Every ministry has its ups and downs. The facts are that there’s not one church that will last forever (for the hyper-spiritual—I’m not talking about THE church. I’m talking about A church). Think about it. All of Peter’s, Paul’s and the great trailblazers of the faith have seen their churches rise and then fall. At some point, your church will plateau and/or begin to decline and if you haven’t already, you’ll need a plan to turnaround the church.
Or, perhaps you’ve stepped into a new church or are thinking about it and your new boss is asking for a big turnaround. In other words, they can’t maintain. They must see significant change.
The first scenario deals with the church as a whole, but there are some things you can do as a children’s/family leader in your organization to help turn things around.
The first question you must ask yourself is:
“Do I have what it takes to turnaround this children’s/family ministry?”
Not everyone is given the ability to turn things around. God has gifted us all with unique gifts. Some people can sustain and build; others can take, break and rebuild. It’s an honest question that must be answered. How do you know if you’re a turnaround leader? You could be a turnaround leader if…
• The thought of taking something messy, risky, broken and not ideal excites you.
• You’re not a perfectionist (thought you expect excellence).
• You have a “grace” gift.
• You’re not afraid to roll up your sleeves and get to work.
• You have the ability to cast a compelling vision that people are really excited about. And, not are they just excited, but they actually back you and serve along side of you.
• You are patient.
• You are very confident of the call God has placed on your life.
• You’re a self-starter and don’t need praise and accolades to keep going (thought it is appreciated).
• You can see past the current circumstances and see the “end in mind”.
• Your spouse is prepared for you to come home to vent (after the kids are in bed and sleeping).
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