Life-Sucking Silos | Part 3

In Part 2 of "Life Sucking Silos" I outlined a few primary ways we focus our staff and volunteer leaders on the main thing, preventing silo ministries or teams who operate as stand-alone entities within the local church (read it here).

Here are 5 ways you can create silos in your church (I'd try to avoid these):

• Don't worry about relationships; focus on ministry. Don't take the time to get to know people. There are goals to accomplish, souls to serve. Who has time for relationships?
  • Fail to build relationship with your leaders and you'll have a trust void. If you don't know them, they won't know you. Don't rely on your "up-front" public image to satisfy relationship. With the relationship solid, you can effectively cast vision, re-align, correct and honestly celebrate.
• Don't wait for proven faithfulness. Don't allow time for the new member's character, alignment or leadership to be observed. If they're willing, put 'em in the batter's box and yell, "swing".
  • Taking the time to not only build relationship, but time to observe character, competence and chemistry will be empowering for both you and the new leader. Set your people up to win - the first time.
• Don't ask any questions. Don't ask about the leader's vision. Don't ask about goals or objectives. Don't ask about leadership team members. Don't ask about anything. Just be glad someone else is carrying some of the load - let 'em run!
  • Questions need not convey a lack of trust. Questions asked appropriately communicate interest. Ask anything; ask everything; ask often.
• Don't follow-up. Don't check to see if the goals are being accomplished. Don't follow-up on the vision that was cast last month. Don't think, worry or follow-up on the details.
  • Follow-up doesn't need to look like micro-management. Nor should a sense of abandonment be experienced by the leaders in your charge. Follow-up communicates involvement, support and care. Follow-up. What's expected gets inspected.
• Don't worry about how much is already on your own plate. As long as you're not taking on another role or ministry initiative, let them lead a new team or vision.
  • Even if you're not the leader of the new team or ministry - if you don't commit to some time to oversee and support it, the team will likely not experience significant support. Without support, the team will not be cared for, resulting in discouragement, unanswered questions and probably mission-drift. If you're plate is too full to offer support, don't allow the team to formally start.

Silos suck the life out of a church. The time and energy spent trying to redirect an off-course, mis-aligned, self-serving team or ministry drains mission-critical effort you can't afford to lose.

For a more positive, pro-active approach, see Life-Sucking Silos | Part 2. For the opening question, see Life-Sucking Silos (part one).