Keep Your Focus on Relationships
I don’t know why you got into ministry but the reason why I got in the ministry was because my life is change from Christ. It was changed because I had relationships with some adults who talked to me about Christ, gave me experiences with Christ, modeled what it meant to be a follower of Christ and lead me through high school. Without those relationships I don’t think I would have ever come to know Jesus.
I say all this because all throughout elementary school, middle school and my early high school years, I went to a lot of Church events and youth events. However, no matter how many events I went to, my life wasn’t changing. It could have been the coolest event ever, but those events didn’t impact my life. It was only when I had those adult leaders come alongside me that helped me experience Christ and accept Him as my savior.
No matter what ministry you are involved in, life change happens when relationships between leaders and those they are ministering too are happening. While I know this, the reality is that over the past 20+ years I’ve been in Student Ministry, it seems like it can be easy to forget this. Programs need to be run, curriculum needs to be written, meetings need to be attended. That is why we all need to step back from time to time and do a little reality check. The reason life change happens is not from programs or administrative tasks. Sure those are important, but don’t get so fixated on programs and ministry tasks that we lose sight of relationships and the value they play.
Everything you do goes back to relationships. That is why we need to keep our focus there. Our ultimate model was Christ and if He could make it a priority to spend so much time in relationships with other, then we can too. So, get out of the office, delegate administrative tasks to others and get out and be with those you are ministering too. That is what brings me energy and excitement and I am willing to bet that will bring that to you as well.
What do you think? How have you kept your focus on relationships and how have you seen relationships impact those in your ministry? Share your experiences below or on social media using #ymsidekick.
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