If there’s one thing church leaders know it’s that ministry doesn’t always go as planned. While you have an idea for the kind of impact you want to make this year, there will be obstacles and challenges your church will face that you don’t even know are coming.
You must be able to adapt and shift.
A few weeks ago, my friend Dave Bair had a chance to share some important principles he learned from balloon piloting. I’ve never had the chance to fly with Dave, but I can talk to him for hours about the challenge of unpowered flight. It fascinates me how a balloon pilot has to anticipate and leverage the ever-shifting wind in order to make it to their targeted destination. Today, I wanted to revisit the principles Dave shared with some additional insights for how you can apply them in your ministry.
4 principles for reaching your ministry targets in the midst of ever-changing conditions
- Make a plan for your ministry, but keep it fluid. We have to have a strategy, but we have to be willing to pivot. This is an idea I discussed a few months ago when it comes to balancing strategy with God’s calling.
- You can’t always head straight for the target. How do you keep heading in the right direction even when obstacles throw you off your original path? Be true to your ministry.
- When you divert, it is easy to get distracted. This is why it’s so important to align your actions with your aspirations.
- Define your next move. Faith requires us to take a step even when we can’t see the entire path. That’s why it’s important to validate our assumptions for ministry along the way.
We can’t possibly anticipate all of the surprises that will come our way this year, but that doesn’t mean we can’t still reach our goals.
Does your plan for 2016 include anticipated diversions as well as some ‘space’ for the unexpected?