Significant Change in Your Ministry Requires a Compass not a Map

Providing exact details to your leaders can sometimes limit their creativity, faith, and capacity to solve large problems in your ministry.

Came across this tweet today:

tweetHer tweet related to the lean startup movement that focuses on starting a company with the smallest and most functional product and then modifying that product based on feedback from customers until it consistently meets customer demand.

compassMy experience starting and building ministries connected to this tweet. Providing a map is useful for executing a plan or event but ineffective for developing leaders. Leaders want and need a compass to ensure they lead along the right path, but need freedom to take actions that may not be on the map, but will lead to significant results in the future.

Significant change in ministries always comes from a combination of these factors:

  • Significant faith action
  • A desire to realize something that is not yet true.
  • Reallocation of existing resources
  • Creativity/Innovative thinking

If ministry leaders become accustomed to using a map instead of a compass then it becomes increasingly more difficult for them to lead with a significant combination of these factors that lead to significant changes.

Creativity suffers tremendously when a map is used instead of a compass. Not only does it suffer but it also takes on a negative association. It’s seen as a distraction or luxury rather than a necessity.

A great first step is to find two or three key leaders and take the time to provide them with a compass for growing your ministry. Spend time casting vision, sharing your heart and passions, the biggest opportunities you see for change in your ministry, and let them dream about ways to lead change.

Hold them accountable to spending 20% of their time each week on activities that are future focused and compass based rather than present focused and map based. Instant, tangible results will not come quickly, but over time the results will be dramatic.

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