By now, many of us are full-on into a new term of ministry with students.
Whether we’ve been at it for 2 weeks or 4 weeks, or somewhere in between, we’ve likely been going at it hard — recognizing that the first few weeks of the new academic year are critical for connecting with new students. Our desire, as always, is to have the best start ever!
But if we’re not careful, we could quickly find ourselves hitting a wall of sorts.
Yes, the beginning of a new academic year does require a lot from us — in fact, many of us would agree that it’s the busiest time of the year, but it’s also the beginning.
Just the beginning.
I used to run marathons (in my life before kids). And the longer I ran, the more I realized that starting well was significant — not because I was trying to jump out in front of everyone, but because I knew the kind of pace I set for myself at the start of the race would likely dictate how the rest of the race would go.
I had to think with the middle and end in mind.
I had to understand where the aid stations would fall on the course — and plan accordingly.
I had to recognize that if I wanted to finish the race — let alone race well — that I would have to be calculated in my approach to all 26.2 miles.
Some races definitely went better than others.
When it comes to ministry, most of us set a ridiculous pace for ourselves — and our ministry team — at the beginning of every fall.
We start as if we’re in a sprint race.
But we’re not.
We’re in a marathon.
An 8 or 9 month-long race that necessitates that we think long and hard about the pace we are setting for ourselves — and others. We should also strive to be an example to those around us of what it looks like to live life at a more sane and sustainable pace.
We need to be wise and calculated in our approach to ministry this year.
We need to set a winning pace.
We need to encourage the leaders around us to do the same.
And we need to model to a 4G culture the need to consider a slower — more sustainable — pace to life.
What do you think?
- How’s your pace so far this fall?
- What changes might you need to make — today?
- How can you assist other leaders to consider a more intentional, sustainable approach to ministry this year?
5 thoughts on “Finding A Sustainable Pace”
I’ve often described campus ministry as more like a downhill slalom than a marathon. In campus ministry and a downhill slalom, the energy output and activity is never greater than at the very beginning because it determines the momentum for the rest of the time.
Of course this means that we get to a point after a few weeks where we need to stop trying to frantically add momentum and ride the momentum we have already built up, but I think the idea of saving energy for later in the race is misguided thinking at the beginning of the campus year. Far better is to remind ourselves that this pace is not meant to be sustainable throughout the whole year, but only at the beginning.
Karl, I like your analogy… especially as it relates to so much energy output at the beginning (something the marathon analogy lacks). However, I don’t like the idea of “riding the momentum” that has been built up. That seems to put too much emphasis on the first few weeks and seems to suggest that little, if anything, can be changed after that you move beyond the early stages of the new year.
Don’t get me wrong — I think the first few weeks are critical — but they can’t be understood as everything! If we’re in this field long enough we are bound to have some less-than-successful starts!
And although it can seem difficult, I think there are ways to “recover” after a tough start, as well as introduce change and/or new initiatives after the first month of the new year.
What do you think?
Hi Guy,
I agree that there are times when you may want to introduce new things after the beginning of the year, and that there are ways to recover after a tough start, but to do that will require extra energy, and this is where you need to think strategically about what is best to do. Sometimes you will need to realise that a particular year is not going to be a bumper crop, but to focus on the good fruit you do have, and prepare for the next year instead of flogging yourself and your team right through the year. And I think this lesson is very closely related to the point of your initial post – that you have to manage your energy and output levels if you’re going to stay in the game long-term.
Karl, agreed! Where are you at? How long have you been working with college students? Thanks for sharing your thoughts and wisdom!
I’m in Hong Kong. I’ve been serving with Campus Crusade for Christ for 15 years. Ten years on various campuses around New Zealand, and five years here in Hong Kong. I don’t have as much of a front-line role now – more focussed on resourcing our campus ministries.
It’s a pleasure to converse with you. I enjoy regular reading your offerings of wisdom.
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