One of the topics I was asked to speak on for the Tennessee Baptist College Ministers Workshop recently was, "5 Mistakes Not to Make". Believe me I have made more than five, but here are the five I chose to speak about. This is the Clif Notes version.
1. Not Being a Thank You Person.
There are people that make your ministry better....write them a thank you note. A handwritten note carries way more weight than a text, email, or other electronic message. Express gratitude and do not ever take for granted what people do that blesses your ministry, you, or your family.
2. Not Having a Healthy and Realistic Success Formula.
5 Things that go into a healthy and realistic one:
1. What the people who pay you expect....like them or not!
2. Tasks that give you personal satisfaction.
3. Knowing what your personal gifts, abilities are and making sure they are utilized. Using gifts gives satisfaction. It's God's sign of what He made us to do.
4. Your campus situations....none are identical....and some are tougher than others.
5. Your resources....people and budget. Your resources determine what you can and cannot do!
3. Making Annual Sweeping Changes to your Ministry OR Not Tweaking Your Ministry Each Year.
1. Some seem to start from scratch each year...new schedule...new everything which does not allow momentum to build and students, supporters have no idea what its all about. Don't bomb your ministry each year. When a new ministry comes to town and seems to suddenly do well there is the temptation to scrap everything and copy it. Beware!
2. No matter how ell things are going, there is probably something needs tweeking, changing, improving from last year.
4. "Being Happy with Your 50"
This is NOT a call to continual unhappiness with your ministry. It is a reminder to evaluate, get input from others and to ask some BIG questions.
Some Big Questions:
-What is the "lid" on our ministry and why is it there?
-What is one thing we need to stop, add, or change?
-What would it take to raise $10,000, $20,000 or whatever to do _________?
-What would it take to (you fill in the blank)____________?
5. Succumbing to the 2 BIGGEST KILLERS OF COLLEGE MINISTERS.
1. Comparison to other ministries.
You never know all that is going on there. I have a friend whose ministry receives $50,000 checks from alums to do whatever he can dream up. Unless you get checks like that, don't compare your ministry to ones like that. Learn from others but beware of the "demon of comparison". Long term faithfulness is usually more productive than flash in the pan ministries.
2. Feeling Alone....No one cares about this ministry but me.
First, that is likely not true...if it is true, that is partly your fault...share the vision...tell your story. Don't just hang out with college students; get some friends your age and do something besides work 24/7. As people know you, they will love and support you and your ministry.
Side Note: My new Amazon eBook, FIXING A BROKEN COLLEGE MINISTRY, was delayed but will be available shortly.
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