Most of us would agree that knowing something of the past is essential to understanding context. However, if you find yourself dwelling only on the past, you may need to recalibrate.
We can celebrate the past of our church and/or ministry – honoring others with stories, memories, and, much of the time, laughter. It’s an honor to God to highlight the past, the way God has moved, the miracles that have happened, and the cool things that we experience now as a result of decisions made by others in the past. It often helps us move forward in new and fresh ways!
The past is important, but if you’re only looking to the past, it may be an indicator. For example, focusing too much on the past might mean your spiritual life has become stagnant, and you look to the past to recall things God has worked in you. Instead of fresh examples, you’re living on a old version of your faith to keep you going. It might also be an indicator of extreme comfort, whereby you’ve lost the ability to trust that God can still call you, move you, redirect you. Or at least the open heart to go when led.
I’ve served in local church ministry for many years now, having been on staff at my home church for over 25 years, which is hard to believe.
Sometimes, we will be sitting in a staff meeting or other leadership group, and the conversation will turn to the building or something related to ministry programming from years past. Very often, someone will turn to me and ask, “Tim, how was that done back then?” or a similar question about whatever has come up.
The other day, the thought came to me, “Am I thinking too much about past ministry? What is on the horizon? What new things is God doing? Am I noticing and open to it?”
Looking ahead is an essential part of a leader’s role. Vision is needed, and although we want to discover God’s vision for our lives and ministry, it can become muddled if we’re not seeking it.
Here are some ways to look ahead:
Pray over and work on your calendar
What short-term plans do you have for the future? What new thing are you trying this year in ministry? Where do you see God taking your ministry? What steps can you take and add to your calendar now? Maybe it’s a conference or other training event. Perhaps it’s blocking off time for prayer. Whatever it is, the calendar always helps us look ahead.
Get some vision down on paper.
Pull out a clean doc or journal and write out what you’re thinking about for the future. What would you like to see your ministry look like in two years? What would you like your life to look like in five years? Getting this vision down — or at least some of your dreams — will be a huge step toward taking action toward your goals, in effective leadership, creativity, financial, health, relational, and spiritual areas. But don’t become bogged down trying to write out the perfect vision; write what comes to mind, and let it sit for a while. Let it be your prayer and see what God does with it.
Consider succession.
Who are you developing? Who will take your place? One thing I have found that keeps me thinking about the future is who is around right now that could begin to lead? This is a significant step because it provides you with actionable steps right now in the present. How you invite, recruit, and equip all comes out of a desire for the future ministry of the church (or at least some church). Sometimes this can be disheartening because it’s a long game, but there are students and others in the next generation who are ready to seize opportunities. Your investment in their lives and ministry will be incredible! I have enjoyed watching this take place for several years now!
Set goals.
Slightly different than the others in this list, this is a practical thing for any leader to do, especially as you are seeking to think about the future! Setting goals is really about the process of creating a preferred vision of the future and then taking action steps to achieve it. It could be as simple as a Post-it note on your desk or a daily reminder on your phone – you’re trying to accomplish a specific thing by a certain date, and you’re going to work on it each day or week until it’s done.
Always have an answer.
When someone asks you about the great things coming up in your ministry, always have an answer. What is the new thing you’re trying? Who are the new people joining you? What is God doing that you think is great?
Blessings on you as you keep seeking Jesus, thanking him for what has been and what he will do!
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