by Jim Wideman
Every children’s minister wants their ministry to grow. I believe God wants your ministry to grow as well. In order for our ministries to children to grow, we must be willing to grow in our leadership abilities. Individual growth always comes before corporate growth.
The number one key to growth as a leader is evaluation. Change will never take place without constant evaluation. If you don’t identify ways that you can grow as a leader you’ll never reach your next level. Let’s look at some areas we should evaluate on a regular basis.
First, how’s your attitude? Here are some questions I ask myself on a regular basis: Do I have the heart of a servant? Have I made my Pastor look good this week? Have I made my Pastor’s life easier this week? Am I an asset or a liability to my Pastor? Am I a team player? What is my attitude about others around me? Am I grumbling and complaining? Am I enjoying the trip? Do I have a heart after God? Am I thinking about me and my wants too much?
The second area to evaluate is your priorities. Could you make a list of the top ten priorities for your life and ministry right this moment? If you don’t have priorities you can’t keep them. Proverbs 28:2 says, “When a country is rebellious, it has many rulers, but a man of understanding and knowledge maintains order.” It’s one thing to know your priorities, it’s another thing entirely to live according to those priorities.
The third area to evaluate about yourself is time management. In other words, ask yourself: How am I spending my time? Am I spending time daily with the Lord? Is my family suffering while my ministry is flourishing? Am I making time for my personal growth and development? Are you identifying the time robbers in your life? Once you identify the areas that need improvement, you must come up with a plan to implement the needed changes. It’s your time, act like it!
The fourth area I evaluate on a regular basis is my performance. Am I being a team builder or a one-person show? What am I doing that someone else can do? Have I communicated clearly to all my workers what they are to do? Speaking of communication, am I a clear and skillful communicator? Am I skilled at solving problems? Can I be relied on to complete assignments and keep commitments? If you had to rate your level of leadership on a scale of one to 10 what would it be? Are you meeting the needs of the children and families of your church?
It’s up to you to evaluate your strengths and weaknesses on a regular basis. If you’ll make personal evaluation a habit in your life, you’ll grow as a leader!
