Making the Pivot

We tend to be creatures of habit; it’s just part of our nature. If the last few years have taught us anything, it’s that there’s no such thing as normal. Our lives pre-2020 have ceased to exist. Although the restrictions have been lifted and face-to-face interactions are commonplace again, our goal must not be to return to our pre-2020 routines.

I sat down with Dr. Creflo Dollar to discuss pastoring in this new paradigm, and his words served as a reminder that we constantly need to be in tune with the Holy Spirit and ready to shift and flow with Him. That’s what will allow us to pivot our leadership style as times change.

1. Divorce Methods You’ve Married. Are the methods that you’ve been using serving you now? Are they essential to what you’ve been called to do? Sit down with God and begin to focus on the last thing He instructed you to do. If the methods you’ve been using aren’t useful for that task, then it’s time to let them go.

2. Zero In on What You Are Anointed to Do. As preachers, our greatest weapon is our words. Is your presentation of your gift powerful and effective? Does it encourage and instruct people to grow in their relationship with Christ? You have a mandate from God to share His gospel with the masses, so do it the way He’s anointed you to do it. If you’re funny, then be funny. If that’s not your strength, don’t try it—stick with the flavor God called you to have.

3. We Don’t Need Good Ideas, We Need God Ideas. When you yield to the Holy Spirit, He will lead the way. It’s time out for telling God what we’re going to do and then asking Him to bless it. No! The Holy Spirit should go first, and then we follow. But that means we’ve got to take the time to sit down, pray, and ask God for the wisdom we need now.

4. You Can’t Force People to Come Back. Just as you have a tendency to follow old patterns, so does your congregation. People have spent several years having church virtually, so we can’t just expect or force them to start coming into the four walls. God gave us wisdom on how to operate in-person; He has given us wisdom on how to be impactful virtually, also.

5. Don’t Make It Hard, Just Yield. Have you noticed a pattern yet? All of this ties back to yielding to the Holy Spirit and asking God for wisdom. Even if something seems foolish to you, it could be the key to unlocking someone’s breakthrough. As ministers, we are here to give encouragement and point people to Christ, so our topics need to be relevant to their needs. Ask the Lord to show you how to administer that into the lives of people to be a blessing.

6. Consistency Is Key. How does a child learn to read or ride a bike? The parent or teacher goes over the task over and over again. We can’t expect our congregants to repeatedly exhibit behaviors that we are not willing to teach, apply, and demonstrate for them. If you want excellence in your ministry, then you must consistently exhibit excellence.

7. Do Everything Out of Love. Our standard should be operating out of agapé or the God-kind of love. When we operate from a place of love and teach people to do the same, we put Jesus at the center of our churches, and it spreads like wildfire. That is the essence of the gospel: God so loved the world that He gave.

Inviting God in is the only way to consistently move forward in our churches, ministries, and personal lives. When we truly live in constant communion with Him, allowing Him to guide our every step, and when we operate from a place of love for the King of Kings, only then will we see true success.