Developing Kingdom Leaders – Tom Yeakley

The Launch Determines the Orbit!

When you first arrive at your new ministry location you will be greeted by excited people who welcome you, saying all sorts of nice things.  “We’ve been praying for a disciplemaking ministry here…” or “You are such an answer to prayer…” or “We’ve been telling everyone about you…”  So uplifting! So exciting!

These people mean well and perhaps you are an answer to prayer – someone’s prayer.  And in your zeal to get started quickly with ‘short term wins’ you invite these people into a core group bible study or even begin to meet with them one-to-one.  You assume that God has prepared this ‘fruitful field’ and that these initial contacts are the foundations of many future spiritual generations.  This is a very wrong assumption.

What often occurs is that these people are attracted to the latest new and exciting thing and you are it – for the moment.  But next week or next month there will be another new and exciting thing starting and they will be there to greet them and welcome them like they did for you.  That’s their strength and design.  Nothing is wrong with this, just realize that your foundational ministry people will probably not be the ones who you initially meet. 

Go slow in your commitments to others.  Get to know your new ministry environment.  Seek to know and be known.  Pray and wait for the Lord to confirm who it is that He has chosen for you to build the foundation upon.  And don’t be surprised if it is not the people who you initially connected with when you arrived at your new ministry location.  Don’t build your ministry on those who greet you at the train station! 

You only get one ministry launch!  Make it a good one!