When was the last time you got ready for a vacation by packing your kids and your car and hitting the road. No destination, no directions, no GPS no help at all. It's just you and your family and all your stuff in your car. You turn left out of your driveway, right onto the next street, make the next two lefts and a right then you drive until the sun sets...
You would never do that. My wife really enjoys surprise vacations as much as anyone else, but in order for her to enjoy the vacation there has to be one planned. You have to know where you're going and how to get there. You have an idea in your mind how much you're going to have to pay for food, for hotels and snacks along the way. You have to tell your work ahead of time that you're gonna be on vacation so they know where you are and that you are coming back.
More often than not you discuss with your spouse and family where you are going. You make reservations, you budget for food and pack accordingly. It is an organized experience, and a specific location is waiting for you at the end of your journey.
Why don't we put that much thought into our ministries?
Instead of leading a ministry (whether it be youth, children's, adult, men's, women's, special needs etc.) for the sake of leading a ministry, why not focus on the purpose of the ministry (the goal or vision) and how to make that purpose come to life (direction or strategy). That way you aren't just wandering around, but you have a purpose and a plan.
Decide for yourself: easy or effective?
Its easy to lead a ministry just because it needs to be lead. If you're in KidsMin (as I am) it's easy to throw together a few parties, sprinkle an outreach here and there, have a cool Sunday experience and top it all of with a killer VBS. But this makes me wonder what it is you're doing with your ministry. Are you doing stuff just because it's what everyone else does? Do you have a plan for where you want to take your ministry? Or, are you planning parties because that is what a good KidsMin is supposed to do.
It's effective to have a goal and some direction as to how to get there, but this is not easy. If you have a specific place you want to take your ministry to this takes planning, communication and focus. You need to plan out where it is you want to go, communicate that plan with your fellow ministry leaders, volunteers, elders etc. to be on the same page, and you must maintain your focus along the way.
Doing the effective thing means you will step on people's toes. Being effective might mean you remove some program you normally do because it doesn't fit within your plan for the goal you have picked out. Being effective also means you might have to do some soul searching yourself - are you willing to be humble enough to keep a program you don't like because it is effective? (For example, I hate VBS with every fiber in my body. But if VBS fits within the vision of the ministry and is an effective tool I must be willing to get over myself and keep it.)
Do you have a goal, and a plan to get there? Are you being effective? Or, are you leading a ministry just because it needs to be done.
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