Supervision is NOT a Dirty Word!

 I have had lots of supervisors in my life from a Lieutenant Colonel in Vietnam to a Summer League Baseball coach showing me how to rake the baseball diamond.  I have had great ones, some okay and one or two I would pass on.

Several years ago, I was given the responsibility of  helping our one year Outreach Coordinators and working with their supervising College Ministers.  Some of these recent college graduates were having a great experience, making a real difference in the ministry and others were frustrated and even confused.  So, what was the difference?  I believe the simple answer was supervision.  One College Minister said he told his newly graduated and appointed Coordinator, "I am going to treat you like a professional.  Go do what you think needs doing."  Here was the problem with that:  the newly appointed Coordinator had no clue what needed doing because he was not "a professional".  He had never done this before.

TWO THINGS LACK OF SUPERVISION CAN CAUSE:

Lack of Focus - I found that those without supervision tended to jump from one thing to another.  It was sort of whatever direction the wind was blowing that day.  And, it was not connected to any long term strategy of what the ministry was all about or trying to do. Consequently, their efforts did not make any significant difference in the ministry.

Less than a Positive Experience - Those who did not have good supervision tended to leave their one year position with less than positive feelings about it.  And, many had signed on for that year to see "is this possibly something God is calling me to do."  There are more and more reports of a shortage of young adults feeling or committing to a call to the ministry.  We need to be doing everything to help young adults experience and respond to a call to vocational ministry.

TWO THINGS GOOD SUPERVISION DOES:

Teaches - Usually, a supervisor is in that role because of their previous experience.  One thing we are trying to do is pass on that experience to others and they do not have to learn everything the hard way.  The tuition cost for the School of Hard Knocks is often expensive and painful.  One of our jobs as a supervisor is to help them be and feel successful.  And, we are to help them evaluate and learn from both the good and the bad.  We can help them process experiences, which I think is huge in their growth.

Encourages - Good supervision encourages.  First, it helps them not feel they are in it alone.  One of the biggest killers of College Ministers is the sense of feeling alone and that I am the only one that cares. Just knowing someone else cares is a huge encouragement.  Even when something does not go well, we can help someone know their effort was good and worthy!

ONE MORE THING GOOD SUPERVISION DOES:

When there is more than one College Minister, and even if the one or two others are experienced, there has to be somebody in charge.  Besides encouraging and teaching, they work at everybody being on the same page and pulling together in the same strategy.  There are lots of strategies that God uses.  But, they usually are not very successful, if multiple staff are working on different strategies. So, if you are a "Supervisor" make sure those with whom you work feel appreciated and cared about.....and that everyone is on the same page in the strategy and what their role is in that strategy.

I will go way out on a limb and say not only is supervision not a dirty word, it is one of the tools that God can and does use.

Arliss Dickerson's book, Almost Everything About College Ministry, is available at Amazon.com/dp/B08CMD9CXX.