How to Oil the 2 Gears of Ministry

When you look under the hood of ministry you find two gears: strategy and message. Moving forward in ministry requires that you strengthen your strategy and clarify your message. You have to be effective in the way you do ministry and you have to bring a clear message that moves people forward toward relationship with their Father God through Jesus. Are your gears rusty?

Both gears must work together to keep your ministry engine running. If the strategy gear is the only one turning you can get a big crowd and never impact a life. If the message gear is the only one working you will have a life-changing message that will fail to connect with people. Your message will seem irrelevant even though it might be entirely valid.

Ministry leadership requires that we pop the hood and take a fresh, honest look at both gears. Here are few questions you can ask yourself and your ministry team that might oil the gears:

STRATEGY

1. Are we connecting with real life struggles?
2. Are we involving people?
3. Are we using language people can understand easily?
4. Are we culturally up-to-date?
5. Are we providing simple steps for people to move forward spiritually?

MESSAGE

1. Are we helping people see Jesus as God’s Son who loves them unconditionally?
2. Are we making it clear that faith in Jesus brings wholeness?
3. Are we making it clear that it is not about what we do for God but about what God has done for us?
4. Are we helping people to listen to God’s Spirit in us?

This is not an exhaustive list but it might help free up a stuck ministry gear.