Turning Your Staff Into Multipliers

Orginally published on Wednesday, October 31, 2007 at 6:58 AM
by Todd Rhoades

"If we catch you doing ministry, you may lose your job." That's what one pastor tells the paid church staff. I was stunned until I heard the reasoning behind such a warning. It's all about multiplying ministry. At a "Me to We" training at Church of the Resurrection in Leawood, Kansas, I met an incredible couple, Pastor Vernon Armitage and his wife, Charlene. Vernon and Charlene have been at Pleasant Valley Baptist Church in Liberty, Missouri, for 38 years. The church has grown from around 100 to more than 4,000, and it's one of the best examples of an equipping church in the country.

One of the fundamentals at Pleasant Valley is that paid staff members aren’t hired to “do” ministry; they’re hired to train and equip others to do ministry. While most churches are constantly on the prowl for ministry talent, Vernon and Charlene have come to realize that they don’t want adders; they want multipliers. That means they want to find people who understand a certain ministry but also have the skill set to develop teams and individuals, who are the frontline people. Prima donnas and superstars need not apply.

Imagine getting fired because you were doing ministry. But if your job is to be developing others, than yes, it makes sense. When it comes to embracing the equipping value in churches, the strongest resistors are often staff members because the transition to equipping ministry requires them to revise their self-image. That’s because the traditional ministerial mindset is “I’m here to use my talent and to serve you.” But that’s adding ministry. No wonder so many churches feel stuck, so many staff members feel overworked, and it seems like you never have enough people to cover the bases.

Obviously, this transformation has taken a few years, but now Vernon and Charlene no longer look for staff members who are the best talent and “doers.” They look for people who understand a skill or ministry and also have the ability to develop others. This is a different approach than most. The more difficult areas tend to be in worship, technology, and administrative assistance. Not everyone made the transition. For example, informing a typical administrative assistant that his or her new job is to develop a team of unpaid officer workers doesn’t seem to make sense. But it works.

One of the biggest challenges is that staff is used to enjoying the benefits that come from being ministry doers. We get more strokes for “being there” and “sharing our gifts.” It’s far more humbling to watch others get affirmations and be perceived as God’s servants. But that’s what multiplication is all about. In Exodus 18 Moses began taking a backseat as he started developing those who’d oversee groups of 10, 50, 100, and 1,000. This sort of logarithmic progression helps us to avoid pastoral burnout and minister far more effectively. Plus, by developing others we raise their commitment, provide them with fulfilling roles, and create a culture people enjoy.

Start thinking about what you can do to move your ministry leaders into minister developers, not doers. Help them discover the joy of serving behind the scenes, knowing that they’re ministering to far more people when they equip others for ministry. This is a natural ego-checking process, requiring that we step out of the limelight at times and share the ministry stage with many others.

Alan Nelson

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Alan Nelson is the executive editor of Rev! Magazine, the author of a dozen books, and has been a pastor for 20 years. email him at or visit his blog, Rev! Unplugged.

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Hi... I'm Todd Rhoades. I'm a Christ-follower, husband, father and I love to connect leaders with other leaders. Hopefully you'll find something here at MMI you like and will return often. If you want, you can find out more about me or follow my every step on Twitter.

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