All the College Ministers I know work really hard with lots of hours. Because there is always something else that needs doing or another student we need to contact, it is difficult to feel successful. Part of it comes down to having a realistic and personal success formula. It is easy for us to base our sense of success on what we see others doing and how we compare to it. And that has all sorts of land mines connected to it.
One of the killers of College Ministers is comparison. Why isn't our ministry as big as that one? How come donors don't give us big checks like they do to that one? How come I don't get the recognition and appreciation that College Minister gets? There are lots of variations of these questions and comparisons.
Let me let you in on a secret: I have seen and known LOTS of college ministries and College Ministers (some even sort of famous) and I don't know a one yet that is or was perfect. So, if that is what you are expecting, forget it. That is a myth. I think it is important that you have a personal success formula that is BOTH realistic and personal to you.
5 Things that go into a healthy and realistic personal success formula:
1. You know and are utilizing you personal gifts and abilities. Our gifts are what shape our personality and utilizing them is how we are being who God made us to be and give us the greatest sense of satisfaction.
2. You know what the people who are paying you expect and you are working at those tasks. Like it or not, that has to be part of our formula. When we take the job, we say okay to those expectations.
3. You do some tasks that give you personal satisfaction. Part of a feeling of lack of success is never feeling done. Each College Minister needs some things he or she does that gets "finished" and it feels good. It may be writing something. It may be developing that new Bible study series. But, have some personal tasks that get done that you can feel good about.
4. Make sure your expectations of your ministry are consistent with the campus or church where you serve. Every situation is different. A deep south ministry and one on the most "unfriendly non-Christian" campus outside the Bible Belt just do not compare. Rejoice in what happens other places, but remember where you are. That is not about excuses...it is about seeing where God has you right now.
5. Just as WHERE you are affects a realistic success formula....WHAT you have to do with affects the reality of your situation. One ministry may be able to serve pizza after every event and another is doing iced tea once a month. Be the best steward of what you have. I like iced tea just as much as I like pizza!
So, cut yourself some slack and figure out where you have been doing too much comparison to others and "that perfect College Minister" and remember, he or she probably has cooties and somebody does not like the way they are doing it. Have a great week!
Arliss Dickerson's book, Almost Everything About College Ministry, is available at amazon.com/dp/B08CMD9CXX and A College Ministry Success Formula is at amazon.com/dp/B091F5S1RF.
No comments:
Post a Comment