Cultivating Spiritual Health

1. Cultivating Spiritual Health Being intentional about the spiritual health of staff and volunteers

2. Special Thanks The Warm Beach Christian Camps and Conference Center team of people are part of incredible spiritual journey. I am forever grateful for their commitment to be followers of Christ. It is their example that makes this teaching possible today.

3. A personal commitment • To follow Christ • To lead from following • He is Lord • My life is His • He wants to speak into and through my life • To respond fully to God • To live vulnerably • To live in community

4. Give God a Place To Lead From • Where does God have space and time to lead from? • “The staff breaks with their devotionals and time for prayer requests is a great practice. They help reinforce the focus of our spiritual eyes, not only our at-work attitudes, but also out there in the real world.” -Celia Hansen, WBC Kitchen Manager • “…providing an environment in which I can be away from the daily work of life and think more on and about God, Christ and my life.” -Roger Hancuff, WBC Board Vice Chair • “Our leadership team meetings and board meetings are authentically focused around the priority of coming before God prior to attending to the business at hand.” -Patrick Patterson, WBC Director of Administration

5. Give God a Place To Lead From Questions for God… • What do you want to say to us about our relationship with you? • What do you want your leadership to look like right here and right now? • What changes do we need to make in our ministry culture to give you your place of leadership today? • What do you want us to do in relationship to key issues we face?

6. Keep the Path Clear to the Cross • Keep focused on your God-given mission • “I really appreciate how everything at WBC keeps pointing back to the mission of keeping the path clear – this helps me keep my focus on the cross also.” Pat Augusztiny, WBC Camp Store Manager • “By keeping the main thing the main thing. We are a sacred organism (Body of Christ) at WBC, chosen by Him to do good works – to tend, grow, seek and prepare self, others, and those who come to Warm Beach Camp, for God’s kingdom.” Beth Ensley, WBC Development Associate

7. Keep the Path Clear to the Cross • Connect everything to the Mission/Vision. • If it doesn’t connect to the mission, stop doing it, no matter how important you think it is. • Structure meetings, planning, programs and events for a direct connection to the mission and the maker of the mission. • Keep finite, routine service connected to infinite and forever purposes.

8. Settle the Glory Issue • Who are we doing this for? • Know who you are in the game for. • At the end of the day, who gets the Glory? • You or God??? • If the glory issue is not settled up front, the staff and volunteers will be stalled in their spiritual health and growth.

9. Pray Now, Pray Often… • “…the prayer time gives us a special ministry that our staff has taken on – to lift up prayer requests before the Lord.” Gary Kocher, WBC Assistant Director of Development • “There are many people here that will take time out of their busy day to pray with me and for me.  I can’t name the number of times I have shared a concern with someone and they have immediately stopped and prayed for me or the situation right then.  Having a place that encourages that kind of behavior is one thing that keeps spiritual health ongoing.” Joanie Yonker, WBC Program Associate • “Intercession is the primary means of dispensing God’s grace” Nancy Nelson, WBC Director of Development

10. Pray Now, Pray Often • Cultivate prayer as a regular activity and discipline • Speak Prayers • Write Prayers • E-Mail Prayers • Create places for prayer requests to be shared and prayed for • Establish Intercessory Teams • Hold days of prayer for board, staff and volunteers

11. Share the Spiritual Story… • “STORY TELLING……KEEP TELLING THE STORY.” Bill Larson, WBC Board Member • “…when you and the staff share how God is working all over the camp, it increases my faith.” Pat Augusztiny, WBC Camp Store Manager • “The Special Friends Camp DVD reminds me of why we are doing all of this.” Kurt Von Pessler, WBC Assistant Director of Recreation • “Stories of the ministry are a key way of sharing the return on investment for the kingdom of God.” WBC Donor

12. Share the Spiritual Story… • Know the story • Share the story now • Be ready to share the story at all times • Be able to share the story in a variety of “sound bites”. • Use all means of technology and media to share the story. • Spend more time and resources in capturing the story

13. Spiritual Formation • Spiritual Retreats • Mentors • Employment & Discipleship • Church • Connections with key speakers/teachers • Time & Attentiveness • Discipline of Scripture

14. Issues & Questions • Unresolved Spiritual Conflict • A Commitment to truth with grace • The hard work of unity • Adjusting priorities

15. “Our Protestant belief in the priesthood of all believers should translate not in relegating spiritual authority only to our Executive Director, but in all of the staff taking up their spiritual authority and spurring one another on to Christ-likeness as we work toward our organizational mission.” - Patrick Patterson, WBC Director of Administration