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Posted March 24th, 2006 by xaglen
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Convictions About Ministry

I have a few convictions about ministry:

  1. ministry is complex, and so
  2. we regularly face unfamiliar problems which we’re not smart or experienced enough to solve,
  3. yet rarely do we face a problem that no one else has ever solved.

Therefore I’m a firm believer in gleaning ideas from wherever I can. That’s a pretty Biblical perspective, by the way:

Intelligent people are always open to new ideas.
In fact, they look for them.
Proverbs 18:15, NLT

An intelligent person is always eager to take in more truth;
fools feed on fast-food fads and fancies.
Proverbs 15:14, The Message

The more wise counsel you follow,
the better your chances.
Proverbs 11:14b, The Message

How We Develop Expertise

According to a wide-ranging body of research, it takes about 10 years of deliberate practice to truly develop expertise in an area. The key phrase in that sentence is deliberate practice. People who become experts do so intentionally--they create their own learning plan and follow it. This generally includes

  • disciplined reading (in addition to spontaneous reading)
  • experimenting with different ministry styles
  • surrounding oneself with learning peers
  • formal education (via seminary, conferences, or at the college you minister to)

The Role of Experience

Experience alone does not bring wisdom! Haven't you ever done the same dumb thing over and over?

Reflected-on experience is the key. To learn from our experiences we have to reflect on them. This happens different ways for different people:

  • Some people write it (either through journaling or through writing books and articles)
  • Some people talk about it (with learning peers)
  • Some people just think about it (but this is less effective)
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