Much has changed since I planted my first church 16 years ago. We are living in more of a post-Christian culture than ever before. We are in a post-COVID world as well, which has changed how individuals, businesses, institutions, and even churches operate in some practices. And our country has become increasingly polarized. Though much has changed, some tried and true principles continue to transcend time. As I have coached hundreds of leaders starting new ministries and initiatives over the years, there are some glaring and recurring mistakes:
Launching Prematurely
The leader has kept the vision from germinating and spreading to others. They need to have articulated the vision and considered all the factors involved in starting something new. Instead of ensuring everyone is behind something, starting it, and having critical mass, they move forward with little support or prematurely on the journey. There needs to be a build-up and more communication. It involves doing the hard work of sharing the old-fashioned way, which is still effective, by word of mouth. My co-pastor, Rev. Wayne Botkin, and I call this the “Ground Attack,” and then their “Air Attack” is all the other digital and print platforms that are sharing about the new work.
Delaying the Start
If you are a perfectionist and/or a procrastinator, more plans need to be made, more things could go wrong, and there are a whole host of other issues. We want to ensure everything is right and perfect, but that is never the case. Momentum is hard to gain and can be easily lost, especially if you continue to tell your team the start line is being pushed back. Many new ministries never get off the ground because the idea only stays an idea; it is talked to death but never operationalized with a plan and the courage to take the next step.
Neglecting the Importance of Prayer
Prayer is not an additive to our ministry but should flow throughout, though it will look different in every season. When teaching courses or talking with leaders about their new ministries, I first ask them about their prayer strategy. More often than not, they lack one. They have picked a name, set a budget, and created a short-term strategic plan but forgotten prayer. The power of prayer is not reserved for a select few Christian traditions or denominations; it is for everyone. We either believe in prayer’s real influence or we do not. Prayer creates a necessary pause before we make decisions during the start-up phase or at a critical juncture.
Centralizing All Responsibility
A person can have the most incredible innovative and entrepreneurial idea, but if they lack a team to help implement it, it will die. The danger for any visionary is to become their ministry’s bottleneck. Either they don’t have a team, or they have a team in name only, but which has no responsibilities. Instead of being open-handed and equipping folks to do the work, the leader makes every decision and tries to control outcomes. This structure mirrors the 1950s church model, with paid religious professionals performing all the ministerial duties instead of distributing them.
Lack of Adaptability
Most ministry leaders want to follow their original plan as closely as possible, though unforeseen circumstances arise. They are on a journey, following their navigational system, but instead of taking detours or alternative routes to avoid congested traffic or road work, they stay the course, which is a mistake in the long run. Rarely have I created a ministry plan that has gone exactly as I had intended. There are variables we cannot control. Failure to adapt will get us stuck in never-ending traffic.
I have made many more mistakes when starting something new or seeing others make mistakes. It is critical to remember to be open-handed with this new endeavor before God, take it, and shape it as God sees fit. You can follow all the best practices and ministry books (there are some helpful ones out there), but if you lack humility, you may convince yourself that you are right, but there will be no one else around you. Reach outside of yourself. Find someone doing something similar to what God has called you to do, meet them for coffee, have a Zoom call, and listen and learn from them.
Feeling called to start a new ministry? Interested in hearing more from Roz? Check out his Faith+Lead Academy Course, Money and Logistics for Starting a New Ministry!
