ministry

This past weekend I was at a bar with a mechanical bull. With mechanical bulls there are two general camps of people. Those who have ridden the bull and those who haven't yet secretly want to but are a little scared. Those who have ridden it usually love it and even find it a little addicting. So, we talk others into riding it. That was my mission this past weekend. I talked several people into riding the bull. I just have to get them past that little fear they have and then they give into their desire to get up there.

Looking around the bar some more I could see the same thing happening all over. People were talking others into doing thing. It wasn't always with the mechanical bull. Other times it was talking someone into doing a shot. Sometimes it was talking someone into a game of pool. And, still other times it was one guy talking another guy into hitting on some girl. In any case people all over the bar were talking each other into doing things.

Each time I saw someone talking someone else into something I saw enthusiasm, real effort, and a desire to do 'it' grow in the person being talked into something. And, often times it works. People get up on that bull, people take that shot, and a guy will go hit on that girl his buddies point him at. That's when it hit me. Why doesn't this happen with church stuff?

One of the questions I have seen bring on the most passionate debates in the church is the one of numbers. Some argue that God wants us to reach as many people as we can. Others argue that numbers don't matter but the people that are reached are what matter. So, I ask myself what is the deal with numbers. Does God care about numbers?

Leaders are only one part of successful ministry. A far larger part, in number of people, is the volunteers and workers. These are the people that carry out the work of the ministry most of the time (God steps in occasion and parts seas n' stuff). Let's dive into what can be done to help them be a success.

First, as in all things ministry related we have to put God first. We need to pray for the people God wants working in the ministry, for God to send the people He wants working in it, and for God to lead them in this.

Now, on to the other maybe not so obvious things....

Being a ministry leader isn't easy. There is so much going on, so much to organize, so much to remember, and so much energy to have and share. Over at the Project Management Source blog they have come up with a list of "101 ways to organize your life".

While some of these tips make me go "duh", they are a great and gentle reminder of simple little things we can do to help ministry along from a leadership point of view. And, as I wrote about yesterday, A leader is a key part of any successful ministry.

Successful ministries are hard to come by these days. It's not that God isn't backing ministries, it's that our sin keeps getting in the way and killing them. This doesn't have to be the case. We don't have to let that happen. Here are a few key elements that can help a God backed ministries be a success.

God Backed

The first thing one needs is the ministry to be God backed. It has to be something God cares about. If it isn't, then why do it? At the same time God calls us to do certain things in certain places at certain times. This is a theme through the bible. It's not about what we want to do when we want to do it, but about what God wants how and when God wants it. We should respect that, pray to God, follow scripture, and let God lead us.