Joy in Equipping

I was watching the Academy Awards the other night and made an interesting connection between filmmaking and ministry. Perhaps it isn't a connection that can be made in every church; but if it isn't, we have something to learn from Hollywood.

If you've ever sat after a movie to watch the credits roll, you know the unbelievable number of people it takes to make a movie. From cinematographers to producers, actors to sound editors, set designers to costume designers and more [Ed: Yeah, what is a "key grip" anyway?] , every person has a vital role to play in seeing the project through to completion.

The real thing that struck me during this award ceremony was the celebration. In the filmmaking industry, people seem to understand the fact that no one gets where they are alone. The team of people who worked together to create the Academy's Best Picture winner had a great success to share. Only two people accepted the award on stage, but you could see the excitement and joy in the faces of the many others there who worked so hard to bring it together, and the acceptance speeches were filled with so many "thanks" that they were cut off for being too long!

Imagine if you were the high school teacher of one of the actresses who acted in that Best Picture award winner. You're the person who saw a special gift in a special girl and encouraged that gift. Unknown to anyone else, you would have great joy in your heart to know the significant role you played in helping her become who she was created to be. And without you, that movie would have been missing a great component...a great actress who was perfect for the part!

We can have this type of joy in ministry as well. It's a great joy! The kind of joy that comes from sharing in ministry and seeing others using their gifts to work together to accomplish a goal is a beautiful picture and a wonderful thing to celebrate!

It's natural for us to seek approval. I'm motivated by praise and adoration for a job well done. I work hard to accomplish a task and enjoy the positive feedback I receive when the job is done. This warm feeling is temporary, however, and pretty soon I feel the need to conquer the world again and earn more praise for another job well done.

Just recently I planned a children's ministry event for our church. For the first time I decided I didn't need to do it all myself. So I gathered a team together to make decisions, and when the decisions were made, I released most of the work to be done by others. Actually, I released so much of it that I hardly felt like I did anything! As a matter of fact, while the event was happening, I had nothing to do! I walked around and took pictures and interacted with people. I wasn't stressed! I wasn't running around like a chicken with my head cut off trying to accomplish too many things.

In the end, the event was better than anything I could have ever done on my own. And it was fun! It was fun to see everyone's smiling faces! It was fun to see so many people using their skills to make this event happen. And when it was time to celebrate the success of the event, I wasn't alone—there were many people to share my joy! We worked together and we worked hard and we were able to celebrate together.

One of the greatest joys we can have as ministry leaders as we equip and release people for ministry is watching their gifts emerge. We encourage them along the way, and their successes become our greatest joys—eternal joy.

One of the key reasons for putting on my latest children's ministry event was to search out the gifts and passions of people already involved in children's ministry. I wanted to find people who were ready for more significant ministry roles. Equipping people is eternal. God has created each of us with unique gifts, passions and interests. When leaders help people bring those things together and become the people God has created them to be, their joy is everlasting.

In ministry, true and lasting joy comes from building up people, not programs. When you work alone and have success, you receive flattery. When you work together and accomplish a vision, you share joy. When you equip people and release them for even greater things, your joy is multiplied and eternal.

April Nissen has been serving in full-time ministry for seven years in various areas, including worship, creative arts, and children. She's currently serving as the children's pastor at Northwest Christian Church, a church plant in Vancouver, Washington.

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