The Bible says that zeal without knowledge can be “dangerous.” (Proverbs 19:2) Those are some strong words suggesting that it’s entirely possible for our passion for the work we’re doing to outpace our capacity to fully understand, support or sustain that work. Ultimately, our aim is to build, grow, and lead lasting, sustainable ministries that serve and support children and families for a long, long time. Of course the question ensues…How do we do that? One of the ways we can do that is by having the right leaders in the right places who are overseeing vital areas of the ministry we are working to build and grow. These structures can ultimately help funnel the passion for our ministry in focused, guided ways that help result in quality, effectiveness and sustainability. So, why is having clearly defined leadership structures in place important to maintain a healthy and thriving foster care ministry? What kinds of on-boarding and accountability processes do we need to implement for volunteers who are working within the ministry? How do we lead as volunteers or staff members within our church when we’re not fully in charge of all the decisions that are made in the church? Questions like these are important ones for us as church leaders to consider as we take steps towards becoming more actively engaged in foster care.
In episode 6 of The Fostering Church Podcast, the Jasons talk with Lesli Reece who is on staff at NorthPoint Church in Atlanta, GA as the Director of the Fostering Together Ministry. Lesli not only has an extensive background in leadership within the local church setting, but her years in marketplace management prior to her role at Northpoint proved to inform and shape how she would build teams, manage volunteers and work to shape and grow the ministry within the larger context of the church as a whole.
Lesli provides nuggets of leadership gold throughout this interview, and perhaps what makes them most impactful are the very practical insights and applications she shares for how leadership works on the ground, in the real world, with real people. You will walk away from this episode feeling encouraged to grow in your leadership and inspired to build structures of ministry that will be effective and sustainable for years to come.
Key Quote
“You have to have great clarity about what you’re trying to do first…if you’re not clear on that, you could overbuild your leadership structure for what’s actually at hand; and, on the flip side, if you aren’t clear, you could select the wrong people to do the work that you have in mind.” – Lesli Reece
Meet Our Guest
Lesli Reece is originally from Minnesota with a long stretch of years spent in Texas where she attended college. Her forever home, however, is Georgia where she and her husband, Kevin, met, married and raised their five children. They are grandparents of six as well (so far). They are former foster parents and that season led to Lesli’s role as the Ministry Director for Fostering Together, the foster care ministry of North Point Ministries, Inc and it’s 7 metro Atlanta Churches. Lesli’s early career was in Tax Consulting and The Coca-Cola Company in a variety of leadership roles.
Meet Our Hosts
Jason Weber and his wife, Trisha, have been speaking up on behalf of the marginalized for the past 24 years. Jason has written and helped to produce several books and other tools, including Farmer Herman and the Flooding Barn, a 2018 ECPA Christian Book Award finalist and the newly released Until There’s More Than Enough. Jason writes a regular column for Fostering Families Today magazine and is the host of the More Than Enough Podcast, which highlights the work of national foster care advocates. Jason serves with the Christian Alliance for Orphans and helps lead More Than Enough, a collaborative movement facilitated by the CAFO community. Jason and his family live in Plano, Texas.
Jason Johnson is a writer and speaker who encourages families and equips churches in their foster care and adoption journeys. After 14 years of church-based ministry and church planting, Jason currently serves as the Director of Church Ministry Initiatives with Christian Alliance for Orphans. In his work he speaks and teaches at churches, conferences, forums and workshops on church-based ministry strategies and best practices as well as encouraging families that are in the trenches and those that are considering getting involved. He has authored 3 books: Reframing Foster Care, Everyone Can do Something, and ALL IN Orphan Care and he blogs regularly at www.jasonjohnsonblog.com. Jason and his wife, Emily live in Texas with their daughters.
