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Management Mentors: The Ministry of Management: A High Calling

Seasoned professionals share their very best practices, practical tips and timeless insights on…
Mark Cutshall | Outcomes, Jan/Feb 2006

The Ministry of Mentoring …

"When I think of the word 'mentor,' my mind immediately goes to David Lewis. He was general manager of a television station where I worked as assistant manager," says Sue Croy, director of human resources for Stonecroft Ministries in Kansas City, Mo. (stonecroft.org).

"David modeled a Christ-like relationship with his staff. He always put people before tasks. He not only spent many hours listening to their concerns, he helped them with their personal needs, even if it meant staying extra hours to work on his own responsibilities. He sent couples to marriage seminars at his own expense and helped his employees with transportation needs.

"Once, he paid for a plane ticket for an employee who couldn't afford a trip to see her sick father. Always busy, he somehow always found time to put people first."

Personal dedication before duty: "Because I have always been very task-oriented, David's example of 'people first' helped me to refocus my priorities to serve others first."

The Ministry of Focusing …

"As an officer in The Salvation Army," says Commissioner W. Todd Bassett, the organization's national commander in Alexandria, Va. (salvationarmyusa.org), "it has been an incredible journey to be exposed to some of the finest Christian leaders and to learn by association and direction in developing skills for Christian management and leadership.

One leader in particular, Commissioner David Baxendale, was attuned to people and applied this three-fold model by Scripture Press:

1. Focus
2. Discover
3. Respond

"People—who they are and where they are at any given moment in their life—must always be the focus of our ministry. Once we focus on people, we can discover a person's needs."

Going deeper: "David helped me see that to get the very best from your people, you need to find the area of their life which requires your attention. It's one thing to say that we care about people and understand their needs. However, we must find how to appropriately respond to those needs. Management is achieving a given task—best accomplished with the help and support of others who know they're valued and understood."

The Ministry of Teaming …

Bob Lipps, executive director, Lockton Alliance for Ministry Protection (LAMP) in San Francisco, Calif. (lamp.lockton.com), remembers the moment: "One of the first major management lessons of my ministry career came when I was in Wycliffe's Jungle Camp (an outward bound-type staff training program) before being sent overseas. Eleven of us were dropped off in the middle of nowhere 60 miles from base camp with only two cups of granola and a few canoes. The only thing we were told was that if we followed the river bed we would eventually get back to base camp.