By Bill Easum

In our experience, if a church has a staff of 10, two will already be equipping people, two will not believe it’s possible in this church, and six are open to the possibility. Two need to be fired outright and two or three of the six who are open to the possibility will make the transition with a lot of help.

So what kind of help do doers need to make the shift to equippers?

The shift begins with what happens in the staff meeting. Does the staff focus on programs, calendars, and problem, or does the staff focus on people? I use the phrase, “You need a to-be list more than a to-do list.” Everyone has a to-do list, and it gets longer every time a person sits in a staff meeting focused on programs.

When a staff meeting focuses on the to-be list, questions from the lead or executive pastor go something like this:

Whom did you meet this week who’s ready for leadership?

Who are the new guests you met this week, and what did you learn about them that the group should know?

Who’s new in the small group ministry? Does each small group leader have an apprentice? If not, how can we help?

How are the past month’s new members doing? Are they finding a place to belong and become involved?

What about our small groups? Are they growing, and who needs our help at the moment?

What is each of you doing to nurture your own spiritual growth? (People can’t give what they don’t have.)

Does each of you have 10 people you’re mentoring? If not, what do you need to make this happen?

I strongly believe that we get back what we look for. People who tell me that the people in their church just don’t want to volunteer are really telling me they don’t spend any time looking for volunteers. They’re usually too busy doing the ministry themselves.

People who spend energy looking for new people so they can help them find them find their place within the body of Christ always seem to find them.

The article “From Doers to Equippers” written by Bill Easum was excerpted from Rev! Magazine, Sept/Oct 2007.