When beginning a new cm leadership position – how to lead effectively

Your Question:

“I am directing a CM that hasn’t had a CM director before me.  How can I learn how to lead the CM more effectively?”

The Issues:

Feeling “unqualified” is not necessarily a “bad” feeling. Feeling “unqualified” will keep you “on your knees” before God. You will be more apt to ask Him for help and wisdom.  But a CM leader needs to show confidence in decisions and direction.  Asking God to clarify His vision for the CM and remembering your calling will help you move forward in confidence in God, not necessarily in your own abilities.

Scripture Foundation:

“Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight.”  Proverbs 3: 5, 6

Short Answer:

Leading the CM is a daunting calling.  When you consider the challenge of leading others to protect and influence children spiritually, you can easily feel “unqualified.”  In actuality, nobody is truly “qualified” to lead a CM!  Our “qualification” must come from God’s presence and His calling; not on our training or efforts.  After many years of successfully leading the CM, some begin to believe that it is their own abilities that have made the CM what it is.  This dangerous over-confidence is something that God clearly spoke against in Deuteronomy 8:

“…Remember that these forty years the LORD your God led you all the way in the wilderness, so that He might humble you and test you in order to know what was in your heart…He humbled you, and in your hunger He gave you manna to eat, which neither you nor your fathers had known, so that you might understand that man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of the LORD…For the LORD your God is bringing you into a good land, a land of brooks and fountains and springs that flow through the valleys and hills; a land of wheat, barley, vines, fig trees, and pomegranates; a land of olive oil and honey; a land where you will eat food without scarcity, where you will lack nothing; a land whose rocks are iron and whose hills are ready to be mined for copper. When you eat and are satisfied, you are to bless the LORD your God for the good land that He has given you. Be careful not to forget the LORD your God by failing to keep His commandments and ordinances and statutes, which I am giving you this day. Otherwise, when you eat and are satisfied, when you build fine houses in which to dwell, and when your herds and flocks grow large and your silver and gold increase and all that you have is multiplied, then your heart will become proud, and you will forget the LORD your God who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery…You might say in your heart, ‘The power and strength of my hands have made this wealth for me.’ But remember that it is the LORD your God who gives you the power to gain wealth, in order to confirm His covenant that He swore to your fathers even to this day. If you ever forget the LORD your God and go after other gods to worship and bow down to them, I testify against you today that you will surely perish.”

 

Every CM leader wants to become more effective in leading the ministry. You are not alone in this dream! The difference between a CM leader who remains effective for many years, and a CM leader who “disappears” after a couple of years is in his/her discipline to remain focused on God’s provision and not on his or her own abilities. 

 

The basic answer to your question regarding how to learn how to lead the CM more effectively, is simple: remain humble before God!  You will learn techniques and approaches to a successful CM from others or from your own experiences. That’s good!  But, if you ever forget that it is God who is giving you these insights or showing you how to be effective, your ministry will soon fizzle out and end.

 

A good leader remembers “who” he/she is, and “Who” God is.  With this foundation, ask others for wisdom and ideas. Meet with other CM leaders at other churches in the city. Ask your current CM team members for ideas. 

 

You might create a CM “think tank” for wisdom.  It is a great idea to remain open to new ideas, while still being the ultimate leader.  “Filter” all of the ideas by remembering it is you who God called to lead the ministry, not anyone else.  It is you to whom He gave the vision! 

 

An effective CM leader is humble, approachable, friendly, kind, and supportive of others. Make sure you are also a “scholar” of effective CM approaches.  Read CM magazines (either printed or online), join online CM groups, and attend CM conferences. Exposure to others’ successes and challenges will help you remain focused on God and keep you open to others’ ideas.  For more help, click on the links below

Visit other articles in the “Leading The Ministry” APPENDIX

Back to the “Leading The Ministry: New Job, New Position” page.