Cleaning out the Ministry Closets
I am not an OCD person, but I do not like clutter. I don’t mind piles and stacks, as long as they are neat and not in my way. BUT, eventually they get on my nerves and I need them gone. NOW! Then, I have to stop what I NEED to be doing to deal with them. As I am rifling through the stack, the majority of it gets thrown away, and I ask myself, ‘why did I save that in the first place?’.
When we allow the piles around us to grow, they get on our nerves, but they also block our vision, they dull our senses and we often just adjust or accept them.
Have you de-cluttered your church lately?
What ministry, ongoing project, system, tradition, leader… is cluttering your ability to accomplish your purpose? If you let these things continue to pile up they will (if they haven’t already) become the focal point of your church. They might not be wrong, but they also might not be right. They can be a
distraction, a frustration, a trap.
Each church has it’s special calling and vision, but The Church has an underlying focus:
- Location – Acts 1:8
- Vocation – Ephesians 4:11-12
- Maturation – Hebrews 5:11-4
- Devotion – Acts 2:42
In my effort to stay de-cluttered I try and implement some rules to prevent clutter or too much unneeded stuff.
- When I get a new piece of clothing, I get rid of one that I do not use or need anymore.
- When we pack for a trip, I deep clean and de-clutter the closet.
- When my husband is gone I throw away his stuff (haha)
Is it time to de-clutter?
Take some time to ask God what, if anything, needs de-cluttering around your church. Are you staying in tune with God’s leading and God’s purpose for your church, or have you fallen pray to the clutter of programs, good ideas and we need to do something’s? Do your current ministries line up with the vision of The Church or do they need to be dusted off, and realigned, or even thrown out?
Having clear, direct lines to our mandate and vision help prevent clutter, keep us in line and give an easy answer to the people who bring those amazing ‘great ideas’ to the table. Don’t worry about if it ‘includes’ everyone, will be attractive, or able to do in 1 hour and 15 minutes.
When those piles are gone, I am unstoppable!!! Well, maybe not, but I feel like it. I can get back to what I need to be doing, I don’t have to worry about dealing with them, and they don’t prevent me from utilizing all the extra space on the things that really matter.
Stefanie Nicholson
Founder & Team Lead
P.S. If your church would like to talk about the DNA and mission structure of your church, reach out to our team for a call or visit today. Our DNA Matrix Tool is an easy to use guide to help you de-clutter and get inline! [email protected]
