I'm Not Supported - 3/3

Who's seeing your vision? Who's hearing your complaints? When do you meet with your line manager?  If your immediate response to these questions is 'Help!' then there are probably some serious management issues. I think feeling unsupported is the single most common reason for people in ministry to feel shot down. Apparently the average tenure for a youth worker to remain in post is 18 months. We've got to ask why that is?

When our voice isn't heard and when we're not listened to, we go into a period of trying to do it all alone, often neglecting our own relationship and walk with Jesus. It doesn't work. In Titus 2, Paul encourages older men and women to be role models and mentors to younger people. Is this modeled in your ministry? Is this being modeled with you?

Communication is a key factor to having an effective ministry. I've always said that team needs to model first what a team wants to model in those they minister to. If a team isn't functional, communicating, affirming, giving and receiving feedback regularly, then we begin to feel unsupported. Maybe this is you? If you're a manager, you need to feel supported before you can support others. And if you're not being supported, it's difficult to support others, so make sure you get support. Give your workers time. And if you're not getting the time you need, you have a responsibility to ask for it for the sake of your own ministry. 

We all need that someone in our ministry who believes in us. That person who inspires us. That person who confronts and challenges us about things. We all need someone who we can look up to and go to for advice. So many young leaders in ministry are walking this all alone. We have a duty to lead our young, pick them up when they've fallen and help them move up the next step. 

If you're feeling shot down, there's something you can do about it. If you've shot someone down, there's something you can do about it. If you know someone who is shot down, there's something you can do about it.