Talk It Out.

I have said this before, every Wednesday I eat lunch with two great friends who happen to be Student Pastors. We talk about ministry, life, ideas, what works, what doesn't work, and tell jokes. It's a great time...recently we started recording these conversations and put them on a podcast. If you are interested in listening click here.

No that was not a plug, it is actually one of the most refreshing parts of what I do. I get to spend time with friends and soak in great knowledge in student ministry. But what if you are not a student pastor? What if you lead a small group? What if you lead nothing but hope to one day? Then check this:

Talk it out with people. Wherever you are planning on leading, find some people in that group, take them to eat or to coffee or to a ball game, and talk with them. Tell them your heart, express what you want to see happen, how it could happen, etc. Sometimes before you can spill your heart  the people you are with are already sharing their heart, and what's amazing is that most times your hearts are aligned and you didn't even know it. Because you created this segway of talking you find that you are wanting to head in the same direction which will make leading a lot easier.

If you plan time to talk it out with a mentor or someone you look up to, you will see that they can help you along the way. Usually they know if what you are about to do will be successful or a failure, and if they see it will be a failure they can guide you to making it successful. Talking it out with a mentor will be nothing short of amazing. There is so much knowledge for them to share, and knowledge is great when you are a young leader.

So take this for what it is. Talk it out with your team and your mentors. Nothing is more refreshing in leading than learning something new or aligning of hearts.

Who are you talking it out with?

peace be the journey.
///tres

Find Someone.

What interests you? What motivates you on a daily basis? Stop reading this post right now and answer those two questions. 

Now that you have thought about it, lets break them down. The interests you have should be the things that motivate you. If I was interested in playing golf but had zero motivation to play...well then I would be completely terrible. Become motivated in the things that interest you. Where does this line up with being a leader? To stay interested in the area of ministry you are called you must stay motivated or you will be burned out before you even get things going. 

I have been around student ministry my entire life. My father started in student ministry when I was in the third grade. From that point on it became my life, and now I have followed in his footsteps and started my own journey in this area of ministry. But one day I did not wake up and drive to a church and tell them I wanted to be their student pastor, no it took steps. (For those of you already in an area of ministry, just skip this part and re-read the paragraph above this one before going any farther). Whatever area of ministry you feel you are called, I challenge you to find someone in that ministry at your local church and ask if they will adopt you for a short while (Figuratively, don't google adoption agencies). More than likely they will love the help from you and while you are helping their ministry succeed they will be pouring into you something more valuable than anything you can ever read. They will be pouring into you time, ministry skills, experience, and more than anything love. A love that you will need to make your ministry personal and Christ centered one day.

Your ministry doesn't begin when you get your first position, find that leader that is paving the way for you and take every ounce of knowledge he has to offer. Find someone in the area that you are motivated by your interest whether it be a student pastor, worship pastor, lead pastor, small group leader, parking lot greeter, media pastor, youth worker, kids pastor...just find someone.

The same is said for young leaders already in ministry somewhere. Find someone that can share their triumphs and failures. I have a group of friends (that happen to be student pastors) that I eat lunch with weekly and we pick each others brains. Our ministries have gained so much more from these lunches than any conference we could ever go to. I stress the word friend because only leaders you call friends can really understand and know you, and when they know you they can give advice you need that second and minister to you when you need someone to lay everything out on the line with.

find someone.

peace be the journey.

///tres