Anytime I get to treat myself to diner food is a good time. Last week I had lunch with a fellow youth worker and all we did was share life. It was one of those moments you can just soak in and enjoy because you are talking shop and growing together in Christ. However, in the conversation I noticed an underlining frustration from my colleague. He was telling me how everything in his ministry was moving, but there were issues here and situations there. It was odd because what I was hearing was good, but still there was a slight frustration. Then it occurred to me:
He Was Looking For Ministry Breakthrough
Over the last 7 years I’ve realized one of the most important values we can embrace in ministry is patience. Especially when it comes to breakthrough because it doesn’t come instantly. Constantly, I have to remind myself of the Flywheel Effect from Jim Collin‘s book Good To Great. This concept points to the fact that success rarely (if ever) happens in one full swoop. Like a flywheel in order to achieve breakthrough you need:
- Focus: In order to move forward you need a destination. Not only do you need vision but you need to focus on how you are going to get there and what each step will look like. Then commit to that vision.
- Alignment: You need your team in step with one another. A dysfunctional team, a misaligned team will cause detours and interruptions. In order to align your team you need to build community and cast vision. Motivate your team and they move forward.
- Persistence: You need to know how you are going to handle the change that happens inside and outside of your ministry. How are you going to move forward when it gets difficult? You need to know how you and your team will turn to God in order to manage the pains of change.
What we as youth ministers need to remember is to keep turning that flywheel. The way you know you are hitting breakthrough in a specific area of your ministry is when the momentum continues on it’s own…basically things run itself. As momentum picks up you’ll see that your labor will begin to bear fruit.
In what area are you looking for breakthrough?