Who & What Do You Overlook?

Image by Chad Goldman Photography

The above image sticks out. Why? Because it is unusual, humorous and eye catching. What gets overlooked? The everyday, ordinary and mundane things.

Who gets overlooked in your ministry?

Who gets your attention? Is it the outgoing students who like to be the center of attention? Or maybe the newcomer who is visiting for the first time. You often focus your attention on the students that stick out, in some way or another. As a result,  you may overlook the everyday, average preteens in the group. The ones who regularly attend, but don’t stand out. Maybe you didn’t realize that Austin is being bullied at school. He didn’t show any behavior differences, but then again you didn’t ask how he was doing. One of the best ways to notice the mundane is to ask for what God is doing. Before and during your gatherings, ask God to show you who needs your attention. Ask for his leading.

What gets overlooked in your ministry?

What tasks get most of your attention? Are they high impact tasks or do they simply consume much of your time and energy but aren’t very effective? What programs are you overseeing that really need to be killed? What problems have you been avoiding that needs to be addressed? When you are focused on everyday tasks, you can overlook important stuff. Every once in awhile take a step back, look at the big picture and analyze your ministry. Identify and focus on what you’ve been overlooking.

What gets overlooked in your life?

How is your marriage? Spending enough time with your own kids? Do you allow space in your personal life for reflection, prayer, exercise and downtime? Do you have a social life outside of work and family? Church culture places a high value on productivity…getting things done. As a result we often overlook our own personal lives. We overlook important things like: family, fitness, relationships, etc. What are you overlooking at the moment?