How To Bring Joy Into Your Ministry
It was just before 5am and my oldest son was wide awake. The anticipation of Christmas was way too much. In fact it was so much that going to sleep…
Why It Takes Time To Build Your Ministry
Christopher Wesley
Dec 19, 2018
Whenever I talk to new youth ministers I can sense the anxiety in their comments. They tell me that they are disappointed with how many teens are attending their programs and that more people haven’t bought into the vision. I let them vent for a little bit and then remind them that they’re just getting started and they don’t have to have everything figured out by tomorrow.
I believe one of our biggest obstacles in ministry is striving for perfection and expecting it to appear tomorrow. The reality is that building a healthy and thriving ministry takes time and the reason it takes time is that we all need to learn that:
FAILURE ISN’T AN ENEMY OF GROWTH
No one really enjoys failure, especially when it’s happening to you. To put yourself in a situation where failure could occur seems ludicrous. But, to avoid failure altogether is completely insane. The reason that failure isn’t the enemy of growth is that it can:
- Show us our limits and strengths
- Help us learn something we didn’t know
- Reminds us that we can’t do this on our own
And because we’re human it also means there will be times when we don’t get things right on the first go. Because we have to grow and learn to build a healthy ministry takes time.
But, not all failure is good and if you don’t learn from past mistakes then you’ll only grow frustrated. One of the best ways to grow and move from failure is by journaling about it. By tracking your journey you can revisit the fears, emotions, and decisions you made. You’ll be able to build a more solid plan the next time you try something new.
TRUST DOES NOT ALWAYS COME INSTANTLY
No matter how hard you try you will not be able to grow a healthy ministry on your own. You need a team, but for that team to really work well takes trust. That means being vulnerable to one another, knowing each other’s strengths and weaknesses. While you might have no problem with transparency or ask for help there might be someone on your team that does.
To build the trust you need to spend time praying with your team so that the Holy Spirit can shape your hearts and open you up. You also need to spend time getting to know your team personally so that you understand what’s holding them back and what you need to do to set them up for success. Invest in your team with intentionality and over time your ability to tackle bigger projects will grow because you know you are not alone.
YOU ARE A STEWARD OF THE MINISTRY YOU LEAD
Your ability to lead your specific ministry is temporary; however, many times we act like we’ll be there forever. Even if you are in your ministry for decades you need to be working on passing it on to the next leader. That means creating systems that go beyond you and building a team that can manage without you being present.
When you approach your ministry position as a steward it causes you to look beyond yourself. You start to identify other leaders and pass off responsibility to your volunteers. To train people properly and care for a ministry you’ll one day pass off takes time.
Remember that your goal is health and effectiveness and not perfection. To reach your goals and have an impact on the people around you takes time. But, once you start moving in the right direction you’ll build momentum. And with that momentum will come life change, and waiting all that time will be worth it.
How do you push back on the pressure to grow quickly?
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