Leadership Tips & Training Lessons Learned on Mission

I just returned from a wonderful week in New York City as part of a mission team. Our team worked with a new church called The Journey, which started the week after the tragic events of September 11, 2001. We helped promote the church by handing out literature, passing out remembrance ribbons on September 11, and inviting those in their target area to a dog party. Yes, I did say, dog party! I will tell you more later; keep reading. Reflecting on the week spent in New York, I am reminded of two very special moments. In each of these moments God taught me something about Him and about leadership.

God, the Creator, reminded me that an effective leader is a creative leader. One of the tasks the pastors of the church asked us to do was to hand out dog party invitations to those people we saw walking dogs. Your first thought might be, "How is this going to reach people?" As the pastors began to observe the people God had called them to minister to, they realized that there were no children. Their target group consists of young professionals between the ages of 18-35 years. Usually, when a church is started, the first group they try to minister to is children. Ministering to children through Bible clubs or Vacation Bible Schools enables the church to eventually minister to the parents. In the absence of children, the church planters noticed that most people in the target area owned dogs; and in order to reach the people they had to target the dogs. Hence, the dog party! They had dog games, contests, free pictures, and prizes. Over fifty dogs came to the party and of course they brought their owners! These church leaders are creatively reaching out to the people God called them to reach. As a leader we need to be observant of those we are trying to minister, to and discover what it is that interests them. Instead of seeing no children as an obstacle, the church planters saw it as an opportunity for creative ministry. As leaders we must turn our challenges into chances for creative leadership.

While in New York, we had the honor of attending a prayer service at the Brooklyn Tabernacle. We were told that the doors of the church would open at 5:00 p.m. for the 7:00 p.m. service. We arrived a few minutes prior to five o'clock and stood in the line, that snaked down the sidewalk, of those waiting for the doors to be unlocked. It was the first time I had ever seen a waiting line for a prayer service! The people did not wait for the pastor to begin the service; they began to pray once they found their seat in the auditorium. By the time the official start time arrived, the church was packed and people were praying and singing praises to God. I felt as though I had seen a little glimpse of heaven. If that were not enough, something even more spectacular occurred. As the prayer meeting was drawing to a close, we entered into a time of prayer for those needing a special touch from God. I began thinking of First Place and our staff. As I was praying, someone tapped me on the shoulder. I looked up to find a man standing over me who seemed a little uncomfortable with what he was about to say. He said that the Lord had directed him to me specifically to ask me to pray for someone named Carole. Later, someone in my group told me she had watched this man as he would come near to me and then go back to his seat several times before finally deciding to talk to me. He told me that he did not want me to think he was strange or weird, but that he was just being obedient to what God told him to do. I was so amazed! I told him about Carole Lewis and that I had just been thinking of her. I, too, was obedient as I began to pray for Carole. I have never had anything like this happen to me before and was a little overwhelmed. God was showing me His power and His presence all at once. The Lord taught me through this incident that an effective leader steps out in obedience even at the risk of looking foolish or strange. You will never know the adventure or the blessing that waits unless you take a step in faith and do whatever God tells you to do.

I pray that you will ask the Lord to give you an obedient heart and a creative mind as you lead your precious First Place class. I know that God will answer that prayer and will show Himself faithful. Hebrews 10:23

Nancy Taylor
Leadership Training Director



Nancy Taylor is the First Place Leadership Training Director and joined the First Place staff in 1997. Nancy teaches leadership principles to First Place Leaders throughout the country and at Houston's First Baptist Church where she coordinates all the First Place groups. Nancy also speaks at First Place workshops, rallies, retreats, and conferences, where she delights her audiences with humor and encourages them with boldness. She writes a monthly article, which includes helpful tips for leaders, for the First Place E-newsletter, and was a contributing writer to the Today is the First Day devotional book. Nancy is the resident First Place Bible Concordance because of her love for Scripture memory.