The Right People
“To live above with the saints I love, O wouldn’t that be glory!
But to live below with the saints I know, well that’s another story.”
Just like having a right heart is critical for a joyful Christian life, having the right people leading is critical for a joyful Christian ministry. You may have good people, but do you have the right people? The right people will naturally build the right culture.
TRUTH: You cannot have the right culture without the right people. How do you find the right people? You must pray and let God direct you to the right people.
The prophet Samuel heard clearly from God to go find the next king of Israel. God didn’t tell Samuel a name, but told him to go to the house of Jesse. 1 Samuel 16:3 says, “And you shall anoint for Me him whom I declare to you.” We all know the story. Samuel went through ALL of Jesse’s sons, ‘And Samuel said to Jesse, ‘The Lord has not chosen these.’ Then Samuel said to Jesse, ‘Are all your sons here?’ ” You can’t just plug holes with people, possibly the wrong people, in positions. Otherwise, God would have given us that example in His Word. A position never a person made. Like Samuel, you must discern what God says to you as you follow and listen to Him, and discern what and who you are looking for.
The right people won’t be perfect people. Imperfect men and women surrendered to and empowered by a perfect God = right people. If perfection were required, none of us qualify. Here are seven basic key traits – The Seven Cs – you should be looking for in finding the right people to lead and build the right culture in Child Evangelism Fellowship ® ministry. Establish these standards as your prayers for leaders. Let go and let God lead.
Character. It doesn’t matter how competent someone is, if they have a major character flaw, it will surface and it will cause problems.
Conviction. Is a lie always a lie? Is shading the truth a lie? What about little indiscretions? Do those really matter? It’s one thing to have strong character, but conviction is the line someone is not willing to cross.
Calling. Ministry is true joy, but ministry is fire; especially evangelism ministry. Sometimes calling is all you have left when everything else has fallen apart. Your calling is the lens through which you view life.
Commitment. Commitment is the difference between a strong person and all the rest. It insists you don’t give up amidst difficulties. When the going gets tough, the committed keep going.
Competency. Only the competent can accomplish anything. Competency demands you require certain skills of those you put into leadership positions. Don’t settle. Competency is key.
Congruency. The essence of congruency is that every ministry has certain core operating principles–from mission and vision to core values to general operating principles–that everyone who’s in leadership needs to be in alignment with, or else conflicts will emerge.
Chemistry. Is this person a good fit for the team? Does this person have EQ (emotional quotient)? Do they know or care how they are perceived? Would you allow this person to represent CEF ® ministry to the public, up front and center?
Raise your standard of leadership and people will be standing in line to serve! Settle for just anybody and you’ll always be looking for leaders. Don’t plug holes and don’t settle. Be like Samuel: Pray and expect God to reveal the right people for CEF ministry!
“Lord, bless us with a razor-sharp sense of discernment in raising up an army of evangelists to reach America’s children! Only You know who future leaders are; direct us to them for the sake of Your kingdom. In the mighty name of Jesus, Amen.”