Thrive in what is Sustainable
It happens pretty regularly in the world. Something happens or a new product is released and people react. They react to what is new or life altering and make huge adjustments to what they are currently doing.
It happens a lot in the social media marketing world when a new marketing tool comes out. Everyone jumps on it and becomes the expert. Then, after a few months, the madness dies down and people forget it.
It is happening right now in the Church world with online Church and ministry options. Before the coronavirus so many Churches refused to go online with Church services or groups because it wasn’t “real church”. Now, so many new Churches are going online because of social distancing and self-isolation. In some ways they HAVE to go online in order to survive. And while it is great but for churches to be live streaming and going all in on Zoom and other online ministry options, what they are doing is not sustainable over time.
See, the problem is that the reaction we are experiencing right now is knee jerk. And, honestly, it has had to be, to some degree, as no one saw how much of an impact the coronavirus would have on the world. But because it is such a reaction, Churches are overdoing a lot right now which puts so much added pressure on staff and others to keep up. They are working hard and longer hours. While this can be ok for the short term, without proper processes and thought in place, you can’t possibly sustain whatever it is you are choosing to do right now long term. Why can’t you? Because when things “go back to normal” you will be reintroducing a lot of our old strategy with all the new things you are doing. And, you can’t do it all.
So what should you do now? How do you thrive while also making what you are doing sustainable long term? Here are some suggestions:
Pick a few things and do them well. The tendency right now is to try a lot of new things and do them all! Trying new things is great but doing all of them at once can be overwhelming. Instead of doing them all, try a few things to see if they work. If they work, great! Keep doing them. If not, try other things. But do the few things well.
Don’t compare yourself to what other ministries are doing. God is using you, your Church and your ministry during this time. Just because another Church or ministry is doing it doesn’t mean you have to do it. Trust God and be faithful for who he has entrusted you with and be ok with that. You don’t need to conquer the world, just make an impact for Christ today.
Think through what can be an “add” to when things go back to normal. This virus will pass eventually and when it does a lot of what you were doing will start back up again. However, some of the new things you tried out will be a welcomed “add” to your ministry. What new thing are you doing now that can make an impact long term? It has to mix well with everything else because remember, if you can’t sustain it over time, it won’t be valuable to your ministry long term.
Whether it is a new trend, the coronavirus or something else that impacts your community or even the world, there will always be something that comes up and will impact your ministry. How you choose to respond to that will determine if your ministry can thrive or not. That is why it is so important to do a few things well, trust God’s leading in your ministry (not someone else’s) and figure out how these new things you add can be maintained well long term as an add to your ministry. Keep processing what is sustainable not just now but sustainable over time so that when things go back to “normal”, whatever that may be, your ministry will be able to thrive long term, impacting countless lives for Christ.
What do you think? How do you thrive in what is sustainable? Share your thoughts or experiences below or on social media using #ymsidekick when you share.
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