Gold Digger
A few times while reading “Mining for Gold” by Tom Camacho, I found myself humming the song “Gold Digger” by Kanye West and Jamie Foxx. It’s a rap song from around 2005. Disclaimer: it’s moral TRASH. Don’t Google it. Don’t Shazam the lyrics. Don’t listen to it on Spotify. It’s morally debased, and I hesitate even mentioning it in this post.
However, it has a reoccurring refrain from Ray Charles’ 1954 iconic hit “I Got A Woman.” I love me some Ray Charles. That part of the song is an absolute “ear worm.” Once you hear it, you’ll be humming it all day long.
And I have been. I’m actually humming it at this very moment.
Now watch the crazy segue I’m about to pull off…Mining for Gold in leaders is similar to that of identifying an amazing refrain in the midst of an overwhelmingly profane song.
Camacho says “Panning [for gold] was a process where they used running water to sift through rock, sand and dirt to find the valuable gold hidden in all that debris” (Camacho, 59). It’s far too common, and frankly human, to see only the debris (rock, sand and dirt) and miss a potential vein of gold within people, specifically leaders. “Becoming a godly, thriving leader does not happen apart from God’s work of grace in the human heart…grace helps us let go of judging every detail of our lives and lives of others…”(Camacho, 47). Of course, this is not a “free pass” to habitual sin, but rather an awareness that it is the Holy Spirit that does the best “sifting” for gold amidst the debris. Again, it’s a work of GRACE.
According to the Apostle Paul, we’re exhorted to not “go on sinning so that grace my increase” (Romans 6:1). The invitation is to “count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus” (Romans 6:11). So, the panning process is a grace partnership. The partnership exists between a coach, a leader, and the Holy Spirit. “We are called as leaders to mine for the gold in others, cooperate with God as he refines that gold and then help them invest that gold in the kingdom” (Camacho, 4). The author goes onto describe “the privilege of joining God…[and] cooperate with him in his leader development process.”
God is the Refiner, and we are his Gold Digger assistants/coaches. Together we pan for a “amazing refrain” within a “questionable song.”
Camacho’s acrostic GOLD is a helpful template for coaches:
- Gold is everywhere. It can be found in the most unlikely of places and people. In 30+ years of ministry I have been often been surprised, in a good way, by how often God has provided leaders from the most unlikely sources.
- Open your eyes to see it. All throughout Scripture we have multiple examples of how God “chooses to use the ordinary and unqualified” (Camacho, 73) such as David, Gideon, Esther, and Paul, to name just a few. These kinds of folks are all over our local churches, waiting for coaching. Heck, I am one of those – I am living proof that God uses ordinary people – having been “seen” and invested into by mentors throughout my life.
- Learn to draw it [gold] out. There are many ways to identify, mold and shape thriving Kingdom leaders. Camacho doesn’t prescribe one specific method, but rather invites the coach and leader to cooperate with the Holy Spirit. “There are lots of leadership tools and strategies in the world, but there is nothing and no-one that can compare to the person and work of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is the catalyst that brings real power to the Coaching Leadership process” (Camacho, 66). Yes, and Amen to that!
- Develop others continuously. Mining for Gold is not a one-and-done prospect. It is a lifestyle, and we can all do it. Camacho calls it “an exciting and dynamic path. It requires great discipline and focus. It is complex, but learnable” (Camacho, 7).
Many years ago, as a young senior pastor, I was confronted with the immediate need to replace a departing associate/worship pastor. My work load was substantial, and the need was great. Immediately I did what so many senior pastors tend to do. I put word out to friends and peers asking for names to consider. This was before ChurchStaffing.com was a thing, but the idea was the same. I needed resumes, and I needed them fast. Ultimately I made an outside hire, albeit quickly and without a measured and thoughtful process. That hire proved to be, how do I say this kindly…TRASH. It was not a good hire (not a bad person, just not a good hire). Within a very short period of time it became painfully obvious to me that I had overlooked the gold that was right under my proverbial nose. Within our congregation were leaders that were just waiting to be “mined.” They were “valuable gold hidden in all that debris [rock, sand and dirt]” (Camacho, 59).
Since those early days, having learned some very hard lesson (with many more yet to come), I have committed to be a “Gold Digger” – to function as a coach to leaders, many of which are right under my nose, and just need someone to see past the debris, and discover the gold. What a joy to partner with the Holy Spirit in this good work!
About the Author
John Fehlen
John Fehlen is currently the Lead Pastor of West Salem Foursquare Church. Prior to that he served at churches in Washington and California. A graduate of Life Pacific University in San Dimas, CA in Pastoral Ministry, and Vanguard University in Costa Mesa, CA with a Masters in Leadership and Spirituality. He and his wife Denise have four grown children and four grandchildren. John is the author of "Don't Give Up: Encouragement for Weary Souls in Challenging Times," a book for pastoral leaders, a children's book called "The Way I See You," and the forthcoming "Leave A Mark: The Jouney of Intentional Parenting." You can connect with John on Instagram (@johnfehlen) as well as at johnfehlen.substack.com.13 responses to “Gold Digger”
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I suppose that in panning for gold, we come across a lot of trash. The ministry work we do definitely comes under attack. At the beginning of our ministry in Slovakia an adult male Christian counselor joined our ranks. In short, he was a pedophile. In Slovakia it is okay for girls under the age of 18 to have sex. It is sort of post communist take on the “natural” urges. Our ministry was mentally and spiritually damaged by this event. But we learned to take a hard look at the background and responses of our “volunteer” staff. Having survived to 25 years in Bratislava, we have grown leaders that carry on the work giving older coaches a chance to smell the roses.
Russell, what you’ve described in your story is the big difference between people that struggle with common forms of humanity (the majority) and those that are bent upon perversion and destruction (the minority). It’s not easy to tell the difference initially, is it? This is where one prays for deep discernment, and yet can still get it wrong. Then we pray for deep grace.
I appreciated how you mentioned “learning” something even in the midst of that troubling time. Certainly we would want to try to avoid matters like this, but when that is not possible, then the goal is to deal with something swiftly, and learn along the way.
I’m guessing several of us in this program have looked outside of our churches or organizations to hire talent, only to hire a good person, but not, as you said, experience a good hire. I think we have a tendency to hire through our networks — it’s easier to hire through weak ties, I think (at least according to Mark Granovetter and the research he did back in the 1970s on “Weak Ties”), because we suspect that new or lesser known people can bring new ways of doing things (or new ideas) that could be helpful, but sometimes that doesn’t work out. I watched that happen actually this week with an organization that looked outside when maybe there could have been gold to mine from within (or mined differently). The contractor they hired simply did not work out. At any rate, I wonder what it would look like for an organization to explore a little reverse-engineering, asking those within the organization who seem to excel in looking for and finding gold from within the organization. How they go about looking for people (and not just anecdotally) who are already in their ranks…people already serving, already thriving, within the organization, but perhaps not yet “seen,” for whatever reason…breaking that down into a step by step process (combined with the thriving metrics Camacho promoted) could be gold. Perhaps that is more caught than taught.
Travis, two things you mentioned really caught my attention.
Firstly, the concept of “weak ties.” I was unfamiliar with that, but can see how helpful that understanding is, and will be in future hires. Your proposition that we “suspect that new or lesser known people can bring new ways of doing things (or new ideas) that could be helpful, but sometimes that doesn’t work out” is informative and I can discern how often I have thought that way only to produce a big, fat goose-egg in terms of team chemistry, character, competencies, and frankly even calling. These “Four C’s” are hiring metrics I have used in the past, and perhaps I need to revisit them as I “mine for gold” in my current context.
Thanks for highlighting the GOLD framework. I’m pretty new to the concept of coaching in any formal way, so I have a lot of questions. I’m curious, as someone who is much more experienced in pastoral ministry than I am, which part of the GOLD framework do you find most challenging. In other words, are there some parts that seem to come naturally and others that you really have to work at?
Great questions Kim. Of the 4 steps in the GOLD construct, without question, I struggle the most with the final stage: Develop Others Continuously. I tend to be a ‘fair weather friend’ when it comes to my focus on the development of others. I go in starts and fits, usually when the urgency of need arises. This is especially true of times when leaders, volunteers, or staff are NEEDED NOW – my focus shifts that direction.
However, if I was more diligent and consistent in this pathway all the time, I believe it would address the deeper, more important needs. Charles Hummel, in his brief classic “The Tyranny of the Urgent” juxtaposes The Urgent to that of The Important. I reread his book nearly every year, but oh that I could truly live it out to its intended purpose!
John,
Love this! Thank you for being honest about the time you took the short-term easy way (an outside hire that turned out to be a long-term headache), over the short-term difficult task of mining for gold in the people that were already present.
For your weekly pastoral work, are there things you do already (before reading this book) in which you coach/train/mine for gold in the people around you? And how has this book caused you to improve upon the pastoral work you are already doing? I’m personally trying to figure out a system for consistently meeting with my young adult congregants for the purpose of mining for gold in them.
David, oh how I wish I could drop some serious science on you in this reply…stuff that would make you go “hmmm” and declare how great a leader I am. But honestly, I feel like a dud in this area. I’ve successfully stumbled into more than perhaps I realize, but am hard pressed to articulate a matrix for training/coaching, especially that of young adult leaders. Now, to be fair, I have always had a bunch of young people around me and the ministries I’ve led. Thank you Jesus. I’ve always said “I got demoted from youth ministry to the senior pastorate!” Ha!
But seriously, if I could put my finger on one thing that I have done that has found a measure of success it is this: the young adult leaders that have been in my sphere of influence have (for the most part) felt “released but not abandoned.” This is a phrase coined by Jonathan Lewellyn, in reference to my influence upon his life and ministry. Jonathan has been our youth pastor for the last 13 years, up until this last Sunday. He has moved into our Associate Pastor position, having raised up his replacement, a leader that was in his youth ministry since 6th grade. I love this! It’s how it should be done, in my opinion! But more than that, it is a refection of how he (and now his replacement) have been “released but not abandoned.” That’s just one heart-posture to consider in light of your question to me. Thanks for asking!
Thank for the musical education. And, the warning about the song. I almost posted a link to “Lookin’ for love in all the wrong places” by Johnny Lee, in my blog post but it didn’t seem to fit the tone I was going for, but it was sure going through my head! I love that you pulled the following quote out of Camacho, “Becoming a godly, thriving leader does not happen apart from God’s work of grace in the human heart…grace helps us let go of judging every detail of our lives and lives of others…”(Camacho, 47). I am a firm believer that God uses everything as a means of grace to grow us into His image. Where are the surprising places grace show up for you?
Jenny, you dropped some “gold” in your post (pun intended)…
“…God uses everything as a means of grace to grow us…”
Wow. That’s gold (again, pun intended).
“Everything” means, well, everything: the good, the bad and the ugly. As a matter of fact, often it’s the bad and the ugly that has the greatest “grace impact” upon me.
In my years of following Jesus, I’ve discovered (often to my surprise and chagrin) that it’s the tough stuff that produces the best stuff. Perhaps that’s so we never forget that “it is by grace you have been saved through faith, and this not from yourselves; it is the gift of God, not by works, so that no one can boast” (Ephesians 2:8).
BTW…I am a hip hop girl at heart, and true child of the 90’s so is it wrong that I know all the horrible words of that song?
COME ON JOHN! BRILLIANT SEGUE!!! Just your first 4 paragraphs are worth more than gold! And your sentence, “Mining for Gold in leaders is similar to that of identifying an amazing refrain in the midst of an overwhelmingly profane song.”
This is what God does to us! He pursues us inspite of all our moral trash! None of the disciples were worth pursuing as leaders but Jesus of Nazareth saw gold in them…even Judas Iscariot!
As an Executive Director of a counseling center, I actually pray for and look for counselors who messed up their life, messed up someone else’s life, or got messed up by someone. Then they recovered from their issues, went to school and now want to jump back into the fiery train wreck to walk alongside people who are just like them…that’s seeing gold in people…just like Jesus!
I have to say how grateful I am to read your post, John! Thank you very much. In the part of your writing that makes me grateful? Certainly not in that part of the rap song (Haha. Oops. I’m sorry). Anyway, I am intrigued by the partnership between the coach, leader, and the Holy Spirit. The term partnership reminds me of our original identity as God’s creation, namely as His partner in managing all of God’s creation. Partnerships clearly show who we are before God. Being partners with God is a grace, not because of our strength or greatness. Partnership requires humility, loyalty, and perseverance. Regarding mining gold for ourselves and others, the gold will only become perfectly pure because of the purification of the Holy Spirit. Our part is to find, manage and develop it for the glory of God.