Some Ministry Lessons Learned from the Battle of Gettysburg

A few weeks ago, some of the Leadership Team from New Life went to Gettysburg, PA for a few days to discuss some new things happening at New Life (both with the nZone and with the 3 campuses), to look at the Battle of Gettysburg (lessons learned) and to bond together as a team.  It was a really good time together as I learned and experienced a lot.

Here are some of the things I learned and thought about:

• Gettysburg was first preserved by northern veterans in order to remember the great victory.  What are you doing to remember the great victories you have in ministry?
• There were only 4 General in the union army at the start of the war (For the Confederates, Lee was a Lt. Col. at the start).  The Battle of Gettysburg had 140 Generals involved in that battle alone.  That was because during the war, ranks were created (mostly volunteer ranks) to fill voids from casualties and to allow real leaders to lead.  What are you doing to train and develop your ministry leaders and put them into positions of leadership?
• During the War of 1812, after a 25 hr. bombardment, the American flag made an appearance.  That united the country because before war, USA saw itself as a group of states not a country. What are you doing to unite your leadership team and ministry?
• Longstreet was a scapegoat of the Battle of Gettysburg by the Confederates because he didn’t agree with Gen. Lee’s orders.  Do we sulk and make scapegoats/excuses when things don’t go our way?
• During the battle, General Lee never engaged in the actual battle.  This baffled one of the ladies on our tour of the battlefield as she couldn’t understand why she didn’t lead men into battle.  That is when our Tour Guide said that Lee had trust in his Generals and that they were Generals for a reason.  He believed in them so he let them lead.  Do you have trust in your Generals (i.e. volunteer leaders)?
• During the battle at Little Big Horn, between a break in the fighting, both the Union and Confederate soldiers built stone walls for coverage.  The point is that they were making adjustments as the battle went on to help them.  Don’t wait until the end of the year to evaluate and make adjustments.  What adjustments do you need to make right now?

Again, these are just a few of the thoughts I had running through my head while we were in Gettysburg.  What do you think about these things?

Thoughts? Comments? Questions? Experiences?  Post a comment and let the discussion begin so that we can all benefit from it.