It’s winter… so this is a metaphor that anyone can understand.
At Romeo, our tires are getting traction. As I reflect back on the last few years of ministry (my primary work) I can’t help but see where we’ve come and where we are headed.
In the last 3 years, major things have happened. The obvious is that we’ve gutted our building and completely remodeled. To compare the physical building to Winter 2005, there is an amazing difference.
The next most obvious thing is that we completely rebuilt the structure of how the church operates. The way we run ministries has changed. The way we lead ministries has changed. The actual way we minister has changed. The worship service has changed.
The next most obvious thing is that the boards have changed how they operate. When I first got here there were boards that operated completely independently from one another. Today, there is communication between boards as well as with the staff.
The next most obvious thing that has changed is the paid leadership. We are entering our 4th year with this current pastoral staff. The people are getting more comfortable with what we are doing and we are getting more comfortable with the people. This is normal and good.
What are the results? The results is that our ministry is getting more effective. With all of the change behind us we have turned things around. Instead of holding onto the past we are leaning into the future.
This is the ministry dip. The diagram here represents quite well what we’ve been through. The red line represents a combined effort + success quotient. To experience this chart you need to think about a bike ride. Starting at the left… We had some initial success that made us hopeful, when all of this started it seemed pretty easy. We had good buy in, people we excited, we gained some downhill momentum. We had a tap to our toes.
Then the climb began. At first, our momentum carried us up the hill. But just like when you are climbing a hill on your bike there is that moment when the gears start to engage and your momentum from the hill is lost. Together, we began peddling hard as we did the things I outlined above. We worked together and it was a lot of sweat, blood, and tears.
As the climb continued, people started to drop out. I don’t mean this just physically… but in the hill climb of trying to get these things done some people gave up. It was simply too much effort for the amount of work they were willing to put into it. For every person who couldn’t or wouldn’t carry their part of the shared load the burden has gotten more intense. The next pedal push has gotten harder.
If you’ve ever climbed a hill with your bike, you can put yourself halfway up the hill. When I climb a hill there is a moment of decision. This moment of decision is the “do I torture my body or do I just give up, lay down and die.” Admit it… when you climb hills in your life you have to make that decision. The crest of the hill seems unreachable and just falling over to quietly die by the side of the road begins to sound appealing. This is where we were last summer. As we pushed on, as some of our team decided the hill was too much, I was left with a decision to make. Do I lean into this hill and finish the job or do I get off the bike lay down on the side of the road and die?
Where are we at today? You tell me! With all of our new things starting to go well, I feel like we are at that point where we can see the crest of this hill. MarriedLife is going well, MainStreet is going well, Light Force is embracing its changes, our worship services feel great, on and on. I can tell you where I am at… I feel like I’m getting sight of the crest of the hill. I feel like instead of quitting, dealing with the reality that this hill was too much for me… instead of doing the logical thing I leaned into the hill. I feel like all of the good things that are happening are giving me some momentum . My legs are tired. My lungs are burning. I have no idea how I’ve been able to get so close the top. It’s been a ton of work to get here… but the crest is just ahead and the work looks like its paying off. Stopping to take a breath or laying down to die doesn’t appeal to me as I know I can push through.
Pause.
This is traction. This is realizing that you are going to get moving. This is realizing that there are indeed easier times ahead. This is pushing through the last few hundred yards of the hill as spirit’s rise, lungs ache, muscles quiver, and the the realization that the goal is attainable sets in.
We’re getting there. The body is together. We are more healthy than ever. And when we get to the next dip, it’s going to be great as we raise our hands to Him in praise and adoration of His faithfulness to us and enjoy the ride!
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