There are more than these. Consider this a sampler, and have an answer to at least seven out of 10 of these before you make a major decision or budget change.
1. Ask, “Where did this idea actually come from?”
Sometimes it’s God. Sometimes it’s through a person or a group of angry people. Sometimes, no one really knows.
2. Be honest about how much time you have to make a decision.
Anxiety is the father of many bad decisions. Give yourself an appropriate amount of time.
If leadership is healthy, good decisions can be made rather quickly. Reactive leaderships tend to make decisions in inappropriate amounts of time—too quickly, or too slowly.
Just be honest about it, and try to make the decision in the appropriate time frame.
3. Envision yourself sharing this with the church.
Are you excited to do it, or worried about it? This may tell you something about both the decision itself—and even more-so—the health and culture of your church.
4. Ask yourself, if you had to defend it from the pulpit, could you?
Could you do it and even look forward to it? The odds are, you will have to. So, “be prepared to give a reason for the hope that is within you.”
5. Can you articulate in a sentence or two how this will help reach lost people or grow people into Christ’s likeness in a substantive way?
If you can’t, it’s probably not worth doing. Or, if it is, you’ll be much better off clarifying the decision’s intent before making it.
