Driving to work after dropping off my 14-year-old son at the athletic club, I felt my cell phone vibrate. When I pulled it out, I saw a text message from my son that said, "Dad I need your help." He'd sent the same message twice. Concerned, I immediately called his cell -- no response. Was he hurt? Did he think I was nearby? Then I checked the time of the text and realized it was from the previous evening. He'd been sitting in an adjacent room as I was doing some training at a church. I remembered that he couldn't get my computer to play the DVD he was watching, so he'd sent me a text message to get my help. Whew.

This little parenting episode reminded me of how we can move our ministries from Me to We…by humbly asking others for help. "Dan, I need you." "Sarah, I need you." Far too much hubris (pride, ego) gets in the way of our ministries because "Hey, I'm the professional. I've been to seminary or Bible college. I'm paid to have the answers. You need me." We don't say it in so many words, but we live it and act that way.

Jesus told his disciples that someday they'd do more impressive things than he'd done. Jesus was an equipper. He sent out the 70 to minister. We'd be amazed by how often people will come alongside us if we're willing to humbly say, "I need your help."

But the way to do this most effectively isn't a "ya'll come" from the pulpit or church newsletter. My son Jesse knew my personal number. He sent me a private message, not some email blast. Our best people are not going to come from cattle calls. I grew up on the farm, so I know what a cattle call is like. "Wooooo, s'boss, s'boss, woooo." As my dad called the cows from the barnyard, they'd slowly begin to wind their way up to the barn for some hay or corn.

Your best people aren't cattle. They won't respond, for the most part, to a general call. You need to send them a personal plea, an eyeball-to-eyeball, humble request for their expertise, based on your need. "I can't organize as well as you can. I can't do books as well as you. I can't strategize like you. I can't lead as well as you do. I need your help."

When we admit our needs, people are far more apt to partner with us than when we try to convey our competence and ability. When they do, they gain ownership and up their commitment. When that happens, our load is lightened and we enjoy the journey far more than when we're the sole sage on the stage. So whom can you send an SOS message to this week? What area of ministry can you give up, in order to gain the support of others in your church? Make the call.

Alan Nelson is the executive editor of Rev! Magazine, the author of a dozen books, and has been a pastor for 20 years. email him at anelson@group.com or visit his blog, Rev! Unplugged.

ME to WE: A Pastor's Discovery of the Power of Partnership Explore practical way to move your church from a pastor-centric model to one that maximizes its volunteers, staff, and everyone in your church. Includes a variety of "best practices" from interviews with churches that have released their pastors from "doing it all" -- and successfully turned the way they do ministry upside-down. more here