Churches are always looking for the best—the best pastor of fellowship, education, and youth, and, of course, the very best preaching and teaching pastor. Now think about the pressure this puts on clergy. Add to that the “extra” work often given to all the support staff, and you can see how easy it is to cause burnout in those employed by a church. I’m afraid many churches live with this paradigm. And a lot of it is the fault of those staff leaders who are afraid to let go and delegate; to focus on equipping the laity to use their talents and gifts for the work of the church.

Let’s dream of a perfect world where all members of your church are called, trained, and excited about their place in the body of Christ. From the minute they walk through the doors of your church, new people are welcomed and encouraged to return. As you connect with them, they’re encouraged to become members, but not forced. But it’s made clear to everyone, both by teaching and example, that they are real ministers. Ephesians 4:12 says, ”We are to equip the saints for ministry.” It’s time we equipped the saints in our pews to do ministry.

In order to adopt this newer (yet as old as the Bible) paradigm, pastors and staff need to let go and allow for this growth. Pastors need to preach equipping from the pulpit, and all leaders need to buy into the idea of the priesthood of all believers. When this happens, your church comes alive with possibilities. The walls of the church burst open and members begin to serve not only in church but also in the broader community. There’s an excitement about your church because so many people are involved in serving.

The pastor and staff can now feel as if they’re part of a team that wants to carry Christ to the community. Equipping encourages growth in leadership and allows pastors and staff the freedom to live their calling with renewed enthusiasm.

How does one begin an equipping ministry? Well, a good place to catch the vision is through Sue Mallory’s book, The Equipping Church. Her teaching is both pointed and exciting on the process of empowering members. I went to training led by Sue five years ago and began laying the groundwork for what has become an Equipping Ministry at Calvary Presbyterian Church. {Editor’s note: Sue Mallory is a member of the Church Volunteer Central Advisory Council and will be leading The Equipping Church conference for us in October, 2005.}

It’s important to note that this can’t be led by just an equipping director. You have to have the visible support of the church’s senior leadership. The director then needs to surround himself or herself with church leaders and begin brainstorming what this process should look like. Pick key influencers (not always those people with titles!) who will then sell equipping to the congregation. This doesn’t happen overnight. Be patient. It may take a year of planning before anyone sees tangible results.

But I can tell you from personal experience that laying that groundwork pays off. After five years, Calvary’s Equipping Ministries now has five mission teams with over 50 members. Our mission teams are:

• Welcome —This team is responsible for the welcome table and welcome cards in pews. Their role every Sunday is to proactively ensure that visitors feel at home.

• New Member —We hold classes three times a year. Calvary averages about 30 per class. The class is taught by the pastors, and the equipping director.

• Spiritual Gifts —This team offers classes three times a year on evaluating and understanding one’s calling. These are very well-attended, and lead to a meeting with the connecting team.

• Connecting —I think this is the heart of equipping ministry. Every new member has a one-hour discussion with a team member. After this interview, the member has a feeling for where they want to serve. This can be in the church or in the community.

• Follow-up —This team calls those who had a connecting discussion to see if they’re plugged into a ministry and if they’re happy there. If they haven’t been connected, they find out if they’re still interested and help them get in touch with the right people.

By involving the members in the work of Christ rather than staff doing most of the work, the church comes alive and pastors have more time to take care of the congregation. More importantly, you’re fulfilling Paul’s admonition in Ephesians 4:12. Perhaps most importantly, you’re helping all of your people live the ministry for which God created them.

Jim Dees is the director of equipping ministries at Calvary Presbyterian Church in San Francisco, California.

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