The church wouldn’t survive without its army of lay leaders.

I’m grateful for the lay leaders I have the privilege to work alongside. They’re talented people who love the Lord, work hard, and create a great vibe in our church. Our campus wouldn’t make it without them.

If you pastor a church, influencing and motivating a group of unpaid leaders is perhaps your greatest challenge. It’s also probably one of your greatest sources of joy. Watching leaders grow is amazing. It’s fulfilling to see them develop leadership capability.  To witness God using them to influence children, students, and adults.

So today I’d like to salute lay leaders. And if it’s OK—to give them some advice. Here are three things every lay leader needs to pay attention to:

Pace

If you’re a lay leader, it’s likely you work a full-time job. Overtime is a weekly reality for many of you. 50-60 hours per week can be a typical work-week. In addition, most of you have family responsibilities. So when it comes to serving at your church, I certainly encourage you to roll up your sleeves and jump in. But in the same breath I urge you to do so wisely. Commit without overcommitting. Be realistic about what you can and cannot do. I’m not advocating laziness. I’m urging sensibility. If you say no to everything, you’re likely missing God’s will. If you say yes to everything, same deal. If you live and work at an unhealthy pace, you’ll shorten your leadership shelf-life. God has called you to a marathon, not a sprint. Pace yourself accordingly.

Passion/gifting

If you haven’t already… discover your gifting and passion. And do your best to serve in roles aligning with those two.  The combination of gifting and passion creates energy. Power. Effectiveness. Excellence. At times you may be asked to serve outside of your gifting and passion, but those roles should be your secondary ministries. Your primary role should fit you. I’ve discovered when lay leaders do what they’re good at and what they love, it allows those leaders to function at a high level without draining them. In fact, they gain energy in those settings. What are you good at? What brings you joy? Serve in those capacities whenever possible.

Priorities

Your first priority as a lay leader is to be healthy spiritually and emotionally. Work on your relationship with Jesus. He’s the reason you’re serving. Love for Him is why you signed up in the first place. Don’t allow your service to church to substitute for alone time with God. Make sure you take time to recharge your emotional batteries. If you’re depleted emotionally, you’re of little help to those you serve. Be healthy.

Your second priority is to your spouse. Carve out time to talk, date, and work through issues. Your spouse is your greatest ministry. My wife spells love Q-U-A-L-I-T-Y  T-I-M-E. Learn your spouse’s love language. Invest time and energy into the relationship.

Your third priority? Your kiddos. My four boys are grown up. In a blink of the eye, they’ve become men. They have careers, two of them are married (son #3 is getting married in less than seven weeks), and they truly have their own lives now. While they still need me, I don’t get to influence them daily. Your children will be adults and on their own much faster than you think. They are your second greatest ministry.

Your next priority is your day job. Work at it with all your heart. Represent Jesus well. Show up on time, work diligently, produce great results, and reflect Christ’s character.

Your lay leadership role is priority #5. God is pleased when you serve Him and people with excellence. I encourage you to find your fit. To serve with passion. To be prepared, prayed up, and positive. To bring energy to the role. To let Christ’s compassion flow out of you. And remember: have fun along the way.

Lay leaders, you’re my heroes. Thank you for letting God use you to help shoulder the ministry load. Watch your pace. Find your passion/gift area and serve there. Keep your priorities straight. And remember—your selflessness is advancing the kingdom.

I’m rooting and praying for you!