Why We?

Here is one you may never had thought about before. In fact I didn't think about it really until a couple months ago. Do you use I or We when referring to the ministry. I always call it OUR ministry, what WE'RE doing in the ministry. This is because two things start to creep into everyone's mind: 1) Leaders know that their needed 2) I don't do everything my self, and I know it. When you continually use the inclusive language, people know they are included. Even when I talk to people outside the church, I use "us," "we," "our." Letting people know that the success of the ministry depends on others goes further in your endeavors. When the congregation hears what our ministry is doing they here that It is not just you that is working, it's all the other leaders in your ministry as well. Then when you tell people you need more leaders, it doesn't come as a surprise that you don't do everything and need additional workers. The inclusive language also gives credit where credit is due. Every time you say we, you're leaders will hear, "look what we've done."

The other benefit to this is when you need to convey authority, "I" stands out more when used sparingly. When I need to emphasis boundaries, talk to parents, or give praise or thanks, I is the language. No matter how much you lay the ground work for the "we" language, you have the final authority on all things concerning the ministry, and it's your name that first comes up in a crisis mode. Not to mention the sign of a great leader is accept responsibility and sharing the praise.

Although, I might be overlooking a type of language. What Kind of languages do you use in your ministry?