-
Why Your Ministry Should be Messy (at least a little)
For me, one of the great challenges of Church Leadership is the tension of not getting everything done that I would like to get done every day. With several billion people on the planet who still need to be reached, I may not get to check everything off my “to-do” list before the day is over. Let’s face it, if we are committed to reaching and disciplining people, things are going to get a little messy.
The great king/philosopher Solomon said it like this:
“Without oxen a stable stays clean, but you need a strong ox for a large harvest.”
- Proverbs 14:4
We all have to resist the temptation to make the church a place with the primary purpose of “keeping the stables clean” instead of our God-given purpose of reaping a harvest. We may feel a little more in control if we focus on “keeping our stables clean” but our church will never reach it’s full redemptive potential.The great car racer/philosopher Mario Andretti said it like this
“If everything seems under control, you’re just not going fast enough.”
I’m not saying we should take this to an extreme. Mario Andretti took pit stops in every race and even the cattle were to observe The Sabbath. But I am saying that a ministry that is moving forward will be (and maybe should be) messy (at least a little).
So let’s take seriously our God-given responsibility to plan and prepare and let’s also not be a afraid of the mess from time to time.
Nelson
P.S. For more on the Sabbath check out check out my resource “Leadership Skills For A Growing Church.” And yes, that’s a picture of my messy desk above!
Comments on this Post
Leave a Comment
You must be logged in to post a comment.
Church Leader Insights is a bi-weekly publication sent via email that focuses on effective leadership, church growth, church planting evangelism and much more.
My Books
Activate: A Totally New Approach to Small Groups
# 1 | Author: Why Your Ministry Should be Messy (at least a little)
05/14/08 8:09 AM | Comment Link |
[...] Tony Kummer wrote an interesting post today onHere’s a quick excerptFor me, one of the great challenges of Church Leadership is the tension of not getting everything done that I would like to get done every day. With several billion people on the planet who still need to be reached, I may not get to … [...]
# 2 | Author: sdn1964
05/14/08 11:43 AM | Comment Link |
Great post. Hadn’t really been able to put my finger on it till now, but the quote from Proverbs explains the mindset of many of the churches I know here in Northern New Jersey. They tend to equate “cleanliness is next to godliness” in much that they do. Scott Nichols