As part of our regular Diocesan Youth Worker Forums, we welcomed Bishop David Hawkins, BIshop of Barking and Lead Bishop on Youth to address us on this topic in May.
I offer you below an amalgamation of my notes and my esteemed colleague, Mark Lake's notes. Hope this gets you thinking:
1. Know you are loved by God - means you are prepared to take risks.
2. Know ur loved by someone else - deeply and respectfully. Not a yes man but a critical friend. We are never called to do ministry solo.
3. Have BIG VISION with a big capacity for disappointment. If we believe who God is, then we must have huge vision. Church is too ready to settle for smaller and smaller visions. We must have the capacity to hand things back to God even if it doesn't work out. We can't possess the vision - it is always God's in us.
4. The BIG 'YES' - be able 2 say NO! - make sure u prioritise and what u say Yes to fits your vision nd beliefs. Not focusing on what I should say NO to, but what I SHOULD say YES to.
Basis for this in Luke 4 - Jesus reading Isaiah in the synangogue:
Share the gospel
Care for the community
Renew the Church
What is the main focus of my ministry at the present time?
5. 'Be a Calvinist on your knees and an Armenian on your feet' - all about grace and God and all about me to work hard for God.
6. From good to great - in a recent survey, humility was top quality for CEO's of top companies. Praise others when things going well, when not going well, took responsibility themselves.
7. Problems are opportunities! Transforms how u tackle situations. Don't say can't! Build a 'Can Do' climate. We have Good News! To think this way is a discipline, takes practice. If we are in the Redemption/Hope business, how can we say CAN'T?
8. Be able 2 say 'thank you' and 'I'm sorry' and be able 2 live it!
9. Have a passion outside your ministry / job. Something that takes u outside yourself so that u can find yourself. definition of the word Eccentric
10. Don't take yourself too seriously, but take God and your job / ministry, (and everything) else very seriously.
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