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It's Not a People Problem - It's a Situation Problem
By: James Smith

Often times in ministry we feel that the problems we face in the church are usually people problems. After all we are in the business of ministering to people. So when a problem arises it must be a people problem - right? Not always.
Too often, but thankfully, a problem is not as it seems. It's not ALWAYS a people problem. Let's face it. People problems are a hassle. Dealing with personalities and character flaws is exhausting. Sadly, many Pastors and Ministers simply stop trying to improve the ministry capacity of their congregation simply because they have grown tired of trying to change the behaviors of people to create positive change.
Do you feel that people are most often the problem in your ministry? If so, you are among the majority of pastors and ministers. Would you be interested to find that not all problems are people problems? In fact, many of the situations that we believe are people problems are simply situation problems.
Here's an example of a situation problem: The person who is the lead minister over your churches Greeters ministry is growing frustrated. Too often, the people they employ to greet guests are calling at the last minute to say they cannot be a "greeter" that Sunday morning. This is very frustrating for the lead minister as they thought they had everything under control. Their work was done...everyone was in place. But now at the last minute, there is confusion and worse yet, disappointment in people.
This all creates another host of problems, as now the faithful few who the lead minister is about to call upon to "fill in" for the absentee are about to become burdened with the constant chore of being a greeter. These gracious people have limited patients too. If constantly obliged upon, they are going to begin to experience resentment at those who are "calling off" all the time. Worse yet, they are going to begin to feel frustration at their fearless leader who is once again asking them to fill in for someone else.
This all sounds like a people problem doesn't it? You might be surprised to find however, that it is not a people problem at all. Well, it can certainly develop in to a people nightmare if not corrected, but to correct it is very simple. You can change this whole situation without dealing with any of the individuals directly. You don't have to meet with these people and constantly motivate them towards change or attitude corrections. What you have is not a people problem - it's a situation problem! So forget about the people for a moment and fix the situation.
The situation is that you need to create commitments (policies) that will help curb first of all the ease at which a member of the Greeters team is able to call off. When a person volunteers to be on the greeters ministry, have a short meeting with them to go over the commitments that each of the greeters corporately agree to. Put these in writing and ask the new recruit to check off that they agree to these things and have them sign at the bottom of the page to signify that they will earnestly commit themselves to accomplish the goals of the commitment sheet.
Here is an example of some of the goals that you could use:
I (Your Name)
1. Do promise that I will to the best of my ability arrive at the church 30 minutes before service.
2. Will present myself to our guests with a smile and loving greeting that reflects the kind of welcome that our church would want to extend to each of our guests.
3. Will endeavor to always be present on my scheduled days to serve so as to not put an undue hardship on my leaders or those who would need to serve if I were unable to do so.
As time goes on, meet with your greeters occasionally to reward them for adhering to the commitments they agreed to. If one of your team members is unable to continue to commit to the policies, simply move them laterally to a place of ministry within the church where their level of availability will not pose a problem.
In addition to a few policies like this, one could also have in reserve a small group of people who only serve as fill-ins for when the inevitable occurs. These people are not regular greeters, but rather substitutes ready to be used when called upon. This way, when a person calls off, you will not be burdening the already faithful few who are doing their best to serve and who do not deserve to have additional burdens placed upon them.
I'm sure you get the idea. By changing the situation, you can alleviate most all of your people problems in this scenario. Through the years, we have all seen horrific people problems that did not start out as people problems. They were simple situation problems that if dealt with early on, could have easily been healed. Left undealt with however, they too often grow into people problems, which ultimately harm the church.
Identifying which problems are people problems and which ones are situation problems can often times be a bit confusing as our vision is blurred by personalities and hurt feelings of individuals. By taking a step back and analyzing the situation, you may be able to identify ways to cause the situation to change which will cause your people problems to diminish. If you feel that a certain problem is a situation problem, but are unable to determine how to resolve it, ask someone who is not so close to the people involved to give you some advise on how to correct the situation that has evolved.
Ask yourself: Is this a people problem or is it a situation problem? If you feel it is a people problem, is it possible that it started out as a situation problem but has escalated into a people problem. If it has, address the situation before you address the people. Apologize for creating or allowing the situation that has enabled this people problem. Then allow the people to join another area of ministry in the church if they feel it would best help them to heal from the problem. Don't let them take a backseat however. Help them find a new exciting place in the church to serve. If allowed to retreat from ministry at this point, it will be very hard to get these people back into a mindset to serve.
When you determine what kind of problem you have, you are on your way to correcting it. You may find that the solution is much easier to implement if it is a situation problem and not a people problem.
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A mentor is an individual with special gifts or knowledge that helps and guides another individual’s development. Mentoring is used in many settings. One of the most valuable assets your ministry can have is a good mentor.
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Many have spent fortunes attending conferences and seminars that seldom have long-term results and lasting impact. Most simply offer motivation that quickly fades away as reality rears it head again.
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- Practice Humility. The less compelled you are to try to prove yourself to others, the easier it is to feel peace inside.
- Remember that you become what you practice the most. How do you spend your time? What you do is what you become.
- Every day, tell at least one person something you like, admire, or appreciate about them. Telling others that you appreciate them takes almost no effort, but pays enormous dividends.
- Choose your battles wisely. Every circumstance or problem is not worth the fight. There will always be things and people that don’t do right.
- Life is a test. It is only a test. When you look at life as a test, you begin to see each issue as an opportunity to grow.
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We all know the power of congratulations. Rewarding people with our praise is one of the easiest and most powerful ways to motivate others. Simple words of encouragement can literally change a person’s life when given at the right moment. Saying “Good Job” or “This Looks Great” can motivate a person to want to try harder next time in order to please you, as well as give them a much needed sense of accomplishment for the hard work they have invested. What happens though, when no one gives “You” that needed praise? Who encourages the encourager? Who tells the guy at the top “Good Job”? Oftentimes, nobody does this. Even a self-motivated person has a point where they just need to hear someone say “I appreciate what you are doing.” So what do you do when those affirmations are few and far between?....
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Pat yourself on the back. Have you been feeling underappreciated lately? Does it seem that no one understands how hard you work or how much you are trying? The feeling that no one appreciates you can be very discouraging to most people.
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What we have is much greater than what the world has;
1 John 4:4
4 Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world.
Still, there is this perceived notion, that what we have is not what this world wants. Even though we know what we have is greater, the world doesn't know. They will not be attracted to what we have unless they can see it for themselves.
In 605 BC, the Babylonians invaded Jerusalem. Instead of destroying the nation, Babylon decided to destroy Israel's identity and culture. They turned Israel into a slave state. In the process of doing so, they selected the most promising children of Israel and shipped them off to be immersed into Babylonian culture.
At least four of these children were taken to the king's palace. Daniel was one of these four. He would be given and new name, a new wardrobe and taught a new language. Daniel did not protest these changes to his identity. Who could blame him? It seemed as if God had abandoned him.
Then the king asked one more thing of Daniel;
Dan 1:5
5 And the king appointed them a daily provision of the king's meat, and of the wine which he drank: so nourishing them three years, that at the end thereof they might stand before the king.
This is where Daniel drew the line. Consuming the king's meat and drink meant that Daniel would be eating meat offered to the false gods of Babylon. He would not have any part of it. So Daniel asked the chief of staff for permission not to eat the king's food. This presented a serious problem for the chief of staff. He was responsible to the king for these four boys. If he gave this permission and they became pale and thin, the king would have his head. This man was not attracted by Daniel's conviction. In fact, he wanted nothing to do with it.
Daniel responded to this in unique way. We can all learn from what he did;
Dan 1:11-15 NLT
11 Daniel spoke with the attendant who had been appointed by the chief of staff to look after Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah.
12 "Please test us for ten days on a diet of vegetables and water," Daniel said.
13 "At the end of the ten days, see how we look compared to the other young men who are eating the king's food. Then make your decision in light of what you see."
14 The attendant agreed to Daniel's suggestion and tested them for ten days.
15 At the end of the ten days, Daniel and his three friends looked healthier and better nourished than the young men who had been eating the food assigned by the king......
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Attracting People with Your Convictions
One of the perceived obstacles to winning people to Christ is that the convictions we hold are not attractive to the world. I beg to differ with that. If the convictions we hold are no different than those of the world then why would they want what they already have? Why would they be attracted to what we have? Attraction, by definition, means to draw an object away from one thing towards another. The law of attraction states that the force doing the attracting has to be greater than the force holding back.
What we have is much greater than what the world has;
1 John 4:4
4 Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world.
Still, there is this perceived notion, that what we have is not what this world wants. Even though we know what we have is greater, the world doesn't know. They will not be attracted to what we have unless they can see it for themselves.
In 605 BC, the Babylonians invaded Jerusalem. Instead of destroying the nation, Babylon decided to destroy Israel's identity and culture. They turned Israel into a slave state. In the process of doing so, they selected the most promising children of Israel and shipped them off to be immersed into Babylonian culture.
At least four of these children were taken to the king's palace. Daniel was one of these four. He would be given and new name, a new wardrobe and taught a new language. Daniel did not protest these changes to his identity. Who could blame him? It seemed as if God had abandoned him.
Then the king asked one more thing of Daniel;
Dan 1:5
5 And the king appointed them a daily provision of the king's meat, and of the wine which he drank: so nourishing them three years, that at the end thereof they might stand before the king.
This is where Daniel drew the line. Consuming the king's meat and drink meant that Daniel would be eating meat offered to the false gods of Babylon. He would not have any part of it. So Daniel asked the chief of staff for permission not to eat the king's food. This presented a serious problem for the chief of staff. He was responsible to the king for these four boys. If he gave this permission and they became pale and thin, the king would have his head. This man was not attracted by Daniel's conviction. In fact, he wanted nothing to do with it.
Daniel responded to this in unique way. We can all learn from what he did;
Dan 1:11-15 NLT
11 Daniel spoke with the attendant who had been appointed by the chief of staff to look after Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah.
12 "Please test us for ten days on a diet of vegetables and water," Daniel said.
13 "At the end of the ten days, see how we look compared to the other young men who are eating the king's food. Then make your decision in light of what you see."
14 The attendant agreed to Daniel's suggestion and tested them for ten days.
15 At the end of the ten days, Daniel and his three friends looked healthier and better nourished than the young men who had been eating the food assigned by the king......
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