Back to the Battle Plan
If you’re in ministry, you likely went into last weekend with a strategy of some sort. Whether you were unveiling a new initiative, assembling a new volunteer team, or preparing for an influx of new guests, you prayed, planned, and processed through every scenario, every variable, and every win.
And then…it all crashed and burned.
Things didn’t go quite according to plan. Volunteers didn’t show up. Enthusiasm was lacking. Someone forgot or ignored their role. And maybe…just maybe…you’re sitting in a coffee shop this morning trying to decide whether to laugh or cry or draft a resignation letter and go sell insurance.
But before you hit “send” on that email to your chairman of deacons, let me offer a small bit of encouragement: don’t quit your plan. The German military strategist Helmuth von Moltke famously said, “No battle plan survives contact with the enemy.” Now while I’m being very careful not to call any person or ministry in your church the enemy, it can certainly feel that way on Monday morning.
Don’t give up. Pull out the plan and take another look. What actually worked? What can use some tweaking? What needs to be rejected? Where can you pursue additional buy in? I’d wager that your plan wasn’t bad, maybe it just wasn’t ready. Maybe this weekend was the dry run and next time around is when it begins to take shape. So take it back to the drawing board. Pray and process some more. Seek trusted counsel. View it with a fresh set of eyes.
Get back into the battle. It’s not over, and you’re not finished.
