What’s Holding You Back?

It doesn’t matter what you can’t do with what you don’t have.

Today’s blog is inspired by my Sister in Christ Erin Lichnovsky. Find her inspiring video here

No great thing has ever been accomplished without teamwork. There’s a difference between a team and a group. A group is merely a collection of people occupying the same space at the same time. A team is a group that has a leader and a goal.

It’s the difference between winning and losing.

As a coach, I’m always looking for leadership. Over the years, I’m getting better at it. What surprises me is that I honestly don’t think I’ve ever met someone who is incapable of being a leader. Yet obviously leaders are a minority.

So what is it that causes a only a few to emerge as leaders?

Wrong question. If you’re looking for leaders, you’re trying to find a needle in a haystack. On the other hand, if you’re trying to develop leaders – they’re everywhere! So here’s the better question:

What is it that holds most people back from becoming leaders?

If we could only find the answer to that question, think of how the world would be different.

I have the answer, but you may not like it. Here’s what holds people back.

Themselves!

I honestly have yet to meet a person that does not have something of value to offer others. They have a lifetime of experiences that are unique to them. They’ve won victories. They’ve suffered defeat and are still standing. They have some unique gift or talent, yet it will never benefit others.

Why?

Because they’ve either convinced themselves or allowed others to convince them that something “out there” is holding them back. They have a long list of things that they sincerely believe are holding them back. Here’s some examples:

They don’t have enough money
They have health issues
They were abused as children
They’re not as attractive in appearance as they need to be
They’re not smart enough
Their potty training was bad

I could go on and on. Yet, there is testimony from leaders who suffered from and overcame their adversity. Can’t you see that these are excuses? Even if you truly believe that you don’t have what it takes – you’re wrong! Everybody has something to offer. Something that the world is starving for. It requires ZERO talent! Everybody can be an encouragement to others

But as long as you continue to buy into your excuses, I have no hope for you and I’m sure not going to waste my time trying to help you. I don’t water dead plants.

If you’re truly interested in rising above the hell you’re living through, I’m truly interested in helping. If you’ll quit blaming others and wallowing in self pity – if you’ll show me some smoke, my team will come running with a buckets of gas! I don’t have that much to offer, yet what I do have to offer can transform not only your world, it can change the world – literally.

Curious?

Before I share the secret (it’s not really a secret at all), indulge me long enough to look at two examples of this profound truth in action, then we’ll wrap it up.

It doesn’t matter what you can’t do with what you don’t have. It’s what you do with what you have makes the difference.

I’m sorry if that was not profound enough for you. Actually, no I’m not. This is nothing new. If you don’t think it is profound, if you don’t think this applies to you, maybe you think I’m the one who’s crazy – perhaps you could believe it only if Jesus Christ himself said it.

He did! Some two thousand years ago, Jesus shared the parable of the talents. It’s found in Matthew 25:14-30. Google it!

The Parable of the Talents

That’s what I think. I’m interested in your thoughts. There’s lots of ways to hit me up so let me hear from you.

You can leave your comments below.

Connect with me on Twitter @DataGenesis

Subscribe to my YouTube channel

Join our fellowship as we enjoy videos at PJNET’s live Chat Room where we hold live Twitter rallies six nights per week, but we’re open 24/7. You’ll see uplifting and inspiring videos (kinda like this one) from fellow believers and you’ll meet some wonderful Brothers and Sisters in Christ. You can get there by going to http://PatriotJournalist.com and find the links under “Live Hashtag Rallies”

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Discipline vs Punishment

In seeking to fulfill the Great Commission, I hope we will be mindful of our behavior modification posture and modality.

These words are pretty much used synonymously – but there is a difference, so let’s disambiguate. Why?

To use the words correctly
To be more concise
Misuse of the word “discipline” conveys an unintended negative connotation

But today’s blog is not just a word study to sharpen our vocabulary.

One of the commands in the Great Commission is to “make disciples”. The word “disciples” comes from the same root word as “discipline”. So, does that mean we are to go around punishing people into submission? Obviously not.

The purpose of punishment is discipline. If punishment is effective, there will be no future need for it.

It really helps if you think of the word “discipline” as always having the implied word “self” before it – therefore “self discipline”.

Here’s another way to think of it. When you hear someone being referred to as “a well disciplined child”. Does that mean a “well punished child”? Of course not.

None of us like being on the receiving end of punishment or discipline – after all, it’s painful! But we need to be mindful that the intent is NOT to make us miserable. In fact, the opposite is true. For example, a well trained dog can be let out to run free and play. On the other hand, a poorly trained dog must be kept on a leash.

Punishment should be reserved for when circumstances don’t allow for longer term solutions. While effective when needed, punishment has two undesirable side effects:

Damaged relationships
Long term behavior change is not assured

When punishment is used, you have to invest in mending and rebuilding the relationship. Furthermore, without teaching the purpose of the punishment, the undesirable behavior is likely to reoccur.

Punishment attempts to change behavior from the outside in. Discipline, on the other hand, attempts to change the behavior from the inside out.

We live in a world that wants immediate gratification. We have fast food, microwaves, and countless other time saving innovations. Yet, it seems we’re on a treadmill at break neck speed. Where is all the time we are saving?

I think punishment has it’s appeal in that it promises immediate results. Are we perhaps lazy and don’t want to invest in discipline instead? It seems that parents, as well as churches, have adopted a model that resembles “sin management” more than “making disciples”.

Somewhat akin to punishment is the use of excessive supervision. I know of parents who are obsessed with regulating their child’s behavior. They install tracking software on their phones. They only permit use of the computer or television at certain times when the parent is in the room. They insist on excessive “checking in” – texting their children to get a constant deposition on their whereabouts. I’m sure they love their children, but here’s my question:

What’s going to happen when you’re not there to manipulate the circumstances? Do you intend to outlive your children to keep them in line?

Punishment and excessive supervision rely on two key elements:

Superior force
Always being present

Now if anybody is justified in using punishment to the exclusion of discipline – it would be God. After all, He is omnipotent and omnipresent. God could very much force us to do His will. God could very much just zap us when we do wrong. Yet, in His wisdom, He disciplines us.

The bible is flavored with examples of both punishment and discipline. It’s not a case of choosing one to the exclusion of the other. It’s a case of choosing when each are appropriate.

The constant need for punishment does not indicate a high degree of discipline – it indicates a lack of it.

In seeking to fulfill the Great Commission, I hope we will be mindful of our behavior modification posture and modality.

That’s what I think. I’m interested in your thoughts. There’s lots of ways to hit me up so let me hear from you.

You can leave your comments below.

Connect with me on Twitter @DataGenesis

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Persuasion vs Proclamation

Persuasion is a bad strategy. This blog is devoted to convincing you of that!

The art of persuasion is based on several dubious assumptions. Let’s take a look.

The Other Party is Ill Informed or Uninformed

So we go about the business of informing them. Problems arise. People don’t like being called stupid or ignorant. People may be less open minded than you think. So the defense mechanisms go up. Rather than admit they are wrong, they may tend to dig in. Or, they may believe YOU are ill informed and begin breaking down your argument to prove you wrong.

Lee Strobel was an atheist and set out to PROVE his case. In the process, he became a Christian. His book “The Case for Christ” documents his journey from atheism to christianity.

How often does it happen that the other person says “I’ve considered the facts you’ve presented and realize that I was wrong and you are right. Where do I sign up for your cause?”

Even if you are able to change their mind, you have done so at a very high cost. You’ve hurt their self esteem.

We can ill afford many such victories.

Disparaging Their Decision is the First Step

I’m amazed at how many people believe that if they can somehow disparage the object of my affection, that will somehow persuade me to be attracted to the object of their affection. Let me get this right. Let’s say I drive a Ford and you’re a Chevy guy. You confront me with a litany of defects in my Ford. You’ve insulted me. I like my Ford. Furthermore, even if you could get me to believe your low opinion of a Ford, you haven’t given me a reason to buy a Chevy. Yet, people invest heavily in this strategy – especially during campaign season!

Let’s assume you are successful in persuading me that Ford is no good. But in doing so you’ve hurt my pride. You’ve made me feel like an idiot.

You can ill afford many such victories.

It’s Only Logical

Far from it. Most important decisions are based on ideas, faith, feelings, and the pursuit of happiness – anything but logic.

Marriage
Divorce
Buying a car
Gambling
Political candidates
Having a baby

These are important decisions and they are seldom driven by logic. Yes, logic comes into play AFTER we have made our decision.

But let’s say you’re good at it and you are able to use your skills to persuade others. Well, you better be darned good at it. You’ll need to be because…

If you can talk them into something, someone else can talk them out of it.

Many such victories you can ill afford.

While there are rare and even notable exceptions, the overall tone in the bible is to proclaim rather than persuade.

If you do this thing and God so commands you, then you will be able to endure, and all these people also will go to their place in peace. Exodus 18:23

Put on the full armor of God, so that you will be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil. Ephesians 6:11

Be on the alert, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong. 1 Corinthians 16:13

Not that we lord it over your faith, but are workers with you for your joy; for in your faith you are standing firm. 2 Corinthians 1:24

For we have become partakers of Christ, if we hold fast the beginning of our assurance firm until the end. Hebrews 3:14

I could go on and on, but notice that the recurring theme is NOT persuasion.

I’m a big fan of “full armor” found in Ephesians 6:10-18. When my daughter was four years old, she could recite it from memory. She was so zealous about citing the full armor passage that she once used it to witness to our associate pastor!

Notice that the elements of the full armor passage are DEFENSIVE. I’ll save that sermon for another blog. My understanding is that we are not called to oppress evil – that’s the job of the Holy Spirit. We are called to stand firm in the faith and proclaim the truth.

That’s what I think. I’m interested in your thoughts. There’s lots of ways to hit me up so let me hear from you.

You can leave your comments below.

Connect with me on Twitter @DataGenesis

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It’s Not Social Media. It’s a Mission Field

If you’re a believer and God has placed it on your heart to take it to the next level in ministry – we’d like to help.

Social media is different things to different people. For some it’s just idle chit chat. For others it’s a way of interacting with old friend and making new ones.

As for me and my team, it’s a mission field ripe for harvest. Never before has there been such an opportunity. It’s a game changer.

Until now, the way “church” has been done starts with a core group – sometimes lead by a trained professional “church planter”. Initially they meet in homes and form a vision to acquire some property and ultimately build a church. That costs real money folks so add fundraising to the list. Once a few funds are raised, a pastor is needed. Now add even more fund raising so the pastor can be paid. Finally ground breaking day comes. Hopefully there’s more of a congregation so when the plate gets passed, there’s enough money to take care of the added expenses of insurance, utilities, etc.

Literally years may have passed from conception, to vision, to the inaugural worship service – not to mention the tens (or even hundreds) of thousands of dollars. But, it all seems worth it now.

Now that we have a “place” to worship, it’s time to fill the pews. We get together and canvass the nearby neighborhoods. From the pavement pounding, we find prospects. From prospects, we find new members. With more new members, we can raise more money to support the expanded staff, build a fellowship center, build an education building, a family resource center, a gym – you name it!

Glory! What an accomplishment!

Really?

This empire has taken years to build at a cost sometimes soaring into the MILLIONS! The recurring cost of maintaining this infrastructure is enormous. Many of our churches have a weekly attendance of less than a thousand.

Do the math. Divide your annual church budget by 52. Then divide that by the average weekly attendance. That will give you an idea of how much to charge for an admission ticket!

Now the kicker. These buildings stand empty the vast majority of the time.

Believe it or not, this system has worked for centuries.

Please do not misunderstand what I’m pointing out. I am NOT suggesting that we tear down our churches. I am NOT suggesting that we declare a moratorium on new churches.

I have good news. Remember I said social media is a game changer?

Patriot Journalist Network (that’s #PJNET on Twitter) has embarked on a social media evangelical mission and God is richly blessing it! It’s not a substitute for corporate worship. It’s not a parachurch organization. And it doesn’t cost millions or even thousands. Our monthly budget is expressed in hundreds (and not even many of them)!

We don’t have any buildings – we don’t need any. We don’t have any paid staff – we’re all volunteers. Honestly, we don’t have many people either. But what this handful of believers is doing in mind blowing. Would you believe that a group of about 50 people are active on social media SIX NIGHTS PER WEEK? The average “impressions” (that’s the number of Twitter timelines our messages reach) is consistently over 150 MILLION per day! Our YouTube channel is in it’s infancy – we haven’t even begun marketing it – yet we are getting over 20,000 minutes of viewing time per month. Compare that with your church’s podcasts!

OK – I’m bragging – but I can’t help it! I am overjoyed with what God is doing!

And you can be a part of it. You don’t need a degree from seminary. You don’t need any special skills. Our team is committed to helping you grow so you can reach even more with the Gospel message. You don’t need any special gear. If you have a desktop or laptop – you’re good to go!

Maybe you don’t even have a Twitter account. Or maybe the one you set up long ago only has 100 followers and you haven’t logged on in years. That’s about where most of our team started. A short time later, many of them have 3000 – or even 10,000 – or would you believe 30,000+ followers! It’s true! We are committed to helping you increase your social media influence. After all – we’re trying to do the Great Commission here!

We are reaching out to Christian bloggers to join the “EMPOWER” network. You’ll need a webcam (about $50) to preach your blog to. Then post it to YouTube. From there, we’ll grab it, add a sizzling intro and dress it up with captions. Then we add it to our playlist that is being watched 24/7 as part of our live chat room. It’s literally an INTERACTIVE internet television station!

And we’re just getting started. There is more, much more, to come!

Ever hear the phrase “equipping the saints”? It usually refers to the pastors role. We’re actually doing it!

If you’re a believer and God has placed it on your heart to take it to the next level in ministry – we’d like to help.

I know it’s hard to explain this movement in the limited time we have here. The best way to “get it” is to visit our facilities. Just go to

http://PatriotJournalist.com

and find the links under “Live Hashtag Rallies”

Or feel free to call me (202) 559-4656

That’s what I think. I’m interested in your thoughts. There’s lots of ways to hit me up so let me hear from you.

You can leave your comments below.

Connect with me on Twitter @DataGenesis

Subscribe to my YouTube channel

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Prayer Requests and Praise Reports

Through the years I’ve noticed how the subject matter of prayer requests has mutated.

The recipe for a healthy small group bible study has many ingredients. The main ingredient is… bible study! But honestly, you can study the bible without getting up early, getting all dressed up, driving down town, etc. So there needs to be more to small group bible study than just an academic rigor.

One of the key ingredients that spices up the recipe is prayer requests and praise reports.

Through the years I have noticed how the subject matter of prayer requests have mutated. When I was in school, most prayer requests had to do with the various stresses associated with getting through school. Later, the prayer requests became more relational and career oriented as we make our way into life after college. Then we get married! Now the prayer requests seem to be centered around financial struggles. And then comes the babies! Now parenting takes center stage! Lots of prayer requests on that topic. Finally the kids grow up and find their way. Now the prayer requests enter their mature ripened stage – health! Infirmity after infirmity!

There seems to be an unwritten rule – a tradition – that prayer requests are done first, followed by praise reports. OK – whatever the season of life, the prayer requests move along at a steady cadence. Then comes praise reports.

Crickets.

Oh sure – there’s the usual broad things like “God is good. All the time” but somehow that fails to inspire me after a few weeks. Then there’s the bragging cleverly camouflaged as a praise report. It goes something like “Praise the Lord for His blessings on my son/daughter who was just accepted at (name of highfalutin university)”.

I remember one time I was serving in a substitute capacity leading the “assembly” time? What’s that? Well, another tradition is that several small groups will gather, have coffee and donuts, sing a hymn or two, a few announcements are made, then prayer and praise reports. After the assembly, the crowd disperses to their individual small groups. I believe the unspoken truth is that we’re aware that folks arrive late and being late for assembly will only result in you missing out on the chocolate covered donuts and you may have to settle for the left over decaffeinated coffee.

Well, things were going according to plan. I got to the prayer requests – there were several. Then I called for praise reports. SILENCE. I’m sure it was probably only 15 seconds, but it seemed like an eternity! Trying to maintain my composure as the Master of Ceremony, I decided that some levity might break the silence. So I asked “Did God take the week off?”

Laughter broke out and we got through it. Or so I thought. Afterwards I was accosted by some elders who did not think my levity was appropriate. I didn’t take it personally since I knew them well enough to know that their concept of God was that of some kind of cosmic killjoy.

More seriously, isn’t there something wrong with us when it comes to praise reports? I’m not talking about the vagueness or bragging. I’m talking about our shallowness when it comes to spiritual situational awareness.

Are we ungrateful? Do we take God for granted? Do we think God exists to serve us?

I’m not that cynical (yet) – but I challenge you to become more aware of God’s blessings in our lives and offer a meaningful praise report at the next small group bible study.

That’s what I think. I’m interested in your thoughts. There’s lots of ways to hit me up so let me hear from you.

You can leave your comments below.

Connect with me on Twitter @DataGenesis

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Excuses

Excuses are the vehicles we use in the journey from the world of fact to the world fiction and fantasy

People who are good at making excuses are seldom good at anything else.

If a coach is to build a winning team, excuses must be eliminated – PERIOD. It’s the first and foundational step to building personal accountability. Excuses are born of FAILURE. Failure is the opposite of success. If we’re going to move toward success, there can be no excuse for excuses.

Let’s look at the anatomy of excuses.

We’ve established that failure is the incubator of excuses. Failure is undesirable, so we must rationalize – that is, tell ourselves rational lies – it away. Otherwise the failure is attributed to us and our self esteem is diminished. Excuses are more than a method of avoiding the consequences of our choices, they are a defense mechanism to preserve our self esteem.

Excuses form a bridge between the practical and the hypothetical. They obfuscate the observed factual evidence and introduce doubt by venturing into the theoretical. For example – the observed fact is that you ran a red light. The theoretical is that the sun was in your eyes. The argument attempts to transition from practical observed fact that can be proven, to what it may have been like to be behind the wheel at the time. Since we can’t go back in time, it’s not possible to replicate.

Excuses are the vehicles we use in the journey from the world of fact to the world of fiction and fantasy. Perhaps this is a little too abstract so let me give you some examples from my experience playing football.

Player: “I couldn’t catch the ball because the pass was over (or under) thrown”

Coach: “If you can touch it, you can catch it”

Our coach had two big mounds of saw dust piled up on the practice field. The drill was to run to the top of the first mound and leap to the second mound. The coach would then throw the ball midway between the mounds and the receiver was to make the impossible catch. Over and over, the receivers would fail and fall to the second mound in a splat. It was miserable. But eventually a receiver finally caught it. AMAZING! No – possible! Hour after hour, day after day, the drill continued. An interesting thing happened. More and more, receivers were making spectacular “stabs”.

Player: “I can’t throw an accurate pass in the rain. The football is wet”

Coach: “Learn to throw a wet football”

Our coach filled a 55 gallon drum with water. He would dunk the football in the water and give it to the quarterback to throw a pass to a receiver. At first the coach told the quarterback and the receivers to literally go in slow motion. eventually a pass actually made it to the receiver and he caught it! Hour after hour, day after day, the drill continued. Once the skill was mastered, the pace was accelerated and the routes were lengthened. Eventually the quarterback was able to throw, and the receiver was able to catch, a wet football at full speed.

Player: “I’m tired. This is beyond the limits of human endurance”

Coach: “You’re not tired. You’re just not inspired”

Our coach would set orange traffic cones at the four corners of the football field. When we ran laps, woe be it unto anybody who cut inside the cones. The entire team would be punished by starting the laps over. So we cleverly would kinda kick the cones to slide them infeild as we passed around them. It worked! Soon the cones were at least a yard infield of the corner!

I remember one hot August day. We were running laps. We kinda grouped together so that when we slid the cones inward it wouldn’t be so obvious. Except one guy, he was on his hands and knees throwing up. We were exhausted – running at a pace that of walking. A funny thing happened. As a player attempted to slide the cone in, he actually kicked it over! Beneath the cone was a rattlesnake! We ran away from that rattlesnake!

Our coach calmly meandered to the area as we stood well to the rear. “See coach? There’s a snake!” He calmly picked up the fake snake and held it up to us. “You were too tired to run until you saw the rattlesnake” he proclaimed. He then went on to give us a lecture and told us that he knew we were sliding the cones in and had been putting that fake snake under the cones for days.

I could go on and on with examples like that. Our coach wasn’t just preparing us to win on the football field – he was preparing us for life.

The history of excuses goes way back – all the way to the beginning. The first recorded excuses were stupid then and it they’re stupid now. Remember Adam and Eve in the garden when they were confronted by God for eating the forbidden fruit?

Adam: “I hid because I was naked.”

Adam: “The woman you put here with me gave me the fruit and I ate it.”

Eve: “The serpent deceived me.”

Paraphrased, but pretty much accurate.

What’s your excuse for making excuses?

That’s what I think. I’m interested in your thoughts. There’s lots of ways to hit me up so let me hear from you.

You can leave your comments below.

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The Short List

Do you have a short list of friends you could call upon for help no matter what time of day or night?

It’s 2:30 am. I just got in. I need to go to bed, but I need to share something with you first.

Around 10:30 tonight, I got a text from a friend. He had some burdens he needed to share. He needed… a friend.

At the time he texted me, I was in the middle of co-hosting a live event. How could I just drop that? I contacted the other co-host and asked if she could go solo so I could meet with a friend who needed… a friend. She agreed.

Let’s stop right there. I’ve been working with that co-host for years. She knows I wouldn’t flippantly bail out just to socialize over a cup of coffee with a friend. She has been a faithful servant and ministry partner with me since we began this ministry. She never complains – no matter how much work piles up on us. Her unselfish act enabled me to minister to the man that contacted me. Even though she did not know any specifics, she offered to help.

I met my friend at IHOP. We talked for nearly four hours. I didn’t (and couldn’t) solve all of his problems. But I could listen. I could sympathize.

Question – do you have a short list of friends you could call upon for help no matter what time of day or night and no matter for what purpose? Or do you think nothing like that will ever happen in your life that would require that kind of friend?

I’m sure there’s plenty of folks that you can call upon to socialize or otherwise entertain one another. That’s not what I’m talking about. I’m talking about someone you could call when your life seems to be unraveling and there seems to be nothing you can do about it. What if you told your best friend your deepest darkest secret? Would they drop you like a hot potato? If so, that’s not the kind of friend I’m talking about.

How do you find that kind of friend?

By BEING that kind of friend!

But how?

If you’re not part of a small group bible study at a bible believing local church, I suggest you find one – THIS SUNDAY!

If you are part of a small group bible study at a bible believing church and you don’t have that kind of fellowship – then I suggest you make some changes. If your small group is limited to an academic study of scripture – I think you’re missing something – a lot actually. You can read and study at home alone. The fellowship bonds of trust that are nurtured in small group bible study are priceless – whether you’re on the giving or receiving end of ministry.

I know so, because I’ve been on both sides.

That’s what I think. I’m interested in your thoughts. There’s lots of ways to hit me up so let me hear from you.

You can leave your comments below.

Connect with me on Twitter @DataGenesis

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Practice Makes Perfect

As we go through life, we build opinions. These opinions are abstracted and developed into deeply held beliefs, worldviews, and faith.

I remember as a 14 year old gazing with amazement at the center spread ad of a motorcycle magazine. It was a huge, beautiful, powerful, elegant machine. That picture stuck in my mind for over 40 years. I’ll never forget the day mine it arrived at the dealership. A childhood dream come true. But I couldn’t drive it home. I took a friend with me who had a motorcycle endorsement on his Florida drivers license.

I enrolled in the next available motorcycle safety class to get my certification. It was agonizing. The class was held over 3 weekends. And after all, I had driven dirt bikes as a teen ager. I had hundreds, if not thousands, of hours of experience operating a motorcycle. Heck, I even raced in a few dirt bike events. What the heck was I doing here with these females (yes, half the class was female) who didn’t even know how to operate a clutch? Why couldn’t I just take the written test and get this over with?

As it turned out, I needed that class more than those who had never ridden a motorcycle before. Yes, those girls had to spend a little time learning how to operate a clutch BUT they didn’t have to break any bad habits. I thought I knew everything. Well, I did know a lot but a lot of what I knew was wrong!

So the idea that “practice makes perfect” is true only in the sense that the practice is perfect.

As we go through life, we build opinions. These opinions are abstracted and developed into deeply held beliefs, worldviews, and faith.

Do you know anyone who has built their faith (or lack thereof) on self taught opinions or smorgasbord picking and choosing? Imagine their assessment of you as you share the Gospel with them. They might see you the same way I saw those female class mates. Pray that in the end, they will see the folly, and danger, of their self reliant and errant experience and be open minded receive the Gospel message – even from someone they may feel is inferior.

That’s what I think. I’m interested in your thoughts. There’s lots of ways to hit me up so let me hear from you.

You can leave your comments below.

Connect with me on Twitter @DataGenesis

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Substitute Sunday School Teacher Ministry

It’s not an official position on our church’s org chart – I invented it.

I serve as an intentional substitute Sunday School teacher at my church. It was not an official position on our church’s org chart – I invented it.

Why?

Well, I was never asked to serve on the “first string” team of Sunday School teachers, so I thought I’d try to work my way up and earn one of the coveted slots!

If I were offered the opportunity to teach a class today, I would probably turn it down. It would be a demotion as far as I’m concerned.

I find it odd that church’s haven’t figured this out. It’s not a matter of if, it’s a matter of when a Sunday School teacher is going to need a substitute – sometimes with little or no notice. Vacations, sickness, car problems – you name it – sooner or later, a Sunday School teacher is going to need a substitute. Yet instead of meeting the reality head on, church’s leave it to the teacher to find their own replacement. I guess they stick their heads in the sand and figure it’s not their problem. But it is! In many cases, the absent teacher merely calls the church office and informs them of their absence. Oddly, that’s the best case scenario. Sometimes, the class assembles and there simply is no teacher.

Nobody wins.

But it doesn’t have to be that way.

First of all, teachers should be recruiting their own replacements. I’ve never seen that happen. I’m afraid many of them do not want to be replaced. They hang on with bloody fingers and white knuckles to their coveted positions. Why on earth would they want to recruit and train their competition?

Yet, it’s a no brainer that we will need substitute Sunday School teachers. Instead of ignoring the need, wouldn’t it make sense to meet it head on? It goes beyond meeting an obvious need. It’s a vibrant ministry opportunity that all churches should embrace. The list of benefits is a long one:

Meet the need of providing for absent teachers
Development of future leaders
Qualitative programming improvement. A prepared teacher is better than a last minute effort to just press someone into service.
If gives the class some much needed variety

Having served as an intentional substitute Sunday School teacher, I can testify that it has been a wonderful experience where everybody wins. As much as I love my class, I like meeting new people. My church office never has to worry about the last minute crisis of a class without a teacher. It has helped me in my spiritual walk. After all, I have to study every weeks Sunday School lesson since I may have to teach it.

If you’re already a Sunday School teacher, I challenge you to begin recruiting and training your own replacement – and let them teach from time to time even when you’re not absent. Isn’t that called “making disciples? If you’re not a teacher, just put the word out that you’re prepared to teach a class at a moments notice. Call the church office and let them know too. Suggest that the church office get a rubber stamp to label the literature with your name and number in case they need a substitute.

You’ll get calls! One last thing. Remember, you could be called upon with no notice to teach a class – you will need to be prepared!

That’s what I think. I’m interested in your thoughts. There’s lots of ways to hit me up so let me hear from you.

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