Question #3 - Ministry

I am continuing to answer the questions that Craig Groeschel posed on 10 questions each leader should ask in several different areas of life. I am tackling the questions on ministry first.

Question #3 - What ministry (or program or meeting) has lost its effectiveness and should be stopped?

This is a really tough question because every ministry, program and meeting affect people. We have people who are leading them and we have people who are being served, taught, or ministered to through these activities.

However, it becomes very easy for us to just do things because people want us to do them. Many people over the years have approached our leadership team and told us that we should do "X" ministry. We ask them if they are willing to lead it or to work to make it a reality and most say no. But they are very upset with us when we choose not to do what they think we should do. I know they have the best of intentions, but that particular ministry or activity would not be in line with the direction God is leading Charter Oak Church so we have to say no.

Our leadership team has to make some very difficult decisions, especially when it comes to questions like this one of stopping ministry. Occasionally it is easy to make the decision - the leader can no longer lead or there are no more people showing up. But sometimes we have to make this decision when there is a leader and there are people showing up. We just don't randomly make that decision, we struggle, we pray, we really work hard at getting at the right decision. We honestly seek God's direction and then follow it to the best of our ability.

I hope that you will pray for our leadership team everyday. We are making decisions that affect over 1,000 people in our church and in this region. Pray that God's wisdom and discernment will be upon us. Pray that Satan will not have a place to stand in those decisions and following those decisions. Pray that the people of Charter Oak Church will grow to be more like Jesus through the ministries provided inside and outside the walls of our church.