I recently bought a set of these juggling balls for our Children’s Ministry staff team. It’s a visual reminder that in Children’s Ministry you have to learn to juggle multiple projects.
Ministry juggling is an acquired skill that is within anyone’s grasp. And it’s a necessary skill if you’re going to be successful. Here’s three keys to learning how to juggle in ministry.
- Begin juggling with your best hand and use one ball (project). What is the thing you are the best at? Start off with the thing that you are really good at. Play to your strength.
- Learn to manage and protect your time. Use a master calendar. As you do this, you will find the margin to add another ball (project).
- Add another ball (project). Develop a systematic way of mapping out and tracking projects.
- Add another ball (project). Carry a note card and write things down. Even people with great memories will forget things if they don’t write them down.
- Focus on the timing of throws (projects). Timing is everything. Learn how to prioritize.
- Train yourself to watch all three balls (projects),while paying attention to each individual ball (project).
- Juggling takes constant practice.
- Be patient. It takes time to learn to juggle.
- No one learns how to juggle without dropping balls…a lot. Trial and error is part of the learning process. The key is to not give up and learn from your mistakes.
- Stay inspired!
- If you’re juggling so many balls that you can’t keep up, then let some balls drop. Delegate. Get support help. Remember, it’s better to have fun juggling three balls than to be in constant frustration because you’re trying to juggle ten balls and are dropping half of them.
- Find a pattern…a rhythm…a pace….that works for you. The pattern should allow you to have enough margin to enjoy what you’re doing.
- Rest. You have to take a break. You can’t juggle all the time. You’ll be a better juggler if you rest and then come back refreshed….ready to start juggling again.
- Take time to celebrate your past juggling accomplishments.
P.S. And don’t start off trying to juggle knives or flaming torches. If you juggle the small stuff well, then down the road you’ll be ready to step up and juggle the big stuff.
