Ministry Alignment (Part 2)

(Part I here)  written in January.

Ministry alignment means getting everyone on board with the direction of the church.  But that’s not all.  It means getting everyone in agreement with “how” it’s going to get done.

For example:  Putting together a ministry team is a lot like a group of friends traveling together on a road trip.  Just because everyone shares a love for travel and agrees to the destination, DOES NOT mean they’ll automatically agree on the same route to get there.

On the contrary, if someone doesn’t step forward to clearly lay out the route and a predetermined schedule, the group won’t stay together long.  Someone will opt for the scenic route.  Another will choose the most direct route.  The hard chargers want to gulp down coffee and energy drinks while pushing on through the night.  Others will insist on eight hours of sleep and regular rest stops as the only way to get there safely.

Now, all of these routes and schedules can work.  But if it’s supposed to be a “group trip”, someone has to make sure that everyone knows that on "this trip", we are following "this route" and "this schedule."

In many ways, that’s the role of a church leadership, especially in a church with multiple ministries.  It’s not enough to pull together a team that shares a common theological or philosophical perspective.  You have to also make sure that everyone understands where we’re going, the route we’re taking to get there, and how it’s going to get done.