The most detrimental phrases to the dreams you have in your life start with... "I can't". I remember dreaming about ideas I had for the ministry I was privileged to lead. I remember those dreams filling my soul and my spirit with hope. I remember starting to chase down those dreams and how I was driven by a spiritual adrenaline to reach more students with the Gospel. I remember the first time I said, "I can't" as well. It was debilitating, it was paralyzing, it wasn't fun to sit in. That moment comes for every leader. The moment when you can let your insecurity, your fear of the unknown, your attitude of comparison keep you away from what could be. Saying "I can't" has serious implications for you as a leader. Here are 3 I have experienced and seen over the years: 1. When you say "I can't" you are giving in to a growth barrier. You have a limitless ceiling in leadership, ministry & personal growth. The biggest deterrent is our mindset and attitude towards the tasks or goals at hand. The quickest way to create a barrier for yourself is to say that you can't do something. Instead, ask yourself what are the steps you need to take to complete the task or grow in a specific area. You can, if you believe that you actually can. 2. When you say "I can't" you allow your fear to win The reality is that we are all afraid of things in our lives. I have a fear of failure, people I know have a fear of letting others down or even a fear of things going really well and what that will mean for them. Fear is the unknown ruling the future. Fear has no place in your life. As a follower of Christ, there is no reason to fear anything. In 1 John 4:18, we read that perfect love (God's love for us) casts out all fear. The war is won and God has ordained your steps, get rid of fear and step into all that God has for you! 3. When you say "I can't" you will never know what could be Its not ok to let what could be keep you from what could be. "What could be", might be the difference between someone hearing the Gospel and experiencing Jesus for the first time and not. "What could be", may be life changing for someone affected. Fear is the wall between what is and what could be; and that wall needs ripped down. Failure is fine when you learn and grow from it. Decide right now that fear will not keep you away from what could be. You absolutely CAN! Dream BIG, try new things, go after something that seems like a long shot but don't let fear stand in your way! YOU GOT THIS!
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Starting at a new church is scary, exciting and motivating all at the same time. You want to exceed expectations, you want to make a good first impression and lets be honest you just want the students, their families and everyone else to like you. There are 7 ways to make sure the first three months at a new church set you up a great tenure.
2. Plan Something Can’t Miss In the first 3 months do some creative planning on a big event, get away or amazing night. This is an opportunity to let everyone know that you value fun and fun is a common language everyone can understand. Leverage resources from your church, go all out, make it something your students want to bring their friends to, etc. Color War, black lights, food trucks, giant foam slip n slide, water wars, mess fest, there are great ideas out there, find out what your students would love and blow it up!! 3. Create Opportunities for Parents to Meet & Get To Know You When you start, get dates on the calendar to invite parents to a meet and great. Parents need to trust who is leading their children. The more parents know you, the more trust they will give you, the more opportunities you will have for influence. Ask parents to lunch, coffee, over to your home, to the church for dessert, anything to get in front of them. 4. Every Student Matters The tendency will be to connect with the students that are easy to connect with. That is low hanging fruit. Seriously, go after those students for sure. The students that are on the fringe and on the fringe for a reason. Make sure the fringe students know that you care about them just as much as the core kids. If you do this, you will see some of those kids become more involved because they know you care. People over programs is a good rule to have. If you can spend time with students, you can find time to respond to emails later. 5. Engage With The Rest Of The Church Staff The staff you are on needs you to value what they do just as much as you want them to value what you do. The best thing you can do when you start is to sit down with each department and ask what ways you can serve them are. If they know you have their back right off the bat, they will go to battle with you when the time comes. Ministries within the church can’t function effectively if they are off on their own. Make sure your ministry isn’t a silo, its part of the church and will be part of the vision to reach that community for Christ. 6. Over Communicate Set the tone for communication early. Parents, Students, the rest of the congregation need to be over communicated to. The tension is that we think if we send to many emails or texts that they will stop reading them, which is possible. The flip side is that no one knows whats going on at all and that might be more problematic. Starting at your church over communicating will give you the option to pull back if need be. You want to be known as someone who get details to people quickly and thoroughly 7. Pray and Spend Tons of time with the Lord You can’t pour into others if you are empty. Start a habit of spending time with God. Pray all the time, carve out specific time where you can focus on your relationship with God. This is by far the best thing you can do for your church, your students and yourself. If you’re filled up, you’ll be able to pour out what God is teaching you to those around you. Leading from empty doesn’t work, don’t get to that point, stay fueled up and connected to your Savior. |
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