“Team Member Downturn”
by Sherry L. Kirton
Q
--- leader1@aol wrote:
“ Hi... We have just began a drama team. I am really excited because I truly want our youth to see how God can use them. I believe doing drama is a great tool the Lord can use to inspire them. My concern is that there are a couple youth who are on this team who’s christian walk is very questionable. I’m not really sure how to put it. They just are not living it out. There is one in particular who has great potential but has a horrible reputation. I love this person yet we know [he/she] is not living Christ like. I feel as the Leader I need to tell this person to step down. I do not want [him/her] to bring reproach upon the team. We are ministering and we should be held to a different standard. Am I wrong and how would you go about handling this? Thank you ahead of time for any insight on this matter.”
A
Wow,
you are in a tough position right now and God is going to require much time from you to keep you in a right spirit as you work through this...
- continue in prayer.
- continue in study.
- following your time with Him consider the different ways Paul and Barnabas dealt with younger ministers... use a concordance to see more.
Paul and Barnabas took a green John Mark with them on a missionary journey and JM got home sick. Paul gave up on him... P needed no distractions... B knew that he should nurture JM and so, P & B split up. JM eventually worked as a secretary for Peter and ended up writing the Gospel of Mark using Peter as a witness to events he hadn’t witnessed himself. This was a case of a new minister who simply needed nurturing and time.
Paul also wrote extensively on how to address sin in a member in order to correct him/her. Always, the goal is to restore them gently. 2Corinthians 1:1-11 is one part.
Matthew 18:10-35
- 10-14 keeping yourself in a right spirit/reaching out to the lost one.
- 15-20 how to reach out.
- 20-35 forgiving the brother as we want to be forgiven by God.
[most often people leave out verses 10-14, but it really sets up the attitude for the rest of the section... see for yourself]
You’ll need some alone time with your young minister to ask him/her what is going on in their life and why he/she has chosen to live the way he/she has. You’ll also need to ask him/her WHY he/she has chosen to minister, and ask him/her to consider what he/she feels and thinks is his/her commitment level. Explain your desire for him/her to continue in ministry, but more importantly to continue in a growing relationship with God (relationship is paramount to ministry). If you both talk it out hopefully you BOTH will be able to come to a conclusion about what you BOTH need to do: you as the leader of many ministers, and your young minister as a Christian first and a minister second.
If you need to study more of God’s answers concerning his/her problem areas then do take the time to study before coming to a conclusion. It has taken me many years to build up my ’Word bank’ so that I can pull up God’s answers to problems as they come... I still need my concordance to look up the addresses, but the Holy Spirit does pull up pertinent phrases and text from my memory as I encounter the problems... I wish I could memorize addresses, but my learning disability keeps me from doing so very well.
Since I do not know what the particulars are I am giving you the general way I would go at this. Of course, your role as a leader is to keep the team heading toward the assignments God has given you as a team, but, more importantly, you are to lead each member of the team heading toward an intimate relationship with God, Himself. If you spend your time trying to inspire them to become more intimate with God knowing that that will make them more effective in their ministry then you are on your way.
Here is something I use. You can use it, completely redo it, or ignore it. It is a commitment form.
There will be times when you must ask a member to choose: either they must accept God’s instruction and help/grace to restore his/her relationship with God with some discipling in the problem area, or step-down entirely from ministry until he/she can show some spiritual fruit in that area and commit to the ministry again.
More on our job/purpose:
Jude 20 But you, dear friends, build yourselves up in your most holy faith and pray in the Holy Spirit. 21 Keep yourselves in God’s love as you wait for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to bring you to eternal life.
22 Be merciful to those who doubt; 23 snatch others from the fire and save them; to others show mercy, mixed with fear - hating even the clothing stained by corrupted flesh.
24 To him who is able to keep you from falling and to present you before his glorious presence without fault and with great joy - 25 to the only God our Savior be glory, majesty, power and authority, through Jesus Christ our Lord, before all ages, now and forevermore! Amen.
One more thing:
Try the Free Artistic Outreach Weekend Workshop [AOWW]
if you have any team issues already plaguing your ministry or your team is yet to be seen this workshop is for you. Just choose “drama” as the practical project and let us know about your needs so we can be of service to you and you can be of service to those who have yet to hear the Gospel in your local area.
May this be a blessing to you and those you serve,
IJN~
Sherry Kirton
the Kirton Drawn Back - Artistic Outreach and Christian Youth Ministry
http://www.kirtondrawnback.org
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