One of my tasks at this time is beginning to assist our ministry leaders identify clearly their roles and goals for next year (you can see mine in the annual report when it comes out in a couple of weeks!). One of the easiest things in the world is to take on too much, or to forget why we are doing what we are doing, and what we are aiming for, or to simply do what we did the year before without evaluating and setting fresh goals.
I have been learning lately that it is helpful to spell it out. It is like with journaling, when you write something down it somehow takes a clearer shape than simply having a range of ideas circulating in your head.
A great biblical example of this is Nehemiah. Remember how he was serving the king in Babylon during the time of Israelite exile. He hears reports of Jerusalem being decimated, the walls crumbled down, and the temple destroyed. As a result of this “for some days I mourned and fasted and prayed before the God of heaven” (1:4).
The moving and stirring in Nehemiah’s heart formed the call of God. Nehemiah then steps out in faith, requesting permission to return to his homeland and restore the walls of Jerusalem. The rest of the book of Nehemiah outlines how he went about this, how he inspired others to join him, how he faced concerted opposition yet persevered, how he built teams of people to work on the wall, how he multi-tasked in leading, managing and encouraging, and keeping focused on the goal, how he depended upon God every step of the way, and how he finally succeeded.
Following this there is great celebration as Ezra reads from the book of the Law, the people celebrate and worship, and there is common feasting, with Nehemiah instructing, “Go and enjoy choice food and sweet drinks, and send some to those who have nothing prepared. This day is holy to our Lord. Do not grieve, for the joy of the Lord is your strength” (Neh 8:10).
Nehemiah is a wonderful mentor for us.
What is it that is stirring your heart today? What are the ‘broken walls’ you see around you that God wants to repair through your efforts? What could you do? Who could you do it with? Where might you begin? Who could help you to discern the right steps to take?
It is my desire is to help develop a church structure which both facilitates and supports those calls and builds them into a unified whole as part of the whole mission of our church. May God help us all to clarify our roles and goals, that we can love and serve Him with all our hearts in days to come.