top Christian. If he had, every Public Relations firm in the country would have told him it was a bad decision. Jesus had a plan that included Paul and that settled the decision.

Jesus has a plan that includes you and that settles it. Jesus has a plan that includes people that you may not think are the best candidates for Christian leadership, and that settles it. Do not limit the Lord on his choice of leaders. Do not disqualify yourself as a leader because you think you are unworthy or unable. The Bible says if anyone wants to be a Christian leader they desire a good thing (1 Timothy 3:1). If you want to be a Christian leader, that is a good thing. If some other Christian wants to be a leader that is a good thing. Do not limit the Lord on his choice for leaders. Paul was living proof that the Lord can choose and empower anyone he wants for his service.

Jesus chose some unlikely people for leadership and ministry. He used a tax collector named Matthew to write the first book of the New Testament. He used a young quitter named Mark to write the second book of the New Testament. He used a medical doctor named Luke to write the most detailed account of Jesus in the world. He used a fisherman named John to write books on spiritual truths that highly intelligent scholars and theologians have been studying for 2,000 years. He used a prostitute named Mary Magdalene to demonstrate gratefulness to the world. He used a woman who had been married and divorced five times and was living with a man to lead a whole town to salvation. Jesus chose me, a left-handed Aggie with no great spiritual, intellectual, or leadership promise to pastor a large church. Don’t limit the Lord on his choice for leaders.

Look at your group or church from the Lord’s perspective. Pray and ask the Lord to show you who he wants to be leaders. Let yourself be the Lord’s blinding light and voice from heaven that says to some unlikely people, “You would be an excellent leader for the Lord. Have you ever considered preaching, teaching, or doing some kind of ministry?” You will be amazed at whom the Lord is calling into leadership. Your job as a pastor is to find them, empower them and help them get into service for Jesus.

If Jesus chose prostitutes, fishermen, tax collectors, divorcees, quitters, and anti-Christians, imagine what he can do with the people in your life. Get out there and talk to them. Get out there and empower them. When they tell you they are not worthy to be a Christian leader, remind them of who the Lord has used over the centuries. There is a world to reach for Jesus. You are a leader. You were not perfect when the Lord called you, and yet you have been effective in ministry. Start talking to the people in your life about ministry. Do not ignore anyone. If the Lord can use Paul, and if the Lord can use you, then he can use the people in your life and ministry. Be the blinding light and commissioning voice to them.

Put Leaders in Positions of Leadership. Acts 14.23

The church needs leaders. It’s our responsibility to put leaders into position. Whether you are the sole appointer of leaders in your church, or whether you work with a committee, board, or church wide vote; your job is to put leaders in positions of leadership in the church. As you visit your people and see how they are doing, ask them if they could do anything in the church’s ministry, what would it be? You will discover what’s on their heart, when you do, put them in positions of leadership.

3 Prayers Of A Wise Decision Maker

1. Lord, show me. (Daniel 2:18, 9:2)

Daniel didn’t know what the king’s dream was, so he asked the Lord.

When you need an answer, look at the absolute truths. Ask yourself: is there clear Biblical instruction on the subject? When you find it, do what it says.

The absolute truths. (Romans 1:18-2:1)

There are lists in Matthew 5-7, 1 Corinthians 6:9-10, Galatians 5:19-23 and Hebrews 13 for us to judge ourselves, not others. As you read the lists, ask yourself how you’re doing on each one. You will find your strengths and struggles in those lists.

The interpretations. (Romans 14:1-2)

Christians have killed each other over opinions and had ongoing debates.

·       Don’t argue about disputable matters. Let the Lord show them (Romans 14:1-2).

·       Don’t make your interpretation the standard for others to live up to (Romans 14:4).

·       Remember, we will all stand before the Judgment Seat of God (Romans 14:10).

·       Live a life of goodness and peace (Romans 14:17).

·       Get your convictions from the Lord (Romans 14:22-23).

2. Lord, forgive me. (Daniel 9:4)

Daniel confessed his sins and the nation’s sins. He humbled himself. We should do the same. Confess and repent as the Spirit leads. 

3. Lord, help me. (Daniel 9:20)

The Lord sent an angel to help Daniel. The Lord has sent the Spirit to lead you. He’s also given you parents, church, teachers, groups, friends, books, sermons, counselors, etc. to help you understand the Spirit’s leading in your life.

What is your sin, issue, prejudice, or weakness? Ask for and pursue the Lord’s help in your situation.

Keep the Main Thing the Main Thing. Acts 13:5

The main thing for us is proclaiming the word of God. We are to share with people the meaningful life on earth and eternal life in Heaven they can have by trusting Jesus and following his word in the Bible. Paul, Barnabas, and Mark didn’t go on a pleasure journey to have a good time. They went on a mission to spread the word of God throughout the world. Jesus told us to go and make disciples (Matthew 28:19). That involves telling people about Jesus, calling them to make a decision, and teaching them how to live the Christian life.

There are many good things pastors can get caught up doing such as: buildings, maintenance and repair, school, ministering to the sick and sad, organizing and administrating. These good things can take the place of the main thing if we’re not careful. Preach the word of God on and off stage. Bring Jesus into as many conversations as you can. Lead people to Jesus and disciple them—that’s the main thing.