Staff members are essential to this kind of ministry. Every organization has its own philosophy of staffing, but I believe the approach we have adopted has been very effective.
I have learned that every person has unique strengths and God-given abilities. More accurately, we could call them talents or spiritual gifts. Some people are gifted teachers. Others excel at building fellowship and relationships. Some think logically and make wise decisions. Others are highly organized and naturally create good systems. Still others are quiet and careful, helping the ministry avoid unnecessary mistakes. Because people are so different, even a small organization needs a variety of gifts and personalities to function well.
There are two major principles that have guided our staffing.
First, build a leadership team rather than trying to do everything alone.
When I first began this ministry, Dr. Melvin advised me, “You can’t do it alone. If you want to serve churches throughout Korea, you need to build a national leadership team.“
Dr. Melvin had already developed the monograph Leadership Group for Lay Pastors Ministry for use in local churches. Although it was originally written for the local church, I found that its principles could easily be adapted to the national level. Using those principles, I organized the staffing structure for LPM Korea.
Different organizations may use different titles for their leaders, but we chose the simple name Staff for those serving at the national level. Following Dr. Melvin’s model, I invited people to join the staff for the purpose of serving churches across Korea. At first, only three people began the ministry with me. Over time, the team grew to eleven members.
Through experience, I discovered that fewer than five people make a leadership team too weak, while more than ten core members can make decision-making and teamwork more difficult. As a result, I have tried to maintain a core staff of about eight to ten people.
Second, cultivate a family spirit among the staff.
From the beginning, I repeatedly reminded our staff, “We are family.” That conviction remains with me today.
This is one of the greatest strengths of the staff model. People do not easily leave LPM Korea because they are united by two powerful commitments. First, we share a clear mission—to serve and strengthen churches throughout Korea. Second, we have built a family culture in which staff members care for and support one another.
When people share both a common mission and a genuine sense of family, they are willing to serve faithfully together for many years.