Friendships, Future Ministry, and God’s Plan

Posted on 26. Aug, 2008 by frank in faith

I got to catch up with some old friends this past Sunday. Harry and Dee Riggs came to visit CCV after dropping their daughter off to college this weekend. It was great to see them again and I took the time as an opportunity to catch up. I thoroughly enjoyed having their family attend our church. Harry was involved as a small group leader and Dee jumped into volunteering as a leadership coach and helped me with teaching some of our small group leadership training sessions. She was a great asset to our team and I was saddened to see her go when Harry accepted a pastoral position at FBC in Lincoln, Nebraska.

It can be challenging as a leader when you have people on your team called to other things. As a leader of a large organization of volunteers it can also be challenging when an individual on your team desires a change. Sometimes it is simple and they want a different role in your ministry. Other times it is more difficult because they want to move on to something completely different in another department. The most difficult challenge is when they feel called to another church, like Harry and Dee felt. Sometimes its hard to let people go and I certainly felt that way this summer as some of our interns had to move on. A friend of mine recently gave me some good advice. He said,

Let me drop a thought into your psyche: when viewing folk involved in the life of our church keep two categories in mind:

1) Those who are Foundational and
2) Those who are Resources.

We build around those who are Foundational. We thank God for and utilize to whatever extent possible, those who are resources.

In one sense, we can think of “commanding” or planning around those who are Foundational.

We NEVER plan around those in the resource category. We capitalize on them when we “have” them, but consciously “hold them with an open hand”. Whenever God is pleased to move them on, we are not frustrated, nor do we try and hold or manipulate them toward our ends.

Instead, we rejoice in what God seems to have in store for them, and await His next good pleasure.

Great advice from a good friend that has a lot more life experience than I do. What is some great advice you were given recently?