Ep. 47: MPD for Capacity Staff with Matt Griffith

Join Katie as she talks with Matt all about what it is like to do MPD as a missionary staff who serve in an office role. 

Transcript

Michele Davis: 0:22

Welcome to the Cru MPD podcast with Katie Johnson and Michele Davis. We love that the Lord commanded that those who proclaim the gospel should get their living by the gospel. We are driven to equip and inspire Christian workers to be Christ centered, fully funded and financially faithful, so that missionary staff can come alongside all people to help them to know Jesus. This process is more widely known as ministry partner development, or MPD for short.

Katie Johnson: 0:56

Welcome to the MPD podcast today we have Matt Griffith with us. Hi, Matt.

Matt Griffith: 1:01

Hi. Glad to be here.

Katie Johnson: 1:03

Yes, me too. So fun fact it's really great that I get to intro Matt because Matt and I got to lead a team co lead together for a couple years and before that Matt was my boss, and he was a great supervisor. And I loved working under him. And so I'm excited that we finally got him on the podcast. And so Matt serves as the MPD coordinator for the Orlando campus office. And so, Matt, could you share a little bit more about you your history of staff and more about your role?

Unknown: 1:40

Sure. I joined staff in 1992 right out of college and I went to arrowhead springs, and experienced by first earthquake in California. That was really interesting. And then I was placed at the University of Northern Colorado in Greeley, Colorado, and I served there until 98. So my first six years on staff was University of Northern Colorado. Then they came up with this special project that hadn't been tried before in Orlando and my at the time Regional Director invited me to come with him for one year and try out this project and so I went down to Orlando knowing that I was not going to stay in Orlando. I would return to the Colorado, Nebraska, Kansas, Missouri region of the country at the time, but God had different plans. And at the end of that year, I felt like God was really leading me in after talking to some different people joining the HR team in the campus office. And so in some capacity I've done a lot of different things. Since then, I've helped me with our internship program both in the office and nationally out of national intern coordinator. I helped us to have training and our new staff. And that's when I got into coaching a little bit part time as an MPD. Coach for new staff. And then I helped the senior staff development in our office, training venues and stuff like that. And so I've probably been MPD coaching at least part time for over 15 years. And then in my role in the Orlando office for more than five years. I'm not sure how long it's been. So I've been in Orlando ever since and I never thought I'd be here but here I am.

Katie Johnson: 3:18

Yes, it's definitely I think, been a little longer than five years because I started working with you about five years ago. So great. Um, that's amazing. And, Matt, when you talk about you're placed after going to arrowhead spring. That was back when staff didn't get to choose their location. (Correct.) So you just got placement somewhere.

Matt Griffith: 3:44

We got an envelope and we were supposed to go have a quiet time and open the envelope, see where we were placed. And then we were supposed to have a discipline of silence for 24 hours where we couldn't tell anybody, but you can tell the staff that were excited because their countenance was joyful. And I did not know much about really, what I what I the little I had heard I wasn't sure I wanted to go there and so I was not quite as excited and glad to keep it quiet for 24 hours but but after that, and God got me there and I met some of the greatest people and I love living in Colorado and I wished I was back there now, Colorado. But I love to do for different reasons.

Katie Johnson: 4:27

Yes. And so now you're in Orlando and I just love that. You know when we've joined staff originally when you join SEC originally, you truly were trusting God to send you wherever he needed to send you. And he used you in significant ways in Colorado and it sounds like he changed you and transformed you in Colorado as well which is cool. But as as the Joint Staff later didn't have to do that. Right. We had a preference list in most of the time. There's still instances where people get placed somewhere that they may not have on their top as preference. But most of the time you get one of your preferences. And so um, yeah, I think that's great that God led you in that path. And so now you're in Orlando, and today we get to talk with Matt specifically about what it's like to do in PDS capacity staff. But for those of you who might be listening who don't know what capacity staff is, could you just explain that what do we mean by capacity staff?

Unknown: 5:39

Sure. Yeah. In the campus ministry, which I work in, there's kind of two big groups of people that staff on the field who are on campus meeting with students every day, and the staff who are in our office. Now offices we know now is very different definition than maybe 10 or 15 years ago because office could be a liberal office can be a virtual office, it can be working from home. And so there's about 500 plus maybe 550 or so, capacity staff in the campus ministry across the country. So a lot of people serving the field capacity staff gets through a variety of jobs and different things. They weren't the right hours, just like field staff, but together we're we're on mission together and so, capacity staff often have specific skills like finance or conference or ops or HR, things like that. And yeah, they use those talents for God's kingdom.

Katie Johnson: 6:43

I love that. Honestly, I think that the ministry would not run well at all or even maybe exist without capacity staff. They're kind of behind the scenes, making sure everything's done. It needs to be done behind the scenes for staff and serving in different ways. And so I love that and I love that God led you to be in the office and so so we're gonna refer to capacity steps that you know, throughout this podcast episode, and hopefully now you have some clarification on what we're talking about as we're talking about it. So Matt, you've been the MPD coordinator over capacity stuff. And so what is MPD life or capacity stuff?

Unknown: 7:33

Yeah. So as with any staff, there's a variety and so you know, some some staff that greatly support some staff are kind of the medium, like they've got enough and some staff struggle with support. And so I think that, you know, in capacity staff one of the great things about capacity staff is sometimes like, somebody whose computer program or data or the graphic design or something like that, that relates to a field or an industry outside of staff. They can find supporters in that field. And say, like, Hey, you're a programmer, you make 150 180,000 a year, would you like to join my team and 100 a month or some other amount? And they're like, I love that you're doing that for God? Yes, I'll come on your team, you know, or graphic designer, photographer, videographer and all those things that are both here and out there in the world and so I think that can be a real benefit when you can kind of apples to apples, what your career and their careers. It's just your career serving on staff. And, but I think it's sometimes it's hard for vision for some of our staff, and have to be but I think that's what I find sometimes is that they don't know how to share what they're doing each day impacts student law students coming to Christ and being discipled and being sent.

Katie Johnson: 8:52

Yeah, yeah. I can see because you don't see the direct impact like someone on the frontlines, right and campus and so I can see how that would be a struggle. What concerns do you think I know you mentioned some of them just now, but what are some common concerns that come up our capacity staff and MPD? And how do you tend to address those concerns? So we talked about some of the concerns. So how do you address those?

Unknown: 9:21

Right? I think the vision piece, like I mentioned already is one of the main things. Another one sometimes is the capacity staff who do move from wherever they were before to an office. Or sometimes separated from their support base. And oftentimes, though, not always, I think sometimes field staff are within maybe a four or five hour radius of their support base. And so they can drive there in a day and spend a weekend there working on support or go speak at a church or something like that. That's not always the case. But I found it more true of field staff. And so sometimes capacity is Africa's further away from their, their base. And then yes, the vision separation from their their support base, and then, you know, hearing stories like even if I was talking to a field staff the other day in Orlando, and though he wasn't seeing a lot of fruitfulness this fall, other people on his team are and so you know, going to team meetings every week and hearing that God is at work is an encouraging thing. And sometimes I think capacity staff lack that they sometimes do really great at that finding out what's going on and continue to share vision. And some teams don't do that as often and so, some capacity staff can tend to lack in that area of having that vision. So what we do about it is we need to like you know, work with, you know, your team leader or whatever to try to plan how, how do you spend the next year doing support well, and it may mean taking a trip and so it may mean somebody filling your role in the office for a week or two while you go or something like that. And so if you can plan ahead of time, that may be a way to get back your support base and maybe doing video calls. You know, the last couple years we've all done video calls. Some people hate it, some people love it, but it is an option. And so we can do you know video calls with with especially with people that are already on our team to keep relationship with them. And so that kind of solves that. I think for the vision piece. That's the part I get really excited about. One of my strengths on string finder is individualization. And so like I was talking to a finance person, one time he was just about to leave staff, and he ended up leaving stuff, but I asked him what his vision was and he tried to share with me and I said, Well, tell me more about what you do. And he was a person who did reports that helped. The executive team and campus ministry make decisions every year on what they weren't going to focus on strategically and what they weren't going to focus on. He helps train all the summer project ops coordinators. And so every summer mission that happened, had a person on the team that knew about how to handle those hundreds of 1000s of dollars in finances well because of this person. And this person also helped lead the team and do things I said, basically you're touching summer missions, you're touching the exec teams decisions, you're touching, you know, all these different areas, what's happening in campus ministry in your training of people without you if there's not a person, if it's not you, it's gonna be another person because that's how important your position is you're in a company, you would be very important in the financial area, and stuff like that. And so you're helping students on summer mission, you're helping students experience things during the year because God has given me I love contracts. People. It's like, you know, students often go there and make life changing decisions. They either come to Christ, they're like, I'm going to get a Bible study or I'm going to go on an internship or I'm going to go to summer mission or a spring break vision trip overseas or something like that. They're making those decisions in the conferences and so conferencing people are are there it's like, performing artists are there to lead us into the throne room of God. And there's videographers and photographers there and how did they hear about it? Well, they probably heard about it because creative one media probably did either a video that moved their heart that written content on a website or physical flyer or something that got handed. So in some way, capacity staff are helping move the mission forward. And so I love talking to each capacity staff like well, what do you do? And then I that I just share back to them how what they do is impacting the kingdom. And they're often shocked like, Oh, I didn't know I was doing that works. That's so amazing.

Katie Johnson: 13:50

Yeah, people feel like Oh, I I understand why I'm doing what I'm doing. But I don't know how to communicate that to people well, and so I love that you're there to help them to communicate that and to see that and so can you talked a little bit about advising capacity staff to explain the role and importance of role ministry partners. But what are some common questions that ministry partners ask of capacity staff and how might we answer those?

Unknown: 14:20

Yeah, I think on the one side, ministry partners are often asking about their asking for vision. And so they don't want to know that you do financial spreadsheets every day, but they're like I'm helping train other finance people or Together we're helping, you know, the field staff. Or the geographies know where they're at with a different project that they're working on and how much money they have left. Or we know that they essentialism, strategies, how much we have for evangelism strategies and so to take what you do and connect it to something that's being done on the field is a great way to ensure that students are coming to Christ today because what God has called me to do, and when you're partnering with me, in this world, we're reaching students together. We're helping you reach students together.

Katie Johnson: 15:12

Yes, I can see how that would be a common question that many students ask of their capacity staff one of the questions I always got when I was receiving support is what is your normal day in the office look like? I think people wanted to understand, okay, this is what you do, but what do you actually do? And, you know, I explained to them like, everybody's different and some days, you know, it's not glamorous. It's not, you know, being on campus sharing the gospel every day. But I'm working diligently to move that mission forward. And honestly, sometimes it looks like just sitting in front of a computer all day. That's my reality. But that doesn't, like that's still playing a part, right? And the mission of God and what we're doing with crew and so

Unknown: 16:03

I often say things like we, what we're doing is strategic and so whether you're you're working on planning something or you're not actually doing it yet, like you're not actually the performing artists. At the conference, you're practicing, you know, you'd have to practice every year. The graphic designer who's working on five versions and client keeps going coming back to you. It's not quite that a little different. But then eventually you're working on producing something that whether it's a financial report or a conference, or all these different things that are going to help help the mission and so it's like, you know, some days we're doing planning some days we're doing strategy some days, we're in meetings, but what we're doing overall is working towards reaching students for Christ, and how my job acts. One of the things I like to help capacity staff understand is of the capacity staff, the 550 or whatever capacity staff, how many do finance and they'll often say, like, oh, maybe 40 or 35, or something, you know, it'd be, it'd be under 50, usually. And so, and how many staff are in the country and around the world, and so and so only 50 People are doing finance and so it's like you're one of only 50 elite people doing finance or you're one of only this many people doing this until God has gifted you and placed you in a unique position that you get to be in. So when we talk to supporters, they say what do we do here? I want to go meet, you know, less than 50 people in the country who helped with you know, full time with finance or something you know, or something like that. One of the other questions I get was that sometimes, and I had this on a recent trip, I just went back in Nebraska few weeks ago, and supporters were asking me what was happening on campuses. And so it's always good to know some stories about what's happening on campuses because that might catch capacity. snap off guard is like you're working every day in an office, and then they're asking you what's happening on campuses. And so reach out to some of your field staff lanes, find out some of the stories around the country, so that you have those ready to go talk to people because people really care about us and they want to know what's how we're how they're making a difference. And stories about what's happening on the field is the end result which is helping them know that what they're investing in is worthwhile.

Katie Johnson: 18:32

Yes, and I actually think there are some places on the web or emails that we might get is campus stack, with stories that you might be able to read and use and share and so I can try to find some links and put them in the show notes for some of those resources to help people find some of those stories too. If you're not sure where to start.

Unknown: 18:56

Those are always great. And I always recommend as a coach that before you use a story you reach out and talk to the person who shared the story initially, to ask permission whether you can use their story, your newsletter or your different things like that as well.

Katie Johnson: 19:11

Yes, yes, yes, yes. Yes, for sure. And so my I am curious in this question, so I'm here but I'm curious. Well, how would you advise someone someone's going from field to capacity, and they're not sure where to start with how to cast vision because for years and years and years, they've been casting vision for the field? How do they cast vision to their ministry partners? And honestly, you switched from the field to capacity and so how do you personally cast vision for your ministry being capacity staff? And MPD?

Unknown: 19:49

Yeah, I think there's, there's benefits to both like I think if you're on a campus, you are able to say we're trying to reach this campus and all the students on this campus for Christ, and you might have a partnership overseas and you're like our campus is, you know, working on this partnership and we're sending students or I'm going to summer, the spring break or for the next year, and then the staff on staff. They don't use it. It's definitely International. But, but to say that, you know, we have specific areas we're trying to reach and might even say, even within our state our geography together, we're trying to reach that and that's very visioneering. The story that I had was I was trying to have, you know, five or more disciples each year in my in my group, and I figured that if I could have five in my freshman class sophomore class junior class and senior class, I would be working with 20 guys at a time, and they would be graduating ready to win, build sand wherever they got took them. And that I would keep making a difference that way, over time, just like a teacher with a classroom of students every year and so I have a group of disciples every year and so I kind of had this mentality that if I'm helping five guys each year, or more, but really get it and really go for it, I'm going to make a multiplying effect on the world. When I came to Orlando, within just a couple of years, I was working with the internship program. And it was one of those staff tricks where they said, hey, if an intern comes to the office, we can help with their evaluation of their application. Hey, if they do show up, would you help coach them? Hey, if they show up and they arrive, we could help train them, you know, for their first year and hey, by the way, we help all the intern coordinators in the nation, the National intern. And so I said yes to each of the little ones, and all of a sudden, I was trying to get a person in every one of the regions at the time. And there was 1010 people that would be in Orlando each year and together, we would try to help the intern program. Move forward. I was sitting in one of those meetings when I realized that we were spending over 500 that year. And so God showed me that like, I want to reach five people a year, but now I was influencing 500 a year. So he had something different for me and so the scope changes from your campus, your region, the either the nation or the world when you're in an office, or your geography might be in an office, actually geography but oftentimes the finance roles the conference roles, but see see what enrolls that, you know, all those roles are usually that great, it's very least fashionable. And so to realize that you're important that everything in the organization can tell that to your partners as well, like I was working on a campus or in geography, and I loved it and I got to be very focused on it. And now I get to help the campuses that are out there, and the campuses we're still trying to get on to, and so we're trying to reach every student, and I get to play a part of that, whatever your role is, and

Katie Johnson: 23:01

I love that. So Matt, I'm gonna put you on the spot for a minute. What would be if you had the you know, the elevator pitch, as we call it, and then PD world? What is your elevator pitch or your vision that you pass to your ministry partners? And maybe it's fresh because you were literally just on an MPD trip. So hopefully this doesn't catch you off guard. But how would you currently cast vision for your role as MPD? coordinator for Orlando office?

Unknown: 23:30

Yes, yeah. When I was a young child, I became a Christian and right after I became a Christian, I wanted to read something in the Bible and since my name is Matthew The Gospel of Matthew is the first book of the Bible that I read, after becoming a Christian in Matthew in Matthew chapter 936, through 38 and talks about Jesus looking out to the crowds and having compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless and they needed more workers in the field, or laborers. So pray the lord of the harvest to send out more laborers into the art school. And then at the end of Matthew, of course, it's a great commission. That's why we're all on staff, you know, that we're going to win build and sin because of that. And so I really feel like the book of Matthew, craft where I'm going, and it's always been about helping people go from wherever they are, it's the next step. And so if they're not a Christian, I want to share the gospel with them so they can become a Christian. If they are a Christian, I want them in a small group or something so that we build up. If they're built up, I want to send them to be sent out. And so now I get to help coach people to be fully funded. So I'm either helping people, a laborer get to the field, grinding, helping a laborer stay on the field, to be fully funded. And so I'm at all about what I wake up every day to do is to make sure that more laborers are on the field going after that harvest field. So that they're harassed and helped us get to hear the gospel.

Katie Johnson: 24:59

I love that. Now, I kind of want to like join your ministry. So good. Thank you, Matt. Um, so as you're working in this role with capacity staff, specifically, if you're wanting our field staff, our field missionaries to know about their staff who work behind the scenes, and their roles, what would you what would you tell our field ministries, what would you hope they missionaries hope that they would know about the capacity staff

Unknown: 25:33

that I looked at, because they're gifted in specific areas, and God has uniquely chosen them to do a role for this time. And so know that our capacity staff are living out how God has wired them, to help further the kingdom. And they're great people who serve in lots of different ways. There's there's a huge variety ways I think, I've been amazed just find the answer down but like, read it one year credibly creative people in the fun development team. They're incredibly gifted in other areas. And so we just have a lot of interest and a lot of human areas. With the capacity. We're living up and down wired, so that they can help me move forward. I really wanted to know that they're working on they love what they do, but they're also working so that students can be reached. So they're working through their strategy or a conference or something that told me the field. I want to know that so that the field can be effective that field to not have to deal with some of these things, and so they can only focus on evangelism. And so we're all we're all doing what God's called us to do so that more students can hear the Gospel respond to it. More students can be on mission. together. And so honestly, I think one thing that helped us It feels out, dresses that love what they do, but also if they helped share stories of past Exactly, they know exactly how. I think one thing that I found also is sometimes you'll want to contact somebody at their geographic office or the legal office and they're like, who want to talk to you, oftentimes with graphics for your consigners. They're there. But together, we need to work together effectively.

Katie Johnson: 26:49

Yes, that's a great, I know that you mentioned everyone is gearing up to get data and roles that they're in capacity and I definitely see that new and I'd like you to be part of the NPD team, maybe when you didn't even know what you're stepping into. And so I think over that, I don't know if I would still be on staff if it wasn't for you and serving under you and your team with you as a computer. And so I appreciate what you do and appreciate who you are, and that you are serving our capacities not in this way. Because it is important that they stay in their roles in what they're doing to help move the organization forward. And so, Matt, thanks for thanks for being here. Is there any other last advice or encouragement that you would like to share with our staff today?

Unknown: 27:28

I'd say that if you're working on it should be at some point or another, just a steward that well. Oftentimes, God works on character during MPD. It's a way that I was interested in where we're having to meet new people, or there's something that he's working on in our life, and he's using MPD to develop our character. So I would say if you're into that, just allow God to work in your life while you're on a video on attorney and say, Stewart, well, the resources that he gives you so we all have to be fully funded. Once we totally steward that well, just like ask the staff steward, they're just well, you'll sail through there as well. I want us to be fully funded fully on mission and stewarding well what God has gifted us with and provided for us. And so if we're if we're living and stewarding our gifts and our finances, stewarding the scope that God has given to us, well, I believe we already got our mission together in one other document.

Katie Johnson: 28:15

So good. Yes. This is really crazy to me, and you know, my opinion. If it's okay, there's anyone out there and maybe you are transitioning from field to capacity. You have no idea how to share your new issues with your partners or that transition, feel free to reach out. And, you know, reach out to us if you want first and then we do feel due to Matt. But Matt is a great resource and capacity worlds, and specifically opinion capacity, and we're just getting going so thank you so much for being here and sharing your heart your vision for your ministry and sharing about capacity. SAP. Appreciate it.

Matt Griffith: 28:47

Thanks for having me

Michele Davis: 28:49

thanks for listening to the Cru MPD podcast. Please help others find our show by liking, sharing and rate us on Apple iTunes, and wherever you listen to podcasts. You can find us on social media by searching for the Cru MD podcast. Check out the show notes for more information including the various resources we mentioned in this episode. Until next time, we encourage you to be faithful and full of faith in all things, especially in MPD.