Armor Bearer Selection

Armors bearers are usually appointed.  This is generally not a “whosoever will let him come” ministry.  Most armor bearers are selected from men and women who have been observed to be: faithful to the ministry, loyal and dependable.  They are men and women of prayer who know how to stand in the gap.  If necessary, they will not hesitate to protect.

Most importantly, they must have a heart to serve and the pastor must feel comfortable with the armor bearers.

Training

Since each ministry and pastor is different, it is essential to provide armor bearer training.  Armor bearers must be trained so they can meet their senior pastor’s expectations and how he/she want’s that ministry to operate.

General Training addresses the overall role of an armor bearer.  My general training was twofold: 1) required to read God’s Armor Bearer Volumes 1 & 2: Serving God’s Leaders by Terry Nance and 2) taking classes from three pretty well know armor bearers – Bishop Lester Love and Bishop Daryl Brister (both former armor bearers to Bishop Paul Morton) and Elder Terry Nance. The training with Bishops Love and Brister was taken in classes at conferences I attended and Elder Nance was invited to our church specifically to train our armor bearers and ministry leaders.

If your ministry can’t afford to send you to conferences or classes, that’s ok.  At the least I would suggest reading God’s Armor Bearer Volumes 1 & 2: Serving God’s Leaders by Terry Nance and offer in-house training that focuses on David as Saul’s armor bearer and also study Jonathan’s armor bearer.

Specific Training addresses protocol set by your ministry.  There must be set standards from which armor bearers operate or there will be no order, just confusion.

In the movie Drumline, Nick Cannon’s character was an extremely gifted drummer who wanted to do his own thing and prove that he was the best.  All he did was create disunity and confusion.  The band leader gave a speech that sums up the number one quality of a good team:  One band, one sound.  One band, one sound is precisely what a well trained team of armor bearers represent.  A team of armor bearers might be different heights, weights and ages but they should perform tasks the same.

Specific training can include:

• the time to arrive at church before a service
• specific duties before, during and after service
• where does the armor bearer meet the pastor, guest speaker (or whomever is being served)
• what is the protocol for picking up guests from the airport or hotels
• what is appropriate attire for picking up guests from the airport or hotel
• what is the protocol for serving guests
• are armor bearers expected to accompany/drive the senior pastor to speaking engagements
• who should armor bearers call in when they cannot serve when scheduled
• what does the armor bearer do during an altar call

These are just a few topics that can be included in armor bearer training.  There are a number of other topics that can be included; it all depends on how the senior pastor wants his or her armor bearers to operate.

For Pastors Only

Appreciate Your Armor Bearers:  Armor bearers provide a valuable service to you and your ministry.  A good armor bearer is worth their weight in gold, especially if you pastor a busy ministry.  Even thought they don’t serve for recognition or reward, it’s always good to find a way to appreciate your team.

Remember that they have:

• volunteered countless hours to the ministry
• looked out for your best interest
• anticipated your needs, allowing you to focus on ministry
• arrived early mornings and served late nights
• run many errands
• served guests selflessly
• burned up many gallons of gas
• spent precious time away from their families
• changed their personal plans at the last minute

You can appreciate your armor bearers in small ways throughout the year:

• acknowledge birthdays and with a phone call or card
• if they are married, acknowledge their wedding anniversary – don’t forget that the spouse has to share them with you
• send a gift for new babies

It’s also thoughtful to sponsor a big event once a year.  For these men and women who personally serve you, I think their appreciation should be in addition to an annual volunteer appreciation for all ministries.

Am I showing partiality?  Probably.  I’ve been an armor bearer and served as an armor bearer leader.  I know how I have called someone for a last minute assignment and I know many times our armor bearers have changed their plans to accommodate.  We are often the first to arrive and the last ones to leave the church; sometimes getting home in the wee hours of the morning.

Good armor bearers are priceless, cherish them.

Laymen

Do you still want to be an armor bearer?

Related Posts:

• 10 Ways to Help Out of  Town Guests Feel Welcome at Your Church
• How to Host A Guest Speaker
• Go The Extra Mile for Ministry Guests

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This ministry is not for everyone.  I have a friend with whom I work very closely in ministry; we are both on staff at our church.  She and I have many of the same gifts and skills so I asked her to stand in as an armor bearer for a guest minister one day when we were short handed.  By the time we left the church it was after midnight.  She looked at me and said, “I don’t know how you do this but it’s not for me.”

This articles is based strictly on my personal experience.  Every ministry is different and has its own preferences and expectations.

What’s Your Motive?

Why Do You Want To Be An Armor Bearer? If you seek or accept a ministry position with the wrong motives you probably won’t last long.  You may become frustrated or burnout quickly. There is a reason God gave us spiritual gifts and talents to equip us for ministry.

An armor bearer or personal assistant to a senior pastor should have a strong desire to assist the pastor, ministry leaders, and ministry guests.  This desire is not to be close to the pastor or others in ministry.  It is not a desire to see or be seen; to know or be known.  An armor bearer or personal assistant wants to help make ministry easier and less stressful for the people they serve.  They want to help their ministry leader focus on ministry and prayer rather than the minutiae associated with ministry.

Friendly But Not Familiar

Armor bearers and personal assistants are called to serve.  We are not called to be the pastor’s or ministry leaders’ friend.  By all means, we should be friendly and helpful.  We should be eager to serve in a pleasant manner with an approachable attitude.  However, we must recognize the thin line between friendly and familiar.  It is not our job to engage in conversations of a personal nature or try to be buddies with those we serve.

Anticipate Needs

One of the most valuable skills an armor bearer can have is the ability to anticipate.  To anticipate the needs of others, we must be observant and alert.  Once we begin to serve, we learn our leaders needs.  If the person we serve tends to sweat a lot, we should always have a towel or handkerchief for them.  If they usually don’t have a pen, keep pens on hand.  We can also anticipate needs based on body language and non-verbal signals.

Everything we can think of before it’s needed helps our leaders focus on ministering.

Learn To Be Invisible

When serving, it’s not about us.  It’s about ministering to the needs of others without becoming the center of attention.  We should not draw attention to ourselves.  If you like attention and tend to be the life of the party, this is not the job for you.  This is something I took to heart, so much so that when I traveled with my pastor I always wore black, gray or brown so I would not stand out.

If we serve with excellence, we will be noticed for our service.

Understanding Confidentiality

No gossipers allowed.  Serving pastors and ministry leaders sometimes allows armor bearers to be privy to private conversations.  This doesn’t mean that you will be privy to your pastor’s deep, dark secrets.  But it does mean there will be conversations that aren’t meant to be repeated.  When we overhear discussions between our ministry leaders and/or guests those conversations should be treated as confidential.

On occasion, we will be privy to confidential conversations.  We don’t discuss them; not even with our spouse.

Don’t Be Like Gehazi

Gehazi served as Elisha’s ministry assistant.  He served with honor and distinction for many years until he used Elisha’s name for dishonest gain.  Don’t use your association with your pastor or other ministry leaders for selfish gain.

Family and Time Management

If armor bearing or personal assistant is your calling, it will become a priority in your life.  If you are married and have children living at home you must find balance.  Your spouse and children should not feel like they have to compete for your time and attention.

Follow-Up

In a few days I will follow-up this article with one that addresses armor bearer selection and training and full time assistants.

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Last week I wrote an article here about Ministry Outside the Stained Glass Fish Bowl.  In that article I talked about getting out of the church and into the community to minister to people.

When Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans a few years ago, I sat and watched everything that was happening there on television.  It was hard to absorb what I was watching and I just wanted to do something to help.  I sent a donation to the Red Cross, but I wanted to do more than send money.  That was much too easy.

When the Atlanta floods started this year, I couldn’t watch it on TV or on the Internet because all of our services, including our phone service, were out.  We live very close to an area that was hard hit by the floods and I was having a heck of a time trying to find out what was going on.  My only communication with the outside world was via my cell phone.  Since I follow 11 Alive News and DJ, Rob Stadler on Twitter, they became my conduit to up-to-date flood information.  Still, I wanted to do something.

Bad Timing

As much as I wanted to do something, the timing was bad.  I was scheduled to go on vacation that same week. Everything was already paid for and non-refundable. So once again I sent a donation to HopeATL and then headed for the Bahamas.  I continued to keep up with what was going on with flood victims via Twitter.

It’s Time To Get Dirty

While I was on vacation, I signed up to work with HopeATL.  Sending a monetary donation just wasn’t enough for me.  It was time to get dirty.  I actually wanted to touch someone’s life by helping to move debris, getting rid of mold and delivering care packages.  It was something I had never done before and had no idea what I was getting into.

Once signed up to work, HopeATL sent daily updates.  So I knew to wear long sleeves, long pants, rubber gloves, work gloves and a mask.  Three days after getting home from vacation I was off to Ewing Baptist Church to get my assignment.

Faith at Work

When I arrived at the church there were Christian groups from Kentucky, Illinois, Iowa and Florida – all volunteering to help work on the homes of flood victims.  Some came with funds from their Missions budget, others just came.  They all came by faith – didn’t know where they would sleep or what adverse conditions they might encounter.  They braved Atlanta’s traffic, which is in itself a leap of faith, and spent several days working in mold saturated homes.

The home we were assigned to on Tuesday belonged to a handicapped woman.  The house had been closed up for two weeks and was full of mold. After about five hours the home had been cleared of debris and gutted.  Here’s a picture of my Tuesday work group taken before we actually got to work.  I guest they take the pictures before we get all dirty and exhausted.  Several other people joined us later in the day.

It was a wonderful experience.  Dirty and bone tired, I went home, took off my filthy sneakers and left them in the garage.  My work clothes went straight into the washer and I went straight into the shower.

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We were required to read a book that I don’t remember the name of.  What I do remember is that it talks about getting out of our “stained glass fish bowl.”  Basically it speaks about doing our ministry and evangelism outside the four walls of the church.  It admonishes us to stop fishing in our own tank.  It’s great to minister to each other but it’s even greater to go outside of our own church community and minister to people at large.  Some of them will be Christians, some will not.

Not the Greatest Timing

Right now I’m sitting in my timeshare in the Bahamas.  This is my week and I need a vacation to get some relief from the responsibilities of being a caregiver for my 82 year old god-sister.  The only thing that bothers me about leaving for my vacation is that I want to do something for the people in the Atlanta area who are devastated by the floods.  Not the greatest time to take a vacation, but before I left I sent a donation through PayPal to HopeATL.  However, I still want to serve in a more personal manner.  I want to minister outside of my stained glass fishbowl.

My Epiphany

That’s when I had an epiphany!  God gave each of us at least one spiritual gift.  Some people, like Shaun King, have several gifts.  From what I have seen, he appears to have the gifts of evangelism, teaching and administration.  Even though I don’t have the gift of evangelism, I have gifts.   I don’t have to go to the highways and byways and find people to minister to them that’s why God gave us different gifts.  God knew that I would be an introvert and He knew that I would not go out looking for people to evangelize.  So He gave me other gifts to compensate.

Ministry is about serving people.  Ministry is about helping people.  If I demonstrate my love for God by helping others, they can see Him through me and that’s a form of evangelism.  It is definitely ministry.  I know how to plan and organize and I know how to be hospitable.

My Commitment/Your Challenge

Before writing this post, I contacted HopeATL and gave them my information so they can find a place for me to volunteer.  I  also gave them times that I am available to help.  I know there are lots of you out there who can do something:  hand out water, pull up carpet, be a runner for supplies.  I challenge you to contact HopeATL and offer your gifts and talents to help people who have been devastated by the floods.  They don’t have to be people from your church (although that’s a good place to start) just go out and help the flood victims – remember “faith without works is dead.”

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In recent years we’ve seen numerous stories on the news about pastors being attacked, shot and killed on church property.  People vandalizing the church and defacing church property.  Church members being stalked and medical emergencies.

Church Security Video from Associated Press

An ideal security team includes more than policing your property and protecting ministers and members.  A full service security team should include:

• Proactive approach to dealing with violence
• Theft of church property or members property
• Plan to deal with vandalism
• Medical team on standby – members who are doctors, nurses, paramedics

What kind of plan has your church put in place?  It doesn’t have to be elaborate, but you should have a plan.  Your local police department can be of assistance.

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