Momentum: Your best friend or worst enemy
Let's get one thing straight: Sour Patch kids are a top 3 candy. I love the commercials they put out over the years with the concept of "first they are sour, then they are sweet"; with both genius marketing and a sugar addiction... they have my vote for some of the best!
Honestly, this is how I see momentum. It has two sides to it: the sweet side is fun, exciting and you never want it to end! The sour: you literally cannot wait for it to end and it seems to last forever.
What if I told you the sweet side of momentum didn't have to be elusive or an accident? That in fact, you can kill and create momentum? That you do not have to be in slavery to the ups and downs of ministry momentum?
A few years ago, Pastor Joel Stockstill taught me this amazing concept and I cannot wait to share it with you!
The momentum of your ministry can and should be manipulated for multiple reasons:
1. Your leadership team needs to be conditioned!
2. Family schedules are hard to fight!
3. After a break you need a kick start!
* If true and real revival breaks out, put these all go out of the window!
Momentum should be focused around the yearly calendar. Think about it...running a visitor contest on graduation weekend or retreat on Thanksgiving week might get some resistance. Below is a graphic showing how we structure our year for momentum:
High Momentum:
Visitor Contest: Follow this link
Devotional Challenge: We do a 21 day "S.O.A.P." journal with topics we have chosen.
Small group launch: Do a big sign up night at youth and then a big launch/party for each group that week at the location they meet.
Spring retreat: You don't have to have a massive ministry to get away for a few days and really invest life into their spirits. (I'll write another blog on this).
Prayer Nights: We do these once a month all year!
Internships: We have our students do 8 week internships, in which they serve every Sunday and Youth night.
Relevant series: We normally preach on sex, dating, culture or something fun along those lines.
Back to school night: This doesn't have to cost 1 Million dollars... Have some fun games and push your students to bring a friend.
Low Momentum:
Small groups focus on fellowship: Hang outs, play some outdoor sports, etc.
Uproar Conference: Register! It will change your ministry.
Leadership retreat: Gear up and invest into them right before that high momentum kicks in!
When you start to structure your year in this way, it changes everything! You are NO LONGER a slave to momentum! You can kill it and create it! You don't have to endure the sour, you can create the sweet.
