Serve Your Way to the Top – 7 Lessons I Learned While Serving My Way onto a Church Staff

Lesson 3 – Serve/Work as Though You Were on Staff

Work hard to prove that you really are among those God has called and chosen. – I Peter 2:10

I remember before being on staff I set up a meeting with my youth pastor and the youth assistant at the time. They were and still are both very close friends. I told both of them, guys – I want you to treat me as if I were on staff. Give me the same responsibility, same expectations, etc. It opened the door to do some great things. I ended up doing that at ever job I’ve had. I’d meet with whoever my supervisor was and say, “I want more. Treat me as if I were at the next level.”

Some Things I learned from acting as if you were at a higher place than you currently are:

1.) Go the Extra Mile with What You Have – Whatever you are in charge of, make sure it’s getting done with excellence.

2.) Take a Load off Your Superviser - Ask them if there is anything you can take off their plate. What can you do to bless them? What can you do that nobody else would want to?

3.) Make Everyone Else Look Awesome - Make your team better! Compliment them in front of others. Sharpen them! Encourage them to dream bigger. Come along side them on a project and help them through it!

4.) Make Sure the Job Gets Done - Bottom line any leader is looking for is someone who gets the job done. Make sure you’re being labeled as someone who gets the job done, no matter what!

Act as if you were at the next level, act as if you’re good enough to go to the next level, act as if you’re the most faithful person on the planet – because with that attitude you will be all of the above and watch the doors of opportunity swing open for you.

Serve Your Way to the Top – 7 Lessons I Learned While Serving My Way onto a Church Staff

Lesson 1 – Develop a Plan for Personal Growth

Give your complete attention to these matters. Throw yourself into your tasks so that everyone will see your progress.

-I Tim. 4:15

“The motivation behind personal growth: The conviction that you value yourself and that there is value in your dream.”

One of the best decisions I ever made was the decision to do something each day to intentionally grow in three areas:

1.) Grow in my Relationship with God- Nothing is more important than this. Without God, you can not do anything worth doing. Everyday I spend time with God, I get in the Word, and I listen to sermons.

2.) Grow in Leadership – If Leadership is influence, nothing more, nothing less, then we are all leaders in some aspect. I believe everyone should continually be doing something to grow in their leadership. There are tons of book and cd’s you can get your hands on. Perhaps the greatest thing you can do to grow as a leader is what Bill Hybels said, “Always be leading something.” – Nothing helps you grow like actually doing it!

3.) Grow in the Area of my Gifting and Passion - Want to know what you’re supposed to do in life? What are you passionate about and what are you good at? When you find those two – I promise it’s linked to your call. Once you find these two – give yourself to them. Do everything you can to grow in those areas.

Everyday I read, everyday I file, everyday I write, and I try somehow, to get mentored everyday.

If you don’t grow – you’ll go.

Do you have a plan for personal growth? What are you doing intentionally to grow?

This series I am starting came from an opportunity given to me by Pastor Larry Bettencourt. He puts on servant-leadership conferences for youth ministries around the nation.

He asked me to put together a lesson for youth ministry leaders. The lesson God gave me was, Serve Your Way to the Top - 7 Lessons I Learned While Serving my Way onto a Church Staff.I hope you’ll apply these principles in your own life.

These Lessons:

1.) Might Seem Like Common Sense – though we hear the same principles over and over again, we must always ask ourselves, I may know this, but am I doing it. It’s only in practice will these help you.

2.) Will Work Outside of the Church World – Though I learned these lessons serving at a church, if you’ll apply them in any arena, you’ll start to see yourself improving and climbing the ranks!

3.) Do Not Guarantee You’ll Get on Staff at Your Church – Though these were lessons I learned, the reason I am on staff is because God opened a door – PERIOD. These lessons will allow you to stand out, and as your faithful, God will open up doors and God will promote you. Trust Him for your future.

The 7 Lessons Are:

1.) Develop a Plan for Personal Growth

2.) Be Comfortable With Yourself

3.) Serve or Work as Though You Were on Staff

4.) Be a Great Number 2 – Become Indispensable

5.) Grow Something

6.) Recognize that Changed Lives, Not Popularity is what Matters

7.) You’re Not that Bad

I’ll break each of these lessons down over the next few days. My hope is that they’ll help you serve your way to the top wherever it is you are working or serving.