5 Things I’ve Learned about Team Ministry

Lately I have been getting a lot of questions about team ministry. I have been personally involved in team ministry for over 15 years. I have been on different types of teams, good teams, bad teams, productive teams & unproductive teams. I am still convinced that the team concept prevails in regards to raising an effective church or organization. Here is what I have learned.

1. A team’s motivation comes from a compelling vision. Here is what I have learned. Teams do not respond well to needs and problems. We can leave the needs and problems to a committee for note taking and analysis. Teams are looking to respond to a vision that is life giving and exciting. Needs don’t move a team. Vision moves a team.

2. A team needs an active and exciting leader that has continued to demonstrate success. Here is what I have learned. Successful teams are usually led by a leader who is doing a number of things–learning new concepts, producing results today, having personal victory, etc. The mistakes I see many leaders make is that they stop producing personally. They rest upon past victories, while the war keeps waging. Teams respond to leaders who can demonstrate current and timely results.

3. A an effective team is built for short-term goals that build a long-term vision. What gives a team great confidence? One win at a time. Every team needs a project that has a beginning & a definitive end. I have learned that teams respond best to 90 day goals. Every 90 days we set goals that will help to build our long-term vision.

4. A person cannot be held accountable for unspoken expectations. It amazing to me how many leaders expect their team to read their minds, under the guise of “knowing my heart brother/sister”. To me that is a cop-out for bad communication. As a team leader I cannot expect my team to be accountable for my unspoken desires or the things that I have not communicated directly to them myself. A major mistake leaders make is to assign a personal connector to a team in order to fulfill a vision. I have spent 6 years under one of our world greatest leaders and I have never seen him call someone to call someone.

5. Ask questions. One of the biggest mistakes a team leader can make is to think that they have all of the answers. Believe me when I say, “Nobody is that good.” Information is power to a team. A team sits in circles and not in rows.

Following the Mega-Church Trend Part.1

In the hallways of our movement you can hear the whispers of pastors & leaders speaking of a long eluded goal. “When will Victory Outreach International see a mega-church emerge.” Fact is: for many years Victory Outreach La Puente was at mega-church status in the Los Angeles area. At one time it was the largest church in the region with the largest worship center in San Gabriel Valley seating over 3500 people. However, times do change, and the driving force of our movement has never really been building mega-type churches. We have always been focused on church planting. And for 42 years that is what we have done faithfully.

If the future of VOI does call for mega-churches to arise, what should we be looking for? What does a mega-church look like, and kind of work & personnel does it take to build a mega-church? For those of you who are interested, I have compiled some information that I hope is helpful to you.

1. 2000 or more people in attendance at weekend worship. 

2. A charismatic authoritative senior pastor.

3. A very active 7 day a week congregational community.

4. A multitude of social & outreach ministries.

5. A complex differentiated organizational structure. (Basically different structures that act independently & interdependently)

Here are a few more facts that you might find interesting:

The majority of megachurches (over sixty percent) are located in the southern Sunbelt of the United States – with California, Texas, Georgia and Florida having the highest concentrations.  

Generally, these congregations have significant parking lots and sanctuaries that are able to accommodate the large numbers of worshipers they attract.  The average megachurch has weekly attendance of 3857 persons.

Megachurches tend to grow to their great size within a very short period of time, usually in less than ten years, and under the tenure of a single senior pastor. Nearly all megachurch pastors are male, and are viewed as having considerable personal charisma. 

The senior minister often has an authoritative style of preaching and administration and is nearly always the singular dominant leader of the church.  Supporting these senior pastors are teams of 5 to 25 associate ministers, and often hundreds of full-time staff.  

The 406 megachurches surveyed in 2005 averaged 20 full time paid ministerial staff persons, and 22 full time paid program staff persons.  The average number of volunteer workers (giving 5 or more hours a week to the church) was 284.

Megachurches host a multitude of social, recreational, and aid ministries.  Likewise, a majority of megachurches employ intentional efforts at enhancing congregational community, such as home fellowships and interest-based small group meetings.  Contrary to expectations, these congregations promote intense personal commitment in a majority of their members but also contain a large percentage of anonymous spectators in their ranks.

Few megachurches have been exceptionally large for longer than the tenure of their current minister.  Evidence suggests, however, that these churches can remain vital following a shift in leadership from the founder to his successor.  Although some researchers argue the era of megachurch proliferation is drawing to a close, the total number has increased from 350 in 1990 to over 600 in 2000 and there are now over 1200 megachurches in the US.

Thanks to the Hartford Institute for Religious Studies

Elevate. 

The Missing Link to Your Church Growth Strategy

For the last 8 days Victory Outreach Church of San Diego has been positioned under the windows of revival. Mario Murillo Ministries & VOSD have partnered to win souls and declare healing over hundreds of people. The faith of our church and the surrounding areas have been elevated to a brand new dimension. What is amazing to me is God’s ability to speak to a pastor about the direction and pathway of the church. What has become overwhelmingly true in our churches direction, is that we can never get away from the supernatural. For a church that has been in existence for 25 years, it is impossible to get away from the power of God. That power has made itself known once again and our direction will never be the same.

What is the missing link to your church growth strategy? Without a doubt. It is the power of God. Every Sunday Morning is a priceless opportunity to touch the hurts of your city. God’s power is the only way. Here are a few things that I have learned over these past few days.

1. Doctors have no medicine for the people we minister to. The day of supernatural anointing is upon us. God is looking for a church that will stand in the miracle working power of His word. Methods, strategies, systems work wonderfully to attract a certain component of society, but there is a certain windfall of growth for VO churches. No matter what we do, we will always attract the marginalized people of society. This is why God raised up Victory Outreach. What will you do, when your cell group system, your follow-up plan and christian ed. classes are lacking the power of God in the face of people who are suffering and without hope? The only remedy is the power of God.

2. God wants to give us miracles more than we want to see them. There may be a possibility that you have not even expected miracles. But that has not detoured God from giving them. The only thing is that God is not giving them in your church. Winky Pratney, a famous pastor from New Zealand in his research for a newly released Revival Bible, noticed that since the days of Pentecost, there has not been one place on earth that has not experienced an ongoing revival. The days of pentecost have continued because revival is God’s will and not ours. Revival takes place where people gather to pray in diligence for God to shake the ground underneath them. The upper room was that place where prayer set a fire that has not been quenched sinced.

3. You will have your rhema moment. If you are a teacher of the Bible you will definitely know the difference between the “logos” & the “rhema”. A rhema moment is when something comes to powerful light in our hearts and minds. A new understanding. A revelation of sorts. Something of an illumination that will bring change to your life and to your ministry.

In conclusion, I believe that we can have both. We can have innovative and creative churches all while experiencing the power of God. Miracles work from God’s creative side. Our job is to tap into that creativity and for our people to experience what cannot be fabricated or imitated. However, we cannot have mass appeal & miracles. We must make the choice.

Elevate.

Top Searches @ Elevate Blog

I want to take this opportunity to share with you some of the top search terms at the Elevate Blog. I think you will find it interesting. Gives me some insight to what people are look for. Enjoy. I also rejoice that we hit over 3000 hits so far this month.

Searches include:

victory outreach sandiego

empowering members for church growth

alcance victoria east los angeles (this is a big one, always at the top)

pastor sonny arguinzoni

changing seasons of our lives

pastor tom vasquez

breaking barriers in the church

pastor mitchell petersen

how to deal with tough personalities

georgina valdez

what to do when you want to quit

nick walker

changing your mentality

what is twitter?

mega church growth

how to develop cell groups in your church

developing leaders

assimilating newcomers

Have a great week.

ELEVATE

Legacy Leaders

legacy |ˈlegəsē|

noun ( pl. -cies)an amount of money or property left to someone in a will.• a thing handed down by a predecessor

As I was doing a word search I was kind of surprised to find out what the word legacy really meant. I did not know that it was in direct regard to money. I have been doing a great amount of study on financial breakthrough because I believe that God has set up VOSD for a powerful financial promotion. We have done our part and now we are asking God to do his part. However, our financial blessing is not for us. We believe that it will be for the next generation. Every seed that we sow into God’s kingdom will be felt in the next generation to come. Our children & our children’s children will feel the vibration of our giving. The Bible is clear. In Proverbs 13:22, “A good man leaves an inheritance to his children’s children” Our aim is to be those leaders that leave a legacy. An inheritance to those who are behind us.

Legacy Leaders are people who have the ability to do 3 things:

1. Legacy Leaders can see beyond others. They look past their own future to the generations that follow. They are not caught up in the temporal but they have a heart for the eternal. They know that their giving goes to the furtherance of God’s agenda in the earth and that the great benefit will fall to the next generation. This is my hearts desire. I want to not only impact my generation but I want to impact the next generation. They will be the greatest generation!

2. Legacy Leaders can see before others. They see what must happen long before others are ready to see it. I thank God for a father who saw something different for his family. Being the first amongst his family to move out of East LA, was a big step for a young man with a small family. His vision was so that his family would have a better opportunity that he did when he was young. None of it would be possible without sacrifice. Physical, emotional, spiritual, financial sacrifice. Your sacrifice makes a difference.

3. Legacy Leaders can see bigger than others They have a larger than usual vision of what can happen. They can just see what others cannot see, when it comes to the size and magnitude of God’s plan. These types of leaders have rescued and envisioned a generation for greatness. Their sacrifice has always had the bigness of God’s plan in mind. Their attitude is: The bigger the vision, the bigger the sacrifice. They have been willing to pay that price. My pastor is my greatest example of that sacrifice. His life will forever be linked to our generation and those to come because he saw it before anyone else did. God gave him that honor.

The question is: What will we do about the future. Will we leave a brand new legacy for those who are depending on our sacrifice? 

 

Enduring the Financial Crunch

It is difficult to overlook the financial crisis that has hit our country. What is hopeful for us is that it seems to be turning for the better. The country should be back on its feet soon, but what about us? What about the church? Here is a question, how is your church doing financially? Have you made any adjustments in your monthly budget? What steps are you taking to encourage givers in your church? What is your stance on tithes & offerings? Here is a few steps you can take to endure & build in a time of financial uncertainty.

1. Evaluate your giving. As leaders we must be the greatest example of giving. A person who does not practice personal integrity in regards to giving cannot challenge others with conviction. How can we challenge others to do what we do not believe ourselves? Why do we give? Is it because we are going to be blessed? Listen we give for 2 reasons:

First, our love for God creates an overflow of giving in our lives. We give because our character becomes just like God’s. God was a giver, therefore we have become givers. As our love grows, we give even more. 

Secondly, our obedience is a reflection of our priorities. Whether you admit it or not, our heart strings are attached to our wallet strings. When we put God first in tithe & offering, we are telling God a story about our heart. We are saying God my heart is fully trusting you.

It is important to keep the subject of finances in front of the church on a consistent basis. Develop a financial strategy for your church. Never approach your church in a frustrated manner. Keeping in mind the subject of finances doesn’t always have to be about tithes & offering, it can be about faith, consistency, trust, kingdom building, etc. It is important to be creative when bringing the message.

2. Evaluate your budget. Here is a question. What can I cut from my budget that is more of a luxury than a necessity. Now I know what you are thinking, “Everything on my budget is a necessity!” Ok, so what can you cut personally? The main idea is to stop the bleeding. Even if its just a small drip, it will add up, and the good news is we can always go back to it once we get back on our feet.

3. Evaluate your spending. A famous cliche comes to mind when one speaks about business, “You have to spend money, to make money”. And it might be true when it comes to church. Our job is to present the gospel in the greatest times of need. If we are going to be effective, it is our job to continue to reach out in the most troubling of times. I kinda get the feeling that God will allow the world to face a famine in order to re-examine their priorities. In other words, these are the times when people are more open to God. People are looking for churches to run to. Especially the ones that are set up to receive them. Guess what? That costs money.

So how can we evaluate? Are we being effective in the money we are spending? Can we say that our dollars are being effective at reaching new & ripe souls that are running to the Lord? Now is not the time to experiment, now is the time to experiment, now is the time to maximize our dollars.

Elevate.