"I can't do this alone!"

If you've been involved in ministry more than a few months, you realize the value of partnership in the Gospel. Paul spoke of partnership in Philippians 1:3-5: "I thank my God in all my remembrance of you, always in every prayer of mine for you all making my prayer with joy, because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now."

In the standard Fall semester process of debriefing students from their summer internships, I encountered one of the recurring lessons learned: "I realized I couldn't do it alone." That alone is worth the cost of the internship. For those who have been in ministry a short time or a lifetime, that lesson never changes.

While the truth of "I can't do it alone" never fades, sometimes our memory of that truth does fade. It can fade when the tyranny of the urgent takes over and we run out of time before we run out of things to do. When that happens, stress levels rise, energy lowers, frustrations mount, and those we 'care' for suffer most. Everything that we don't want to happen in our ministry settings and personal life suddenly...happens. 

It's easy to realize the truth on the backside of stress, but why can't we remember that on the front side? And more importantly, how do we insure that we don't wind up in the same spot again? How can we go about being proactive rather than reactive and strategic rather than 'flying by the seat of our pants'?

Here are a few steps that if applied regularly should prevent us from looking around the room and realizing we're all alone:

1. Plan Consistently. I know, it’s a ‘dirty word’ for many who read this. There are the free-spirited who love to live for the moment, and want to believe that if we plan we work against the Spirit’s moving. Consider the following:

• Proverbs 15:22: "Plans fail for lack of counsel, but with many advisers they succeed."
• Proverbs 16:3: "Commit to the Lord whatever you do, and your plans will succeed."
• Proverbs 20:18: "Make plans by seeking advice; if you wage war, obtain guidance.

I could give you numerous additional Biblical references to support the idea of planning, but I will refrain. The bottom line is this: Plan. Seek God through the Bible, through prayer, through the counsel of the wise and plan accordingly. Not planning runs contrary to the principles of Scripture and will in the end, bring about frustration and ultimately failure. Additionally, refusing to plan is a guaranteed deterrent to attracting highly qualified volunteers. Capable people want to work within quality environments.

To those who would say, “I’m not very administrative” or “I don’t know how”, I would say, “work on it.” Stop using your lack of expertise as an excuse for subpar ministry.

2. Recruit Constantly. Always be on the lookout for those individuals who love serving, have gifts that are different from yours, and think differently than you do and recruit them. Surround yourself with a diversity of gifts, talents, and viewpoints to provide a 360 perspective.

3. Equip Well. Spend the time, money, and effort to invest in a leadership team. Whatever it costs in investment, it pays in dividends.

4. Empower Fully. One of the most debilitating things we can ever do to a person is to give responsibility without authority. As much as is possible, when giving responsibility, give authority. One of the most empowering gifts we can give others is trust. Without trust, we breed frustration within our ranks, and ultimately dismantle our team.

5. Replace Yourself. As counterintuitive as it is, one of the healthiest things that we can do for our ministry is to provide an environment that breeds leaders. The less dependent that the ministry is upon us, the better off it will be in the end. It sounds terrifying because we think that if we seek to empower others to the point of being able to replace ourselves we might in fact be replaced. While that is possible, it’s highly unlikely. Why? Because most people love a leader who thinks more highly of others than he does of himself (Philippians 2:3; Romans 12:3).