Our family recently moved into a home we had purchased nearly two years earlier. We had decided that some changes and updating needed to happen, which we were told would take four months to complete. “You should be in by Christmas,” our general contractor assured us. He forgot to tell us which year!
So many months and several furniture moves later, we finally slept in our own bedroom. Remodeling tested our resolve and our patience. But it was the right thing to do. Sometimes ministry must undergo changes and updating—also the right thing to do. And the important lessons that my home remodeling experience taught me parallel what I learned when our ministry went through a significant makeover.
Our ministry never appeared broken. To anyone looking, clear signs of strength could be seen; happy children running down the halls to their classes mixed with an abundance of volunteers. In fact, we had more men group leaders than we needed for our fourth and fifth grade boys! Attendance was on the rise as many young families were coming because their kids loved being here. Everything seemed great on the outside. But inside our office walls was a different picture. A wall seemed to run down the middle of our ministry—one that separated the Early Childhood and Elementary Departments. Each area had a different mission and operated with different values. Piled on top was a lack of trust. What a mess! So we embarked on a remodeling adventure that required five important steps—and resulted in a ministry that every paid staff member and volunteer is now glad to call “home.”
Step 1 – Assess
Look around. Determine the current condition. Then form a picture of where you need to go. Before our purchase, our new house had stood vacant for almost two years. We clearly saw that the house needed major work. With our children’s ministry, I needed to apply similar honesty. It, too, was a mess. Through visits and conversations with other programs, the Lord gave me a picture of where He wanted to take us. Philippians 2:2 describes “being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and purpose.” That would serve as our starting point—a clear mission from the Lord with values for the entire ministry to adopt.
I took lots of walks to talk with God. For a year, progress proved slow as we tried to get everyone on the same page so we could start dismantling the wall through our ministry. Organizationally, we took inventory of people’s strengths and passions that would help bring about the changes that needed to occur. An example of this process is DeAnne. She worked part-time as a service coordinator. When we started asking questions about one another’s desires and skills, we discovered she had a Masters degree in curriculum. We changed her role to be a perfect fit for her passions and training—in a newly created position of Curriculum Director.
Next, we began to look at space and curriculum issues. Specifically, if we decided to do large group teachings each week in the preschool area, then we had to find enough space to bring all the kids together. And that space did not currently exist. Previously we had written our curriculum, but now had to analyze if we could continue. From a variety of angles, we assessed different aspects of the ministry in order for the future picture to become a reality.
Step 2 – Strategize
Blueprints were drawn for our house remodeling. Everyone—my wife, me, our contractors—needed to see where we were going, the work that needed to be done, and what role they played. While assessing is seeing what you do and don’t have in relation to where you are and where you want to go, strategizing is developing the plan for how you are going to get there. In regards to ministry changes, we formulated plans and timelines. And we shared them with others.
For instance, we developed a communication strategy to keep all church staff, volunteers, and the entire congregation informed. Large sheets of paper hung on our office walls with questions that still needed to be answered and various timelines. Meetings took place for leaders and parents to educate them about the changes and why they were happening. We placed a critical value on keeping everyone informed of the what’s, when’s, how’s, and why’s. I constantly brought everyone back to where we believed God wanted to take us, and the idea that maybe He was going to do something immeasurably more than we could ever ask or imagine (Ephesians 3:20).
Step 3 – Obtain permission
With home remodeling blueprints tucked under our arms, we took all our plans to the county planning commission to secure the necessary work permits. We were excited to finally see our house project underway. What I thought was going to be an easy day at the county office turned into months of frustration as we tried to meet all their requirements. Although painful, the permission process did bring more detail and clarity to our plans. Same goes for significant change to a ministry—obtain all necessary approvals before the work begins. To do this, you have to lead in many directions.
While leading up to senior management, we provided clarity about the dividing wall that existed in our children’s ministry and what we proposed to take it down. We explained that our planned changes—including re-engineered mission and values—would result in better alignment with the rest of our church. We outlined specific role changes and a new staff organization built around purposes and not just positions. To do all this effectively, I needed to learn each senior leader’s language and what they individually required to make decisions about our proposed changes. For example, the business administrator needed to understand that we were not asking for any additional staff positions. The senior pastor required assurances and confidence that our ministry would stay consistent with his direction and vision for the church. We showed several other people that we would become a ministry that allowed people to serve in areas consistent with their gifts and passions.
We also lead across to other ministry and department leaders, often over facility issues. For instance, while trying to find a room big enough to accommodate large group programs for preschoolers, an adult classroom became the likely option. However, we engaged in healthy dialogue over the pros and cons of each ministry using the room. In the end, everyone agreed that the right choice was to keep the room for adult use and to remove one wall in the preschool wing to create the space we needed. This process resulted in a creative solution that proved to be a win for both ministries—and lead to acceptance of our proposal.
A significant need existed for us to actively and consistently lead down to key volunteers and families involved in our ministry. To start, we expressed sincere appreciation for how they carried our ministry well for so many years. Then we needed to sensitively reveal all the hidden places that made certain parts of our collective ministry “home” less functional than they thought.
To start, most volunteers characterized our ministry as creative. That perception changed after we pointed to the reality that even though the elementary department certainly captured young imaginations, a different story existed in the nursery and preschool areas. While many volunteers bought into the ministry values, they did not know how those values went unfulfilled in our ministry’s different divisions. Once these people saw that today was not perfect, they began to see that changes were needed to make us a stronger ministry, one that would reach more kids for the Lord.
We saw the biggest buy-in from our preschool leaders. They liked serving on a month-on, month-off basis. We showed them how this did not achieve our value of building community with kids. For this value to be reached, they needed to serve every week throughout the school year. The leaders began to understand that the current rotation system was great for them, but not for the children. Those that could make a new commitment did so, although hesitantly. However, within two months we received stories about many volunteers who believed that the new system was much better for the kids. And once they began to own the idea, this change became a permanent fixture.
Step 4 – Encourage specialization
With our house project, plumbers plumbed, electricians wired, and carpenters built. The same concept applies in ministry: Let people serve in ways they are gifted and able. Administratively-gifted people available for only twenty minutes before a service started to help with registration. Those with computer skills began assisting with the data base development and data entry. People gifted in performing arts such as acting and singing now had a place in the ministry—performing drama or leading worship. Since our ministry remodeling efforts, our volunteer base has almost tripled because people will gladly serve with the realistic amount of time and special talents they possess.
Step 5 – Evaluate
Several times during our house project, I told the contractor to go ahead with something before consulting with my wife, causing future backtracks to do it the right way. The ministry application is to develop a habit of constantly checking with staff and key volunteers and not assuming that everything is going fine.
I found that I needed to pay particular attention to staff and volunteers taking on different or deeper responsibilities. Although this requires significantly more meetings to schedule, the time is worth it. Additionally, we had to make time to listen to parents and leaders who were misinformed or disgruntled about the changes. And as a ministry team, we continually checked with the Lord to make sure we were following His plan.
As can be expected with any large project, all was not always smooth. We often revised “final” plans when rooms would not become available for us to use. But we kept moving forward, and our tenacity paid off. We became more intentional in our teaching and asking kids to invite their friends and make decisions for Christ. As a result, in one year we saw 260 children cross the line of faith! Additionally, authentic community was being built in small groups with kids and between leaders. Our entire team reached the day where we work together on a common mission and values, with unity in heart and purpose. A sorely needed ministry remodeling job ended up building up the Kingdom.
Gary Strudler serves as the children’s pastor of Rolling Hills Community Church in Oregon—a leadership role he has been in for 18 years.
Copyright © 2005 Promiseland.