People Development

I'm in the people development business.

So, Tim wants to start an organic church. And I want to coach him on getting the values right before he begin the "seen" work. Values are what drive the vision. Most of us have wrong values having not done the hard internal work of what we really think is important. I know, I know! We all think we have the right values: family, Bible, church, etc. But really, values are those things we actually DO. We might say we value "family", but in reality – since we spend no time with them – is that really a "value?" So, my job is really help Tim think through these things. I don't give him the right values. I help him discover what ideas and actions he really holds dear. These are his true values.

David wants to reenter pastoral ministry. And he's been out for a while and church reentry is kinda like the space shuttle coming back into the earth's atmosphere – full of heat and danger. David left ministry, not because of moral failure or the usual "get out of ministry" cards, he just burned out. Crashed and burned after watching things fall apart time and time again. But there is a genuine Gift in his life. A God-given difference-making Gift. A Gift that still troubles him and keeps him awake at night. I want to help him re-engineer his vision and then look for space as a middle-aged man in the church world.

Eric wants to overcome addiction. That should be enough to say, except he's a Jesus-follower who knows all the right answers and has been through all the right calisthenics, but still feels condemned and trapped. I want to see him move forward. Counseling hasn't helped. I want to coach him forward.

Tom wants to hear God speak. There is an obstacle. I'm helping him by coaching him around it.

Nathan & Ken want to survive. They're not yet in the victory mode. And you must survive before you can thrive. Making a difference can take a toll and I want to help them move from where they are to where they want to be.

Bobby wants to send people all over the world. He needs a little help.

Matt wants to be sent as a missionary. And he needs to go, he's got much to give.

I must help them all! That's what I do. We once called it ministry, but now "ministry" is mostly about preaching and self-promotion. (Mostly) That's why I see myself in People Development. My gifts and call are not to be expended on myself, but to help develop others.

I'm just saying...