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4 Steps to Help You Work Within Your Limits

I dream of having my own youth space. It would be awesome not to have to move a couch or stack chairs each week. It would be great to spend that time connecting with teens. Unfortunately, that won’t change in the near future. Our space has its limits.

Your youth ministy has its limits. You as a leader have limits. They can be frustrating, annoying and even demoralizing. What you need to do is quit fighting them and embrace them. To work with your limits, you need to:

BRING OTHERS TO THE TABLE

That means sharing the burden. Share the problem or situation with your volunteers, coworkers or pastor. Ask them to embrace it and offer up ideas. When you bring others to the table, you might find you are the cause to some of your own limitations.

CREATE STRUCTURE

Your limits might be caused by disorganization. If you aren’t keeping a schedule or a budget, you cannot be confident that you are being a wise steward. 

For your schedule, set an ideal work week. Measure how long meetings take. Protect the time you work on your most important initiatives. When you have a schedule, it gives you a map on how to navigate through your week.

For your budget, sit down with the experts. Maybe it’s your financial pastor or someone who volunteers in your ministry. Let them give you tips on how to track expenses. With structure comes confidence.

KEEP DREAMING

Limits can be temporary. The only way they’ll keep you down is if you never dream beyond them. Share that dream with others and write it down. As you work within your limits with a goal in mind, you’ll be able to work toward the bigger picture. Make it a habit.

ASK GOD TO BLESS IT

You might want more hours in the day, but the truth is God has given you enough. After you’ve crafted a schedule, budget and vision, ask God to bless it. He’s the one who will guide you and give you the grace to accomplish the tasks. 

Embrace the limits and learn to work with them. Do not let them get you down. When you learn to work within your limits, you’ll not only grow your ministry but grow as a steward.

What’s the most frustrating limit to your ministry?