One of the cool things with advances in technology is that you can leverage data to get better and better. Take Strava, the exercise app used by runners, cyclists and swimmers. I have discovered the power of tracking data while mountain biking. I have refined my riding over the last couple of years by comparing times on the same trails (called “segments”). One trail I am challenging myself with this year is a technical downhill that has boulders of all sizes with steep drops and sharp turns. Large boulders, stacked, rounded, sharp, gnarly – you name it, “Overdrive” has a bit of everything. I am improving my times little by little. Getting better and better with each ride. I know this because I have the data to support my times.
How does this apply to ministry?
We all measure what matters. Whether we do this formally or informally, we have some internal or external mechanisms to assess whether we are progressing, plateauing or in decline. We can probably agree on a few universal measures that most church leaders track like quantifying the disciples your church is making, leaders being developed and churches planted to name a few. In a related topic I wrote a blog entitled: WHAT DOES IT COST YOUR MINISTRY TO MAKE A NEW DISCIPLE?
My colleague in Australia, Colin Noyes expanded on the topic in a recent blog with some helpful insights and process questions to arrive at an ROI for making disciples in your church. You can read more by CLICKING HERE.
This may or may not be a helpful question for you to be asking right now. It is easy to criticize the church for what it is not doing well but it is also important to remind ourselves what we are doing well. If you want to focus on a particular area right now where you can improve and get better and better, here are a couple of questions to help you arrive at the measures that matters most to you and your ministry in this season:
What is the most important indicator to assess the quality of relationships occurring in your church right now?
How will you track the quality of relationships?
What is the most important indicator to assess the quality of disciples being made?
How will you track the quality of disciples being made?
What is the most important indicator to assess the quality of leaders being trained?
How will you track the quality of leaders being trained?
Bottom line – this stuff matters!
Embrace what matters.
Assess your starting point.
Get better and better!
If you are interested in exploring our Leadership Collective and want to learn from a regional perspective the impact this can have on your churches – CLICK HERE. We will launch our next cohort on March 8. Please contact me direct – CLICK HERE.
Right now, you and I must be creative in our efforts to discover inspiration.
If you listen to the typical news report, read the latest updates on what is going on in the world and allow your mind to focus on reasons to be fearful – those messages can be less than motivational. It can be downright depressing. Or in my darker moments, they just feel evil.
Today I want to ask this question: Where do you find inspiration?
You might be in the throws of finding the right path to navigate complex issues of ministry. For instance, now that you have “righted” the ship and are discovering how to conduct a hybrid ministry; you might be asking yourself how long will this last. Of course, no one knows the answer to this question. Theologically you hold to the inspiration found in Jesus’s ministry, the Psalms and the writing’s of the Apostle Paul. In the moments when all odds stand against you, your leadership and even your family – the Word is our source of inspiration.
AND in the midst of challenges it is essential that you grab onto sources of inspiration that force you to see God in a new ways. One way I find inspiration is through mountain biking. It provides a needed distraction, forcing me to consider life and ministry from a fresh perspective. I enjoy riding with my wife. Mountain biking provides companionship with Gina, breathing life into my weary soul and tired body. Afterwards, I see things differently. It puts events into it’s proper perspective. Inevitably, I discover a new insight I did not have before the ride. Most important is the gratitude I feel when I realize how big God is and how small our world is and my place in it!
Where do you find inspiration?
In the next month we are launching three Leadership Collectives. One of the take-aways for leaders that experience the Leadership Collectives is the inspiration they receive throughout the process. Please look there over and if you have anyone in your network that might benefit – share it!
This third question is important! In a very pragmatic way, this question will determine your true intent. Let’s review those questions again:
What is your “why”?
How will you create a culture of diversity?
What is your leadership development strategy?
Let me explain the statement I made above – this question will determine your true intent.
If you are serious about having leaders who are from diverse ethnic backgrounds:
you will make disciples who navigate the challenges associated with crossing ethnic boundaries in your community
you will attract emerging leaders of diverse ethnic backgrounds
you will plant multi-ethnic churches
Each of these deserves an entire blog series. However, if you are curious and interested in taking the next step to either plant or develop multi-ethnic ministry in an established church, I would like to invite you to an upcoming event. Let me reiterate – my intent is to challenge church leaders to consider a the strategic missiological teaching on the phrase – make disciples of all the nations (panta ta ethne). I am expanding on this strategy and contextualizing it to the church in the West.
FB LIVE Event: Leadership Makeover for Multi-Ethnic Church Leaders – Tuesday January 19 @ 9am PST/Noon EST
I am collaborating with Russ Siders to discuss some of his learnings from 20+ years of multi-ethnic ministry in a FaceBook LIVE event on Tuesday, January 19, 2021 @ 9am PST/noon EST. We will build on some of the information shared here. Hope you can join us!
To go to the InFocus Ministries Facebook page – CLICK HERE.
We use cookies to optimize our website and our service.
Functional
Always active
The technical storage or access is strictly necessary for the legitimate purpose of enabling the use of a specific service explicitly requested by the subscriber or user, or for the sole purpose of carrying out the transmission of a communication over an electronic communications network.
Preferences
The technical storage or access is necessary for the legitimate purpose of storing preferences that are not requested by the subscriber or user.
Statistics
The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for statistical purposes.The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for anonymous statistical purposes. Without a subpoena, voluntary compliance on the part of your Internet Service Provider, or additional records from a third party, information stored or retrieved for this purpose alone cannot usually be used to identify you.
Marketing
The technical storage or access is required to create user profiles to send advertising, or to track the user on a website or across several websites for similar marketing purposes.
