Distraction is a common derailer of leadership in the local church. The many things that demand our attention in the moment crowd out our real purpose; to reach people for Christ.
When the church attempts to meet every need, we can miss meeting the real needs.
Focus is genuinely difficult, candidly, because the needs of the moment drown out the longer term, more important, and vital concerns. When this occurs, the machine has taken precedence over the mission.
You’ve had those days, maybe weeks or longer when you know you’ve been crazy busy, worked hard, but it seems like you didn’t make any progress.
Where do you start?
Identify two to three chief distractors in your life and ministry and intentionally take steps to eliminate them.
4. Mistaking a Smart Idea for a God-Ordained Idea.
I love a good idea! Good ideas are often the solution to a problem that allows us to keep making progress. And when the good idea seems like its also a smart idea, that’s the best.
A good idea is one that works. That’s a good thing. A smart idea carries layers and nuances of solution that provide a depth of progress. That’s a great thing.
Yet, there is something even better, a God-ordained idea.
We love good and smart ideas, but there is something powerful in play when you know the Holy Spirit has clearly provided a solution, strategy or direction that we know did not come from our ability alone.
A key element in any boardroom meeting is prayer. A good agenda brings purpose and clarity, but prayer brings unity and power.
5. Assuming That Consistent Execution Always Accompanies a Good Strategy.
The longer I lead in the local church the more I’m convinced that it’s in the strategic execution of our plans that we falter, not in vision or commitment to Jesus.
Rather than changing your plans and strategies when they seem repetitious or stale, improve them and remain consistent. Keep going. That will always give you more progress than the sideways energy of creating another new plan.
Very few teams launch a plan that is doomed to fail, it’s the lack of sticking to it that brings failure.
Yes, plans need to adapt and be refreshed, but stay the course.
If you are bored with your strategy, don’t find your joy in a new plan, find it in new people who benefit from your plan.
6. Tolerating Behaviors and Attitudes That Break Down Healthy Culture.
If your staff culture breaks down, your ministry strategy breaks down no matter how good it is.
In part, and ironically, we unintentionally tolerate what is unhealthy because we love people and lean into grace.
The cause for the breakdowns is not because the team is difficult or problematic, its human nature. Your team wants to do well and win.
- For example, without exercise and a good diet our bodies break down. Without good mental input our minds grow lazy. Without healthy friendships our emotions wear thin
Similar human realities are alive in your team.
- Further, we run at such a pace that we don’t take the time to catch something early when it’s small and not a big deal.
- And finally, most church leaders don’t like to confront, and therefore procrastinate and may not be good at it.
This article originally appeared here and is used by permission.Â
