Pushing.

Sometimes people and organisations need a good push. Or better than a push, they need achievable goals and a clear discernable direction and the motivation to move beyond the static confines of the self, into the cohesive nature of the group.

Seeing the rise and fall (and attendant success and failures) of numerous ministry-based enterprises, it is easy to see that every ministry requires a few prerequisites with which to thrive:

1. Clear goals and objectives
2. Willingness to work for those goals and objectives
3. Cohesion and group ethic
4. Dedicated and strong leadership
5. God-focus

I’ve always been of the opinion that better to have a group of five dedicated souls who want to make things happen, than to have 15 souls who can’t be stuffed and are along for the ride. While socialising is an important element in ministry, the ministry has to be focused on God. To be grounded in God and faith. Once that is achieved, the rest will naturally follow.

In all honesty, I simply am unable to see the current campus ministry surviving beyond it’s current incarnation; or even growing, or progressing, let alone thriving. Not without serious intervention and change. Part of me wants to stay and help them through this period, part of me wishes to let things crumble somewhat and hopefully someone else will recognise the problem and make concrete steps to rectify the problems.

A coasting ministry, or community, or whatever, is simply not an entity that grows, nor can it serve it’s members efficaciously.

Prior experience dictates that it will probably require a profound change in mindset, and approximately a year and a half to turn around to the point where things can begin to thrive. To that end, every resource that can be utilised is absolutely essential. Every person who is committed to making a change occur is an invaluable asset.

Of course, is change required? Any group which claims religious overtones is obligated to provide, at least to some extent, for the spiritual needs of the persons within that group. Barring that, such a group would simply have no discernable purpose. The question being, is that simply enough? I believe it isn’t. Hence change is necessary.

I would like to commit for the long haul, because the community deserves nothing less, the people in that community deserve nothing less, and God deserves nothing less. The going may be hard, and things may not turn out the way I want them to turn out, but a strong God-centred community is what I intend to leave behind. Better to have left a better place than when I found it.