The directions to the first-time boat owner said: “Be sure that the trailer wheels get into the water.” The result of his attempt is recorded...
I love that because that is what I see in the church all the time. Vagueness is killing the church. Vague ideas…vague mission statements...vague theology with extremely vague applications. It all sounds good and has nice imagery like love, grace, light, hope and god. But, my problem as a leader is that there is rarely any TRACTION under it all. It puts us in the ballpark, but we just can’t play the game with the vague concepts we throw around.
I know that almost every leader hopes that their ministry makes a difference. Every parent I know hopes that their kids turn out ok. Every church I know hopes that their programs help people. But, I want to remind you of an important truth: “HOPE IS NOT A STRATEGY.” God bless you for the feeling, but hope will only carry you so far.
Effective leadership is not vague. It is practical and connected to a context. You are a leader in a real situation with real people. Theory will not cut it, but we fall back on generalities too often. Churches rely on words that vaguely tell the story of God, but don’t unpack it for their people…don’t connect it to the real world….and don’t wrestle with specific applications.
For some it is because we don’t want to be “legalistic” and tell people what they must do. So, we resist any application and keep it vague so that it will sound good. For others, it is too avoid getting messy with the real world, so we keep the truth at a distance. Whatever the reason, we must realize the vagueness misses the point.
There simply is no passion in vagueness. There is no application in vagueness. And, we lose Jesus in vagueness.
If we are in youth ministry leadership, we are coming alongside real people with real issues who want to find out if a real God is anywhere to be found. A vague idea—even if it has a bible verse attached—is not going to be helpful. Our role is to have core values that we can articulate to young people and their parents. Our role calls us to teach things in ways that people can understand…and that they can apply into their lives.
It is a high calling—and the reason why I write this blog. I want leaders who are passionate about youth ministry, clear about their mission, and strategic about their context. There is much to learn.
I love that because that is what I see in the church all the time. Vagueness is killing the church. Vague ideas…vague mission statements...vague theology with extremely vague applications. It all sounds good and has nice imagery like love, grace, light, hope and god. But, my problem as a leader is that there is rarely any TRACTION under it all. It puts us in the ballpark, but we just can’t play the game with the vague concepts we throw around.
I know that almost every leader hopes that their ministry makes a difference. Every parent I know hopes that their kids turn out ok. Every church I know hopes that their programs help people. But, I want to remind you of an important truth: “HOPE IS NOT A STRATEGY.” God bless you for the feeling, but hope will only carry you so far.
Effective leadership is not vague. It is practical and connected to a context. You are a leader in a real situation with real people. Theory will not cut it, but we fall back on generalities too often. Churches rely on words that vaguely tell the story of God, but don’t unpack it for their people…don’t connect it to the real world….and don’t wrestle with specific applications.
For some it is because we don’t want to be “legalistic” and tell people what they must do. So, we resist any application and keep it vague so that it will sound good. For others, it is too avoid getting messy with the real world, so we keep the truth at a distance. Whatever the reason, we must realize the vagueness misses the point.
There simply is no passion in vagueness. There is no application in vagueness. And, we lose Jesus in vagueness.
If we are in youth ministry leadership, we are coming alongside real people with real issues who want to find out if a real God is anywhere to be found. A vague idea—even if it has a bible verse attached—is not going to be helpful. Our role is to have core values that we can articulate to young people and their parents. Our role calls us to teach things in ways that people can understand…and that they can apply into their lives.
It is a high calling—and the reason why I write this blog. I want leaders who are passionate about youth ministry, clear about their mission, and strategic about their context. There is much to learn.
Work on clarity so that the right wheels go in the water.
In response to the last two blog entries, have you seen TO SAVE A LIFE yet? I took 21 youth workers to Oakdale last Saturday night. It was a significant time to process the themes together and pray for the Lord's leading in our lives/ministries.
ReplyDeleteI expected the protrayal of hurt in the teen culture, but I was overwhelmed by the hurt in ALL the relationships shown (family, marriage, church, etc). Tiger, do blog on it once you've seen it. Thanks!
Jason,
ReplyDeleteI DID see the movie..and will share some thoughts soon. I don't know if I should send this directly to you--or post here. I am new to this.
Thanks.
Tiger,
ReplyDeleteThanks for all that you are doing and continue to do!
Paul Hadland