It’s been a minute. Given the state of the world over the last year and a half, most of us have likely gotten out of the habit of flying. In fact, I’m experiencing this lack of familiarity right now, as I sit on a plane smelling the collective scent of alcohol swabs and listening to a toddler cry during takeoff. The truth is, we’re all a little bit like that toddler these days - feeling out of rhythm and wondering how and where to begin again.
As I’ve worked with Area Directors and Regional Directors over the past year, I’ve heard countless stories of innovation and creative pivots. And the collective resilience we’ve shown as a mission is a beautiful, courageous thing. But I need to be real with you and tell you that I’ve also heard a lot of this…
“11 volunteer leaders quit over the summer.”
“My committee doesn’t exist anymore.”
“I have a camp trip coming up and have two entire cabins without leaders.”
Stop. Take a deep breath. Acknowledge the loss. Physically, emotionally, and spiritually.
We are known for being the ministry that “does relationships well,” which means that we have much to lose when we lose people. As staff and committee people, we are pouring out all of our resources to build mission communities, to enable people to live in their unique and gifted callings while sharing the gospel with lost kids. We count it an immeasurable joy to get to do this together, while knowing that it involves great sacrifice. So when we lose teammates, it’s painful. And we’ve lost many of them.
So here we are, starting another school year, trying to figure out how to have more impactful ministry as this worldwide pandemic rages on. And if I’m being honest, my guess is that many of us aren’t ready to find new people to replace the partners in ministry who aren’t in our team meetings. We miss them. We are grieving the loss. We are tired. We are feeling out of rhythm and are wondering how and where to begin.
Hear me say this - I’m no expert here. There have been times in my ministry career where I’ve had rich, diverse adult mission communities, and times where I wondered where did all the good people go? But in those celebrations and struggles, I’ve learned that bringing adults into the fold of your mission community is a lot like boarding a plane…
Steps of Boarding a Plane…
Buy ticket. Wait. Pack. Wait. Check-in. Wait. Travel to the airport. Wait. Check luggage. Wait. Security. Wait. Board plane. Wait. Take-off. Wait. Arrive. Wait.
What do you notice there? It’s an awful lot of waiting, right? Littered throughout crucial action steps. And my guess is that most of us capitalize on all of that waiting - we bring devices to do good work, books we haven’t gotten to read, make phone calls to catch up as we wait and wait and wait. Some might say that the work we do while waiting is as important, if not more important than the flying itself. Sure, getting to your destination is the end goal, but the waiting isn’t simply a means to get there, it becomes something in and of itself.
What if we thought of building Adult Mission Communities like boarding a plane? Maybe the first steps would look something like this…
Canvas area needs. Pray. Establish a Prayer team. Pray. Host Friendraisers. Pray. Visit local churches. Pray. Check Alumni & Friends data. Pray. Host a parents meeting. Pray. Meet with local church staff. Pray. Cast vision with local Fellows programs. Pray. Plan an adult guest trip to camp. Pray. Invite friends to join you at the high school basketball game. Pray. Host a Bible Study about giving your life away. Pray…
What do you notice there? It’s an awful lot of praying, right? But instead of it being littered throughout crucial action steps, I’d argue that it’s always the most crucial action step. And that while all of the other ideas are useful, they are only maximized when supported and surrounded by prayer. The praying is as important, if not more important than the collective pursuit itself.
Praying reminds us that the God of the universe is calling human souls, with all of their love and joy and talents and compassion and sin and hurt and need and baggage, to share in this mission of living out the Good News, shoulder to shoulder, so that adolescents might catch a glimpse of who Jesus is. That the God of the universe wants every adult who we serve with to grow in deeper intimacy with Him, to know Him more as Comforter, Creator, and King. That the God of the universe would use teams of broken, imperfect people to share the arrival of His whole and perfect Son.
I don’t want you to miss the value of what it means to invite an adult to partner with you in this mission. That invitation is their ticket to a destination most of them have no concept of, while also experiencing a deep, deep longing for - true mission community. That existence that you often have to experience to understand or believe, where you grow in depth of relationship because of what God is doing in and through all of you, through your willingness to serve kids. And while it can be a long, tedious, wait-filled journey, with much sacrifice on your part, it’s always worth it.
Kristy Clifford kclifford@sc.younglife.org