What are our choices between? Right or wrong? Biblical or not? After going through a recent series of talks with Ignite I'm encouraged to ask a different question: what is the wise thing for me to do? When it comes to ministry in the body and leadership, it's just as vital as in the other arenas of life.
We recently decided not to have Vacation Bible School for, as far as we know, the first time in our 15+ year history. It was not a choice of morality - right or wrong. It wasn't a choice of biblical standards, though they influenced it. It would've been easy to secretly get competitive and look at all the other churches doing it.
But when we ask those questions we are not seeking a goal, we are only seeking the line. The line that, if we were to cross, consequences would ensue. So we're actually seeking comfort and notoriety.
VBS was not the wise thing for us this year. It may be next year. But stepping back and asking that question led us, as leadership, down a different path then we were used to. It's scary. But one thing it's not is wasteful. When we do things - in ministry or life - for any other reason, we waste resources, time, money, life skill. What if the goal is not to "pull it off" but to see life change - including mine?Jesus never did VBS. He never even built a church service. Relationships are the key that he focused on. Wisdom often brings that uncomfortably back to the surface.
Ask the question: Is it wise?
We recently decided not to have Vacation Bible School for, as far as we know, the first time in our 15+ year history. It was not a choice of morality - right or wrong. It wasn't a choice of biblical standards, though they influenced it. It would've been easy to secretly get competitive and look at all the other churches doing it.
But when we ask those questions we are not seeking a goal, we are only seeking the line. The line that, if we were to cross, consequences would ensue. So we're actually seeking comfort and notoriety.
VBS was not the wise thing for us this year. It may be next year. But stepping back and asking that question led us, as leadership, down a different path then we were used to. It's scary. But one thing it's not is wasteful. When we do things - in ministry or life - for any other reason, we waste resources, time, money, life skill. What if the goal is not to "pull it off" but to see life change - including mine?Jesus never did VBS. He never even built a church service. Relationships are the key that he focused on. Wisdom often brings that uncomfortably back to the surface.
Ask the question: Is it wise?
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