I’m a collector, of sorts. I collect compasses. It’s not a very big collection. I only have about six of them. And though some of them look pretty nice, none of them are expensive. But I do like compasses. I have a couple sitting on my desk at the office. I have one on my desk at home. I have others sitting at various spots throughout the house.

A compass is different from a clock or a calendar. Clocks and calendars are about time. A compass is all about direction. It is not about where you are at this moment in time, but about the direction in which you are heading. It helps to answer the questions, “Am I going in the direction I want to be going? Will this path get me to the place you want to be?”

I need that reminder. In a world ruled by full inboxes, crowded calendars, and over-flowing “to-do” lists, it is easy to lose sight of where you want to be and wander from the direction that will get you there.

I need this personally. I need times of personal evaluation, to check the compass, and make sure that my life is heading in a direction that I desire. Am I walking on the path to which God has called me? Am I becoming more Christ-like in my attitudes and words and relationships and actions? Am I becoming a better husband and father? Am I becoming a better leader? Am I giving the needed priority to my own spiritual health – to the spiritual disciplines and spiritual relationships that will sharpen and form me? Or am I letting the demands of the clock and the calendar push me off of the path that I want to travel? This is the reason that we start every staff meeting by checking in with each other and asking such questions as: “What has God been teaching you? Where have you seen the Holy Spirit at work? What is exciting you about your ministry? Where are you struggling?”

I also need a compass as a ministry leader. The longer I am in campus ministry, the more convinced I am that destination and direction are vital. One reason is that they can keep us from the comparison game: Is my ministry as big or as cool as another? Many of us will never have large ministries with hundreds of people in attendance. But effectiveness in ministry isn’t always determined by numbers. Though healthy ministries usually grow, there are many factors that influence the size of a ministry. A clear sense of destination and direction will help us focus on that to which God has called us.

Destination and direction are also more important than what is happening at any given time or in any specific year. If you have been in ministry very long at all, you have experienced the cyclical nature of the work. Some years you grow and some years you don’t. Some years your leaders step up and do a great job and some years they get distracted or lazy. Some years you baptize people by the dozens and some years it seems that all the students you share the Gospel with, have hearts of stone. Some years you will feel like you have this whole thing figured out and you should write a book about how to really do campus ministry. Some years you write about a half-dozen different letters of resignation. But if I am more about destination and direction rather than the success or failure of the moment, I am better able to navigate the roller-coaster of ministry. I will be able to say “no” to the temptation to re-invent the wheel every year, trying to find the right formula. I will be able to express a clear and compelling vision of the purpose, strategy, and progress of our ministry. And that vision will help me communicate to staff, students, supporters, and potential supporters the end goal and how we are going to get there.

So set your path toward God’s vision and purpose for your life and your ministry. Keep moving in that direction. And maybe put a compass on your desk.

[ THE ART OF SELF-LEADERSHIP HOMEPAGE ]