I write this note while travelling from our home in North Carolina to Pennsylvania for the Christmas holiday. The joy and peace of the holiday season is upon us as my family and I head back to my hometown.
As the New Year begins, that sense of peace often turns to expectation and wonder of what the future may bring. We start to put in place our plans for new ideas, new initiatives and new goals with the hopes and dreams of improving our lives and our work situation. But how often do we take stock of our ministry-whether it be our personal witness or the ministry of our technical team?
Marty O'Connor, a technology consultant and former church technical director, relays a powerful story about a change in his approach to media ministry in this issue's Back Talk column. O'Connor says he felt the Lord ask him one simple question about how he was leading and influencing those on his team. He says in his column that media ministry is not about "having bigger programs, more gear, more influence or better systems." Being in media ministry is about people.
Often we innately know when the production aspects of our services go off without a hitch, when the transitions are flawless, when the execution is "as planned." But at what cost? Does the team feel like a team for everyone involved? If you don't know, ask them. Is there an effort to share the workload? Not sure? Deal with the subject openly. Are the relationships on the team based around the technical execution, or are the bonds growing and reaching across job descriptions into the meaningful realm of helping each other become fully developed followers of Christ?
The New Year is upon us. Now is the time to evaluate your mission and establish new goals and priorities. As O'Connor relays in our Back Talk column, "I pray you will be challenged to lead your teams in a way that after your influence and care is finished, they will look more like Jesus, not less."
