Have you ever been stressed out about ministry simply over the fact that you didn’t feel it was balanced? Welcome to the club.
I think a lot of times we overvalue things that we probably could spend less time thinking about, and we probably undervalue things we should be thinking more about. The solution isn’t necessarily balancing things out but prioritizing them.
I totally understand that there must be some element of balance or else you will end up giving more attention to one area of the ministry over the others. What I also know is trying to bring balance doesn’t necessarily bring efficiency.
As a steward, efficiency sometimes needs to trump balance. When your ministry becomes balanced efficiently, every area is receiving the same amount of focus and energy. But if we’re honest, in most cases we are unable to efficiently balance everything.
Here some reasons why it’s hard to balance ministry efficiently:
- Lack of staff
- Lack of volunteers
- Lack of leadership support
- An abundance of “ministry is just not that easy.”
So we force programs and events for the sake of balance because we either feel guilty or we’re trying to keep up with other ministries. Some of us think we don’t believe God because we are playing it safe. And that is just not true.
I get the saying “Set goals that you can’t achieve without God.” I agree with that wholeheartedly, but goals are one thing and trying to prove that you’re trusting God by overextending you ministry is another. We are called to steward what God has given us, and sometimes choosing efficiency over balance is the right choice. If you’ve found yourself in the space of trying to do too much too soon, then here are a few steps I would take:
- Evaluate. Make a list of all the things you’re doing in your ministry. It could be programs, events, missions, etc. And then ask yourself the question, “Which ones can we maybe not do for a season, so we can strengthen the ones that our church value as a whole?”
- Refocus. Instead of trying to balance the list you’ve come up with, prioritize the list you came up with based on the programs and events that the ministry values most. Then cut the ones for a season that may be great but may also be hindering the ones you prioritized as core.
- Invest.Make those programs and events the best. Take the time you would be using to think and dream about the eliminated programs and events. Invest that time, money and personnel to become efficiently balanced in those programs and events.
Again, I’m a firm believer that we should dream based on God’s ability not ours, but I also must balance that with wisdom. So here are a few things to think about:
- It’s OK not to do everything you want to do for the ministry all at the same time.
- It’s OK to grow strategically.
- It’s OK to plan.
I know that the goal for any ministry is to be all it’s meant to be. All I’m stating is to be strategic about how you get there.
You have nothing to prove to anyone. There is no single set way to doing ministry, but there are some principles. My one principle for you today is that it is OK to sometimes choose efficiency over balance.
Aaron Crumbey oversees pastoral care for the high school ministry at Saddleback Church. He cares deeply about sharing Christ with students and seeing them reach their full potential in Christ.
For the original article, visit simplyyouthministry.com.
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