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Blindsided. That’s the only word I can
think of to describe my experience. It was
supposed to just be a short workshop I
was doing for the 25 or so staff from the
local chapter of this international Christian
ministry. But within seconds of my closing
prayer I was mobbed by 10-15 crying and
emotionally charged young men and women.
It soon became obvious their frustration,
stress, feelings of failure and guilt were not
their fault—but thoughtlessly thrust upon
them by their ministry leaders.
For years, the leaders of this ministry set
incredibly high goals for their staff in the
areas of trusting God, working hard, and
living sacrificially. Normally, these are all
excellent values to strive for, but these staff
felt continually pressured to go, go, go and
produce results—but without the necessary
finances to sustain them. Ongoing unrealistic
expectations combined with inadequate
funding can gradually rip apart even the
sturdiest missionary.
As I questioned these struggling staff,
I was able to discover the root cause. The
leaders of this organization appeared to
care more about their outreach programs
and numbers of converts than they did the
well being and longevity of their own staff.
A tragic but true evidence of these mixed up
priorities? These staff had received virtually
no meaningful training in HOW to raise
solid, healthy personal support teams. Their
motto of “living by faith” had given way to the
tyranny of the urgent as these regional and
country leaders were requiring their staff to
make more and more bricks—but with no
straw.
Excellent, thorough support training is
essential, and just giving exhortation without
explanation produces frustration. Sad to
say, here are four pitiful examples of real-life
horror stories of over-bearing, but undernourishing
staff leaders and the extent of
their supposed “training” of their staff:
1. One ministry just gave each staffer a
book to read
2. Another just showed them examples
of newsletters
3. A two hour orientation was all one
group received
4. Another gave no training, but
cheerfully said, “Give us an update
each quarter. We’ll pray for you!”
When an organization does not take the
time and money to get their staff fully trained
in how to put together a stable, long-term
support team, it communicates they really
don’t care about them. Deep down the
leadership knows that lack of funds cause
staff to experience personal and marital
stress, a questioning of their calling, spiritual
disillusion, and a premature exiting from
ministry. Usually the ones adversely affected
the most are the staff spouses and children
who are forced to suffer in silence—all in the
name of God.
What is the answer? Put a huge, upfront
emphasis on getting every one of your
rookies (and vets) fully trained and prepared
to be successful in support raising. Set aside
extensive time and money to do so BEFORE
they are allowed to launch (or even move to!)
their ministry assignment. If for some reason
funding dips while the staffer is doing their
ministry, be willing to pull that person back for
a season of additional support raising in order
to return them fully funded. Yes, it might put
a temporary crimp in the ministry goals, but
what does this kind of training, these kinds
of policies and approaches communicate to
your staff? Actions speak louder than words,
and it will demonstrate you want the very best
for their lives. It will show you really do care!
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