Be
careful what you are constructing at the student ministry construction site. Without
deliberate effort you may accidentally be building a silo rather than a
production plant. Some construction looks awesome and spectacular on the
outside but turns out to be more of a monument than a manufacturing plant. Is
it silo or solo – same thing, a ministry that builds upward and is constructed
to store rather than produce. While all silo building isn’t necessarily bad, it
can become a real detriment in time. I don’t know of any credible student
pastor who would deliberately choose to construct a student ministry storage
facility over an adolescent Christian production plant. Without balance and
purpose however, an adolescent disciple
making and manufacturing plant can accidentally be reduced to a silo or storehouse
ministry. A silo ministry operates more
from an independent framework than from underneath the umbrella of the church
as a whole. How you lead and implement your ministry in this regard is a major
factor in evaluating healthy student ministry. A silo or tower style ministry
does not look at itself as a slice of the pie. Silo leaders see their ministry
as THE whole pie. But remember, you are not the whole pie, but only a slice of
it. Albeit a very important slice and a slice which the church’s future success
depends upon, but still only a slice. To be fair, let me offer a few
strengths of a ministry that has a stich of silo fiber woven into the fabric. First,
a silo ministry encourages people to remain focused on a particular ministry.
Second, it tends to bring people who are passionate about a particular ministry
together. Third, a silo ministry can ensure that a particular group is strong
in being thoroughly looked after. Fourth, a silo ministry leader knows precisely
who he is to encourage, train, support, and supply. Interestingly, the
weaknesses of silo ministry emerge from
extreme versions of its strength characteristics applied over time. For
example, silo ministry can create an environment where the ministry and its
leader is so busy looking after its own interest and building itself up that it
loses touch with the pastor’s vision for the whole church. Also, if each individual
ministry is determined to secure the best resources, recruit the best people,
and secure its desired finances without equal concern for the greater body,
then the whole church will eventually suffer. Rather than the church body
working together in sync towards a church-wide vision it dissolves into a
dysfunctional organization with little to no conversation across ministry lines. Another
problem with silo style leadership is that the team you lead become more
important than the team you are on. In this system, volunteers can become
valued only for their ability and willingness to serve your particular ministry
silo. This promotes a recruiting competition that becomes more concerned with
bagging the best volunteer leaders rather than helping people find their best
ministry match per gift and skill set.
Patrick Lencioni the author of the “silo” concept shares the
following negative results from allowing such a ministry style to take root.
- Unhealthy competition
emerges
- Jealousy creeps in
- Hurt feelings pile up
- Pride increases
- Lack of trust grows
- Fighting over limited resources
- Foot dragging on collaborative ideas
- Politics establish priorities
How can you tell if you are accidentally constructing a silo
ministry rather than a disciple factory? Ask yourself these questions:
1. Is
filling a position more important to you than helping people discover their
passion?
2. Is the value of a volunteer highly linked to whether or not they serve
in your ministry?
3. Do you find yourself lobbying for resources that will only
benefit your ministry area?
4. Do invite input from other ministry staff to
determine how your ministry event can also benefit their area of expertise.
5. Do
you seek to collaborate with other ministers in planning, promoting, and executing
a ministry happening.
6. Do you involve the entire church by seeking and sharing
prayer request when possible? If you do, the church receives the privilege of
prayer, you get the credit for thinking of the senior adults and the youth
ministry wins through supernatural prayer and practical promotion of ministry.
Nothing can help your efforts more than an army of senior citizens who have
time to pray for you, your students and your family. Also, they will likely spread
the word how “awesome” and thoughtful you are.
If you want to change, minimize or remove silos from your
ministry remember to build from the bottom up. Base your ministry foundation on
unity remembering that unity does not mean uniformity.
“How good and
pleasant it is when brothers live together in unity.” Psalm 133:1
“I appeal to
you, dear brothers and sisters, by the authority of our Lord Jesus Christ, to
live in harmony with each other. Let there be no divisions in
the church. Rather, be of one mind, united in thought and
purpose.” 1Corinthians 1:10
