Lessons Learned

Celebrate

At the inaugural staff meeting of the new year, our team at Calvary Church gathered together as we typically do on the first Monday of the month.  We opened the new year together by dividing into smaller groups to answer two questions:

·       What are you celebrating that happened in 2021?

·       What lessons did you learn from 2021? 

I am personally not a fan of group projects.  That must be why I like to give them to others.  So, for the next 15 minutes the groups discussed the questions and then came back together with their responses ready to be shared.

I stepped to the whiteboard to record their feedback, certain that I knew this group well enough to guess what their answers would be.  Instead, I was surprised by the things that they shared.  Yes, there were celebrations of specific events and programs.  The majority of the responses, however, had to do with intangible things.  The faithfulness of people.  The value of a healthy culture.  The importance of leading together in uncertain times.

Calvary’s team reminded me that day that the things that matter run much deeper than just what you see on the outside.  We celebrated the things that flow under the surface that help us to serve together to bring life change.

What are you celebrating in your organization or personal life?  It is good to call out wins.  Recognize the specific moments where good things are done.  But maybe, like me, it would be healthy for you to look a few layers deeper.  What kind of things create an environment where good things can happen?  Can you celebrate what is under the surface?  If not, what needs to change?

Lesson #1 — People Are The Priority

When our team at Calvary Church was asked what lessons they had learned from the past year, there were three key themes that emerged.  Over the next few articles, I would like share those with you.

When the pandemic became a reality in 2020, things changed for every organization.  This was certainly true for churches. Almost every tangible extension of ministry had to be adapted to keep moving.  Whether it was transitioning to online ministry or changing protocol for gatherings, things were not the same.

One of the things our team learned through this season is that no matter what we do, our priority has to be people.  Just like God modeled for us, we are called to love the world.  And, loving people will mean sacrificing self to extend that love.

Have you ever watched any of those home improvement shows?  It seems like when someone buys an older home, one of the things that always happens is an investigation of what the flooring is like.  Usually, the 100 year old home has been through many iterations.  That floor has been tiled, or painted or carpeted.  The new owner will come in with their restoration crew to see what is under all of those layers.  And, if the story is going to make for good TV, when they pull back that old nasty carpet, what they find is a beautiful hardwood floor in pristine condition.  The beauty was always there.  It just needed the layers pulled back.

It seems like that is a good analogy for what has happened to many of us over the last 24 months.  Especially in church ministry, many of the things that we had relied on have not been the same.  Read any national study and you will find that the majority of churches have not come back to pre-2020 numbers in attendance or volunteering.  In the midst of that there has been a beautiful revelation.  It is like some of the old layers have been pulled back to remind us just how special people are to God and His Church. 

 I’ve seen it as Calvary’s staff has stepped up to love people.  It was seen in the hundreds of phone calls made during the early days of the pandemic.  It has been expressed in the poinsettias delivered this Christmas season to those who recently lost loved ones.  It has showed up in the way I am watching shepherds lead those they care for.

 I’ve also seen it in the incredible people I get the chance to serve with at Calvary.  It is in the way they volunteer their time selflessly to see others ministered to.  Lots of great people are willing to step up to see not only God be glorified but to also see people be loved.  That is what the church is all about.

 Lesson learned.  There is nothing wrong with programs, events, and the busyness of church life.  But, the next time I start to get a little cloudy on why this matters, I would do well to pull back some of the layers on this all.  It is all about the people.  They are the priority.

Lesson #2 — Flexibility

 When our team at Calvary discussed the lessons we had learned from the past year, over and over and over again, I heard the word flexibility.  You’ve heard all of the cliches over the years:  “If you don’t bend you will break.” “Blessed are the flexible, for they will not get bent out of shape.” They may be cliches for a reason. There is definite truth to it all.

 Our early days in pastor ministry were spent serving on the team of Dr. David Arnett in Milwaukee, WI.  I can remember dealing with a situation that did not go the way I expected.  I wasn’t sure exactly what to do and was expressing my frustration to Dr. Arnett.  He made a statement that has stuck with me over the years.  As I was bemoaning my situation, he said to me, “Professionals hit the curve balls.”  Just those five words have reminded me over and over again that if I want to move my life forward, it won’t come from just the simple and straightforward things.  Life will throw you curve balls all the time.  Instead of being surprised by them, hit ‘em!  See them for what they are and be willing to swing big and knock them out of the park.

 That is what we learned from the last two years as a team. I cannot remember any other time in both my professional and personal lives where more things have not gone as planned.  In those times, there is no room for running away and hiding.  Those are the moments when you give the situation to God, ask the Holy Spirit for wisdom, and take a swing.  We have overused words like “pivot” and “reimagine”. Yet, that is what we have had to do.  And, with God’s help, that flexibility has kept us moving forward for Him.

 Do you have things that frustrate you more than they should?  If you were to move forward with flexibility, what would that look like?

 Lesson #3 — Little Things

 We are people of grand gestures.  We like things to be spectacular.  The bigger, the better.  We ooh and ahh over the surprise, over-the-top marriage proposal.  Add fireworks to any event, and some how it multiplies the “Wow Factor.”  I’m not opposed to the big things.  But, when our team met to review what we learned in the past year, it wasn’t the big things that came to the surface.  It was the little things.  Little things matter.

 Reaching out to that person who recently lost a loved one matters.  Dropping off food on the porch of someone who is in quarantine is huge.  Sending that simple text when you sense the Holy Spirit drop someone’s name in your heart could prove to be invaluable. They may not seem like things that are all that important. But they are big deals in the long run.

 In leadership, we often think we can make a grand announcement and that will change it all.  I am finding out more and more, though, that it is the one-on-one that matters most.  Need someone to volunteer?  A tap on the shoulder is more effective than an announcement from a stage.  Want to see people in small groups?  A personal invitation from a leader goes much further than an online sign up. In a world that is full of opportunity, the little things often stand out the most.

 Don’t misunderstand me.  Keep doing the big things.  Keep dreaming of how God might do things through you that will blow your mind.  We are encouraged to pray for more than we can ask or imagine.

 It is the little things, though, that the big things are built on.  Don’t ignore one for the other.  Your little things matter.  Believe that your little things will lead to great results.  “Do not despise these small beginnings, for the LORD rejoices to see the work begin (Zechariah 4:10).”