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Turn Workers into Messengers
How church vision gets caught.
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At 7:30 a.m. the bank president and I walked into the bank together. I was fresh out of college and beginning a career as a manager in the human resources department. As we approached the foyer doors, Leonard, the janitor, was busy doing his three-times-a-day routine of cleaning fingerprints off the glass. After exchanging the customary pleasantries, the bank president said to Leonard, "You are one of the most important people in this bank." Leonard looked startled; he had never progressed beyond eight years of school. The president continued, "Keeping this door clean and free of dirt and fingerprints sends a message to every person walking in. It says we're neat and orderly. It creates a feeling of security where people know their money will be properly handled and accounted for. You're the first person to give them that message." Reaching out to shake Leonard's hand, he added, "Thanks for doing a great job!" The exchange took less than a minute. But in that brief encounter, the president communicated his vision—a friendly atmosphere, a safe and secure environment, a place where you will be known as a person and not a number. With a few simple words, he commissioned Leonard to further that vision. Leonard told several co-workers about his encounter with the bank president. After re-telling the story, he would add, "This is a good place to work. This is a good place to do your banking. They take good care of you here." With those words, vision was communicated. A pastor who commissionsThe business world recognizes that employee commitment to an organization's vision is a key factor in the organization's success. The church is not a business, but the way this president communicated the vision of his organization illustrates for pastors how vision can be caught. Church vision must go beyond cute slogans, colorful logos, and catchy phrases. Emotional hype quickly fades. What fulfills vision is people who see how their contributions connect to the whole. Recently I had a hallway conversation with the woman who coordinates our volunteer cleaning crews. She was lamenting that her responsibility for the church's cleaning prevented her involvement with our small group ministries. "I wish that I could be involved with discipleship and relationship building," Karen said, "and helping to pray for people's needs." "You're already doing that," I said. "Think of your cleaning crews as your small groups. You have the potential for a great small group ministry of your own." Karen was skeptical. A few days later, though, she admitted our brief conversation helped her see something she had not seen before. "This week, before we scrub the first toilet or turn on the first vacuum cleaner," she said, "we're going to take time to study a verse of Scripture and pray for one another's needs." |              |
