There was a study that came across my email inbox at the beginning of the month. In it there was an attachment that outlined a new batch of research that had been done about my denomination. The findings aside, this slide popped out at me. I think it was because I was doing some reading the other day (sorry I forget where from) and a comment stuck out to me.
No one in your ministry is as excited about the vision and mission as you (the leader)
If you look at this pic that I took from the powerpoint it shows a kind of top-down buy in to this research. The Bishops (53% of which responded to this very important survey) are at the top, then as we go down the line of command the response rate drops, first by 17%, then another 17%, then 7% and finally 10%. This leaves us with only 2% of the local church leadership who were asked responded to the survey.
You are the most committed and most connected to the vision. You as a lead youth worker are the one who needs to be fired up and excited about the mission and vision of your student ministry because no one else will be that passionate about it. As you tell your leaders and student leaders there will be enthusiasm fall off. As they tell friends or other volenteeres there will be even more fall off.
But it begins with you. If you only share part of your excitement, or don’t continue to push the exciting things to those involved in your ministry (sharing and celebrating with your team, bringing successes up before the congregation and emailing or inviting your sr. pastor to events) then you are missing out on the gift of ministry “buzz”.
This is a really hard thing for me to do personally because I don’t know repeating myself or telling the same stories over and over. But you have to and I have to get better about it. Any time we can brag about our ministry we should take the opportunity. Notice it isn’t bragging about what “I” am going but what is happening in the ministry. This point has taken me a long time to realize. I would aften be asked, “What are you doing with the kids?” This would make me feel awkward. I am one of those people who hates the section on job applications where you have to list your stregnths, but weaknesses I can do.
Remember when you are casting and sharing vision and excitement, it isn’t about you it is about the ministry. This week think about ways that you can share the vision and passion with others so that they will capture it.
