The third area to evaluate is your priorities. Could you make a list of the top ten priorities for your life and ministry right this moment? If you don’t have priorities, you can’t keep them. Proverbs 28:2 says, “When a country is rebellious, it has many rulers, but a man of understanding and knowledge maintains order.” It’s one thing to know your priorities; it’s another thing all together to live according to those priorities.
The fourth area to evaluate is time management. In other words, ask yourself: how am I spending my time? Am I spending time daily with the Lord? Is my family suffering while my ministry is flourishing? Am I making time for my personal growth and development? Are you identifying the time robbers in your life? Once you identify the areas that need improvement, you must come up with a plan to implement the needed changes. It’s your time; act like it!
The fifth area I evaluate on a regular basis is my performance. Am I being a team builder or a one-person show? What am I doing that someone else can do? Have I communicated clearly to all my workers what they are to do? Speaking of communication, am I a clear and skillful communicator? Am I skilled at solving problems? Can I be relied on to complete assignments and keep commitments? If you had to rate your level of leadership on a scale of 1 to 10, what would it be? Are you meeting the needs of the children and families of your church? It’s up to you to evaluate your strengths and weaknesses on a regular basis. If you’ll make personal evaluation a habit in your life, you’ll grow as a leader!
As I think about each of these five areas, I also have to ask myself what I am doing that I need to say no to. As I evaluate each area, there comes a time for me to say yes to right things, but I also have to say no to things I have no business doing. Making time to think about better ways to do things, making time to listen and evaluate will make a difference in your leadership. The more you make time to stop and think and evaluate, the more you will be able to navigate change both in your life and ministry.
Go ahead; I double dog dare you…Do some thinking; it will change your life and ministry!
