Is there a specific plan that is best for my ministry work and how can I find it?
What is the best plan for me… What do I need to do? That is what many people like to know... if possible a nice and clear well defined out-of-the-box solution, preferably with a 100% guarantee. I would like that, since it is easy to do something specific that works. The trouble is, one size never really fits all. Real life is mostly about ‘being’ and what we do, needs to be an outflow of that. So, if we are abandoned to God, then the outflow will be God’s working in us and through us. When Jesus was ministering on earth, His response in each unique situation was completely in the context of the people He was engaging with. His principles and His goals were the same, but there was no one-size-fits-all solution to reach that goal. For us this is equally true.
When I come in to facilitate a workshop I would like to know as much as possible about the people in the workshop and the people they are serving. Often, I end up knowing little or nothing. So, when I engage in the workshop, I need to know my principles so well that I can adjust the workshops as I learn more once I am with the people. This makes it hard to provide a straight and closely timed program. Normally I state my aim and I proceed at the speed that the group can process, adjusting continually as I go along. People who are used to complete a specific planned program for a workshop or cover a certain amount of materials find this is often to be difficult. Yet, I have learned that if I proceed in a way that is best for a particular group, that the impact will be significantly different. I can proceed at my pre-determined speed, but then likely I will see many precious resources wasted on workshops with a minimal return. I also know that I am not the one who has all the answers, but the people I am serving do have a lot of them… can I be the catalyst to draw out what God wants to draw out and let them engage with Him? Until we learn to do that, there is a tendency to move forward regardless and jeopardize the people to become real owners of any ministry done. We cannot be the experts of their relationships with God.
The best plan for me
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