ARE WE A PEOPLE AT HALF TIME? - Leadership Network

Personal thoughts from Doug Pagitt, Manager of the Young Leader Networks.
TOGETHER … We vs. Me
is better any day.
While it is always easier to describe the past than to
predict the future, let me suggest how we may need to
do ministry in the transitional world of the future.
Together.
People easily talk about working together and doing
ministry in “community.” However, it often takes
more work and patience than they realize. Here
are six suggestions for ministering together.
WE MUST KNOW WE NEED IT
If we are going to do ministry together, we
need to believe in the very depths of our
souls that working together is a necessity.
This is not some new-Millennium-feel-good
notion, but rather, a reality of the world in
which we live.There is no way any one of
us is going to discover “The Code” and
create “The Model” for the rest of us.We
are in a much better place if we decide to
learn from, and build on, one another at
every turn and step along the way.
BE WILLING TO DO THE
HARD WORK
We are all busy.We are tempted to not do
things that seem good - that don’t give
immediate results. But let’s be sure to take
the long, holistic — and might I say —
Christian view.Work together even when
it means moving a bit slower and less
effectively. In the long run, what we do
together produces a richer tapestry and
result than what is produced individually.
What we are able to accomplish together
will shine brighter than the few “urgent”
things we didn’t get done on our own.
WE NEED TO KNOW AND
LOVE EACH OTHER
Let’s be committed to our fellow ministers
and not just to what we can learn from
them. In my nearly two years with
Leadership Network I have often been
asked what I have learned and the innovations
I have seen around the country. I
have seen effective ministries nationally.Yet
the best thing I have discovered is the people
doing ministry. People are our best
commodity.They are much more important
than the ministry they produce. Let’s
believe in, invest in, bless and love our ministry
partners.
DO IT LOCALLY
As I have interacted with ministries across
the country, I have been continually surprised
(even though I shouldn’t be any
more) and saddened by how often people,
doing very similar ministry in the same or
neighboring communities, don’t even know
one another.There are organizations, like
Leadership Network, that strive to bring
people together. But, let’s take it upon ourselves
to know, encourage and support the
Body of Christ in our local areas. Allow
other organizations to support what is
already going on. Carve out time and pay
attention to those around you. Invest in
the people who are ministering in your
local area.
DO IT GLOBALLY
Perhaps the great stories of what God did
in the late 20th and early 21st centuries
will not so much emphasize the U.S. or
Western world, but will focus on the
developing nations and the many martyrs
around the globe who have given so much
0
9
for their faith. Let us allow our “togetherness”
to include these heroes through
prayer, personal visits and financial support,
including them in all the areas where ministry
is taking place.
DO IT HISTORICALLY
Let’s take encouragement from the words
of the Apostle Paul in the book of
Hebrews. Be supported by those who have
gone before us.Who “surround” us. Let’s
learn from the ministries of our predecessors.
Let’s remember that we are examples
and encouragers for generations of leaders
who will follow.Take the long view.
Consider the right thing, in the perspective
of those who will minister in the context
we create.They will be best served by the
great things we do together, rather than
the few things we accomplish on our own.
Like many of you, I am excited for
ministry in this emerging world.And
for me, the thought of going together,
hand in hand, shoulder to shoulder—into
the scary, opportunityfilled
future—is not only exciting, but
the only way to go.
For two years, Doug Pagitt has led the Young
Leader Networks. He is leaving June 15 to begin
Solomon’s Porch, a new church in Minneapolis.
You may contact him thru their website:
www.solomonsporch.com
www.youngleader.org
www.leadnet.org