Ministry Staff
Kenna Sapp
January 1, 2000
I was new to the church and so was my position. For the first time in its 14-year history, this 3,000-member congregation had called someone to concentrate on adult programing.
At first, it seemed that they needed not a minister but a "fairy godmother."
During the interview process, I discovered there was no consensus on my responsibilities. The senior pastor wanted me to develop small groups. The personnel committee and church administrator wanted me to guide adult education and to strengthen existing ministries while also developing new programs. The congregation was looking for someone, anyone, to develop ministries they felt had been neglected.
As I began to meet the members, one-by-one they would say, "You know what we really need around here is ______," filling the blank with a new ministry. They wanted ministries to couples and parents, men and women, support groups, leisure activities, you name it. Everyone had his own idea of what the church needed most, but few offered to help. Even with a magic wand, I could not implement all that.
Knowing I couldn't do it all, I labeled a file folder "wish list." Each time someone advocated a new ministry, I filed the person's name, the date, and the idea. Tracking their interests helped me.
Over the next six months, I noticed a pattern. Several women independently expressed the same desire: a day designed to minister to women. One persistent lady pushed me. "Kenna, what's it going to take to get this off the ground?"
"We need a chairperson," I replied. "Will you promise to pray about this need?" She paused. I thought that would end the discussion. I was wrong.
Two weeks later she called me back. "I feel so strongly about this," she said, "that I'll chair the event!"
"Great!" I said, ...
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