Key #1 to a Great Preteen Ministry

While at one of my favorite places, Barnes & Noble, I picked up a good book, Good to Great by Jim Collins. In the book he poses the question, “Why do some organizations make the leap from good to great?”. The bigger question is, “How does an organization make the leap?”. The book is the result of 5 years of extensive research in the business world, so it’s backed by research rather than opinion. The most profound quote I came across in the first chapter is:

“We believe that almost any organization can substantially improve its stature and performance, perhaps even become great, if it conscientiously applies the framework of ideas uncovered in this book”
– Good to Great, Jim Collins

Basically, the research uncovered that any organization can go from good to great. The leap is possible for all of us to make. That gives us hope that we can lead great preteen ministries.

Let’s face it that the church is an organization. The church isn’t just the building or organization that it holds. First and foremost, the church is the people. People come first.  But there is an “organizational” side to the church, including the preteen ministry we lead. The church is the “life” that God creates and it is our job as leaders to channel that life in positive direction. The decisions we make can kill that life or cause it to flourish.

As I read the book, the big question that pops into my mind is, “How can our preteen ministries make the leap from great to good?”. And for those launching a preteen ministry, “What can we do to launch a great preteen ministry?” Good questions to ask and explore.

Over the next few blog posts, I am going to share with you what I think makes a great preteen ministry. Yes, the ideas shared will be my opinions. I don’t have five years or a big research team like Jim Collins. But the ideas shared are based on over 13 years of experience and collaboration with other some of the top preteen ministry leaders in the country. Furthermore, a lot of what is shared will challenge you to discover what will make your specific preteen ministry great. Which brings us to the first step.

The first step to make the leap from good to great is: ASK GOD WHAT HE WANTS TO DO. A very simple idea, isn’t it? But how often do we overlook this important step? What God was doing in the first preteen ministry I led was quite different than the second and third. The preteens in each ministry setting were quite different and so were the church cultures. Those three factors make it impossible to take a cookie cutter approach to leadership. We’ve got to spend time in prayer getting God’s vision for our preteen ministries. We might discover we’re a little off track of God’s agenda. If so, we need to make adjustments. We have a limited amount of resources and time in the week to impact the lives of preteens. So, it’s super important to be on track with God’s vision and agenda. Then and only then will your preteen ministry be great.

What’s the next step to make the leap from good to great? The next step might be a surprise and go against commonly accepted thought. Stay tuned for the next post.