How To Make A Tough Decision

Courtesy of Sasquatch/Creative Commons License

I had to make a hard decision the other day.  This past Sunday night our youth ministry was faced with making the decision to cancel our gathering because of the AFC championship game.  To say Baltimore is passionate about their Ravens is an understatement.  We decided to go on and have our gathering.  Parents, teens and ministers questioned our decision; but, it just didn’t feel right to cancel.

6 teens and 8 volunteers showed up (Usually it’s 60 teens and 15 volunteers) and what would have seemed like a failure, turned out to be a very special and intimate night.  That night a few teens really opened up to their leaders, they were able to ask personal question and they went deeper in their faith.  It’ll be a night that I’ll cherish forever.

There are going to be times in your ministry when you have to make a tough decision.  It might be something small like canceling program or something impacting like firing a volunteer.  Making the difficult decisions is what separates the managers from the leaders.  It’s what takes your ministry to an entirely new level.  But, to make these tough decisions you need to remember:

• What Is Best Is Not Always What Is Popular:  This is something you tell your teens and it’s something you and I need to be reminded of.  The crowd might push you to keep that event or the teens might really like that volunteer you asked to leave; however, if it’s the best decision for your ministry you need to make it.  The short term might be rough, but it’ll be worth it in the end.

• Success Has Different Definitions: People have different ideas of what success might look like.  For some people it’s how busy your calendar looks and for others it’s how many teens attend the programs.  Make sure your decisions are made by what you and your church defines as success.  This is found in your vision statement.  If your decision to change something up is to fulfill your vision then own it.

• A Great Decision Comes With Great Tension:  To make the tough decisions means facing adversity and push back.  The best way to overcome the tension is to sit in it.  Trust in God, find accountability through friends and family and keep focused on the vision.  Your heart might hurt, you may have disappointing days; however, by sitting in the tension you’ll experience your decisions to the fullest.

Making difficult choices will drain you and cause you to doubt yourself.  Trust in God and remember it’s about pleasing Him and not others.  If you constantly:

• Revisit Your Vision
• Lean On God
• Surround Yourself With Accountability

You’ll find your self making the tough decisions with confidence.

How do you deal with tough decisions?