Posted on August 2, 2009 - by rfrank

Fighting staff infections – part 1

Sometimes you just know that your friends are rubbing off on you. I was never much of a list guy until I started hanging with Jim Wideman. Jim loves lists. You don’t have to read this blog or K! Magazine much to learn this about him. Here I am, starting a new series of blog posts that are numbered. You’ll forgive me, right?

We’ve all heard of staph infections. A staph infection is a bacterial infection that grows deep below the skin. This bacteria usually enters the skin through open cuts and can be life-threatening. Today I am writing not about staph infections – but staff infections.

Staff infections are grow deep below the skin too. They enter through the mind and go right to the heart. They can threaten the life of your personal life and ministry and must be avoided at every cost. Go ahead and pat yourself on the back for reading this blog post – you’re on the right path.

Do you ever wish you could vote your senior pastor off the island? Guess what, at some point he has wished the same thing about you. You’ll never be effective in children’s ministry until you learn to do more than survive with your senior pastor. You’ve got to go from surviving to thriving. Over the next several days I’ll share some tips with you for energizing your relationship with your pastor.

Tip #1: Make communication a priority.

I have a great relationship with my pastor but it’s been work. Hard word. We are opposites in so many ways. I’ve learned the hard way that communication is critical in our relationship. I do my best to communicate with him every way I can. I Bcc: him on important emails. Any time we print something for our children’s ministry, I make sure a copy gets in his mailbox. He gets a copy of every memo. I talk to him whenever I suspect there is a problem with a volunteer or member of the church. I touch base with him on big projects and keep him up to speed.

In your efforts to make communication a priority, don’t barrage him with minute-by-minute updates. Remember, he’s a busy guy. But the minute you hear about a serious problem, let him know right away.

One last point, I learned years ago that my pastor doesn’t like to be surprised. He doesn’t have to be involved in every decision, but he doesn’t like to be surprised. I bet your pastor hates surprises too.

One of the best ways to fight staff infections is to start talking to your pastor.