Learning and Leading in Ministry: Chapter Two

Keep Pouring in Energy

Learn to be indefatigable. 

 

A number of years ago, I came up with a brilliant plan to mobilize the church into evangelism and retention. Named the “Evangelism Commission,” it zeroed in on five critical areas of growth: Outreach, In-Reach, Follow-Up, Discipleship and Service. I subdivided each area into teams with specific jobs, and a coordinator supervised the ministry entire ministry. Upon implementation, it generated tremendous excitement and began working flawlessly…for about two months. It then took a decidedly southern direction. What happened? Awash in self-congratulations, I had backed away from it and turned my attention to other pressing needs. My coordinator encountered a personal slowdown due to a job situation, one departmental head moved away and two others found that their work schedules would not allow them to continue. Several other key people on different teams became discouraged and let their responsibilities go. My long-ago high school physics lesson was true: there really is no such thing as perpetual motion!

Organizations, businesses and projects that require leadership stagnate without a constant inflow of energy. You cannot let up. Think of an eight cylinder engine when it comes to providing leadership. When half your people are satisfied and pumped, the other half are coming back for more, and none of them are on the same timing cycle. And you are more than just a spark plug; you are the battery that makes the spark plugs spark! People feed off of the leader’s energy. When he or she fails to pump that energy in, all the air goes out.

Steve Pavlina, personal development expert, says “Educate yourself on what it will take to achieve your goal. And I mean really educate yourself to the point where you become an expert. Keep pouring knowledge into your head until you succeed—continuously. Don’t just read one book on the subject. Read 10. Then read 10 more. Then 10 more. Listen to audio programs. Talk to experts. Never let up on your self-education.” (Making A Quantum Leap, StevePavlina.com).

To launch a rocket from earth to reach outer space, the rocket must exert a sufficient amount of sustained force to overcome the earth’s gravity. If the rocket’s engines cut out prematurely, the craft will crash back to earth. Just as it requires a massive amount of sustained force to put a rocket into orbit, recognize that there are certain areas of your life where you may need a large force to knock you into a higher state. Small efforts over a long period of time may do absolutely nothing for you. You can read one time management book a year and be no better at your managing your time. When your plan calls for action, dedicate as much energy to getting it going as you have at your disposal. A beginning burst of energy followed by a fizzle and pop will worse than never starting at all. Start it up and keep it up.