Mistakes Ministers Make

Joe McDaniel
1. You stop growing.
It's hard for a pastor to continue to grow because they are always pouring out into others lives. So you need to find a way to 'feed' yourself.
2. You stop caring.
NEVER stop caring. You show you don't care, we show you the door!
3. You stop listening.
You're job is to listen to people listen, and we need you to listen. Whether it's counseling or whatever, listening is as important as preaching.

Week 11: Mistakes Ministers Make

I interviewed Deric Brown from The River Community Church on March 25th at the church. 

1.  The first mistake that new ministers make is thinking that they can simply gain the respect of their congregation by having the title of pastor.  They need to earn that respect and earn the right to know the intimate things about a church member's life. 

2.  New staff members need to learn to follow in the footsteps of their leaders or former church leaders.  It is helpful when a pastor listens to the advice of a former leader of the church because he has the knowledge and experience needed to guide the congregation. 

3.  Slow down.  New pastors may think that they have something to prove and while this is somewhat true the pastor needs to take his time and ease his way into the position and changes that may be occurring within the church.  

Week 12 Essay Theory X and Theory Y

Week 12 Essay Formal Leadership Theory

Theory X and Theory Y

    First of all theory X says that managers or leaders must assume that employees are inherently lazy and will avoid work at every opportunity. Theory Y says that employees may be ambitious, self-motivated, and exercise self control.

    I have seen an example of theory Y leadership in a Church that I once attended. It is Athens Wesleyan Church, the Church I went to growing up. The pastor of the Church would allow people to be involved with ministry and allow them to take risks and go out on a limb. Theory X leaders do not allow this because of the close supervision they believe that people need. Theory X leaders try to do everything on their own or have their hand in everything so they can "make sure it goes right."

    This was not the case at Athens Wesleyan. The pastor would allow people to be involved with the various ministries in different ways without babysitting them. At Athens Wesleyan there were many people that were involved in the ministry of the Church and encouraged to be involved in the ministry of the Church because the pastor thought that the people would want the ministry of the Church to be successful, not for fear of retribution if they fail, but because they could grasp the ministry of the Church and take leadership and ownership in it.

    At Athens Wesleyan the pastor would also listen to the ideas and suggestions of others. He did not always think that he is right, and was willing to listen. This is not the case with theory X leaders. The pastor of Athens Wesleyan Church was a theory Y leader and would encourage and develop the ministry of the Church with the help of volunteers that he was willing to let take a chance and take ownership in the ministries they were involved in.

Week 11 Essay Maxwell Book

Week 11 Essay

Maxwell Book

    The John Maxwell book that I looked into is called The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership. The principle that I learned from this book is what Maxwell refers to as "The Law of Process." The law of process says that a leader does not become a leader in one day but to become a good leader it is a process. In this chapter there is the story of Anne Scheiber and how through a life time of saving she was able to go from making a little over $3,000 a year to leaving an estate worth over 22 million when she died. Maxwell uses this an example of how you cannot just do something overnight, but it is a process and this process is often accompanied by many sacrifices, had times and though decisions.

    I thought that this is an excellent principle of leadership especially in the world today. This is helpful with my generation as we are the "fast food" generations and want things done yesterday. We are not patient and often times don't want to put hard work into something. We want things and we want it now. From reading Maxwell I better realize how I have to be patient and invest time and energy into becoming a leader. Even if I am a good leader now I will not get better without hard work. There is a t-shirt that I once saw that said "Don't wish it was easier, wish you were better." I think this describes how I now feel about leadership, I don't wish it was easier, but I wish I was better and am willing to work hard and invest time into this process to become better.

People Work

I think the best way to work with people is by hanging with people. The best way to get good at doing something is to continuously do it. It is always hard to find something easy, when you don't do things repetitively.
Often times, 'homeschoolers' are people who have poor person skills. I think this is due to the fact that they do not necessarliy hang with people day in and day out.
Learn to pacify the situation instead of destroying others. Managing conflicts skillfully–bring responsible, making sound decisions, being inventive, helping others–can be a powerful opportunity for growing both professionally and spiritually. Choose to be curious, dropping “fight or flight” mentality. Recognize that we do not need to limit ourselves to a narrow perspective of achieving our objectives, voicing our opinions, protecting our territory. We can explore a wider set of possibilities for helping the situation. We can also attract resources during conflicts. By modeling our own resourcefulness first, we can then invite others to offer suggestions and share responsibility. First pacify, then discover that we are resourceful enough to be daring and available, free from fear and arrogance. Pay attention, and with such alertness we can preserve the sanity of our world even during extreme discord.
A working relationship means finding the best way to communicate with your co-workers, from supervisors to interns. You must together determine strengths and weaknesses, so that work can be accomplished most effectively. A working relationship also involves respect, trust, and, especially in an office setting, honesty. With these building blocks, a relationship is built on the foundation of work productivity. Many people work together for years without seeing each other outside the office.