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.”
Resources and Guests
In 2008, alongside a core team of people in the North Houston area, Jason had the privilege of planting and leading a church with the Acts29 Network through which we founded a non-profit committed to serving, supporting and equipping foster and adoptive families in the city of Houston. In 2013, combined with 14 years of church-based ministry and leadership experience and his family’s foster and adoptive journey, Jason began working for an organization helping church leaders implement structures and strategies of ministry within their churches and developing resources to encourage and support foster and adoptive parents along their journeys. This ultimately led him to his current role as the Director of Church Ministry Initiatives with Christian Alliance for Orphans.
