PP 90 : Creating Focus
How do we find and function as ministry leaders?
Over the last few months, this has dived as deep as my personal prayer life and approach to what ministry looks like in this current season. Let’s break down why we might struggle with focus, and apply 3 concepts towards focus.
Why do we struggle with focus? One of the first places my mind goes to is understanding the sin of Acedia. It’s an ancient concept that encapsulates boredom and procrastination. It is functioning with a lack of focus. If you struggle with focus, I encourage you to spend some time prayerfully understanding your soul, as well as the mental and emotional side of it.
3 Concepts to Gain Ministry Focus.
Declare Focus
Declaring focus isn’t simply shouting “I have focus” (insert .gif of Michael Scott saying “I declare bankruptcy”)
It is undertaking a path of discernment to understand why focus is lacking, and how we stay in the proactive/responsive domain.
I like 2 different questions as I am filtering through ideas and projects.
What will this change?
Why does it matter?
Both of those will be important as you work on understanding a preferred future.
Limit Your Focus
You can’t do everything. Just understanding this idea will help you get over many ministry walls.
I’ve found it difficult to have more than 1-2 focuses for a season.
In ministry, we have a couple of non-negotiables. Regardless of the size of your ministry work, two things must keep priority above anything else.
Your teaching ministry.
Relationships.
Those two categories begin creating your foundation. After those, you then begin breaking down whatever emphases you need to have for the current season. Check out the Becoming Productive course to understand how to segment your year down to your days. It is a great way to create your approach to ministry productivity.
Schedule Repeatable Actions
Creating a preferred future is often making decisions towards the habits leading to the future as a natural outcome. Break down your focus into manageable, daily tasks that help you do just that.