We should’ve seen it coming. They would never give us a lease longer than six months, so when it came time to renew for next year, they turned us down. Our new campus would have to find a new home for 2017.
I thought we would be in the school for three to five years. This would give us time to grow our congregation and put back the necessary funds to buy land and eventually build.
That was no longer the case. We needed to find a new home, and we had a very limited time to do it in.
So, what do you do when plans fail? What do you do when everything you thought would happen was wrong? Here are a few things I’m learning.
- Don’t Panic!!!
Everything within you will be screaming panic, but don’t. It doesn’t help anything, and it causes undue stress on you and those around you. If you must have a moment of panic, make sure to do that by yourself behind closed doors.
- Don’t Complain.
It would be easy for us to blame the school board for not renewing our lease, but that doesn’t help anyone. They allowed us to use one of their schools for a year, and we’re going to be grateful for that. Our goal is to bless the communities we’re in, and you don’t do that by complaining.
- Trust God.
I heard Perry Noble once say, “If God tells you to do it, He will see you through it.” God knows what He’s doing. If one door gets shut, He can open another. Spend time in prayer searching for that next door.
- Weigh Your Options.
There are always more options. They may not be good options, but there are always options out there. Take some time to look at the pros and cons of each. For us, we needed a lot of space on a very small budget. It looked impossible, but we serve a God who makes the impossible, possible.
- Create a New Plan.
Once you make a decision, start putting a new plan in place to make it happen. I always like to prioritize what exactly needs to be done, so I can work on the most important things first. Also, remember to involve your team as much as possible.
- Celebrate and Rest.
I have the tendency to skip this step, but it’s becoming more and more apparent that you can’t afford to skip this one. You have to take time to celebrate big accomplishments, and you also need to take time to rest after intense periods of work. Don’t skip this step. If you do, you’ll be headed for burn out.
I hate when plans fail, but what I love is that when plans fail, it’s always because God has something better planned for you.
Have you ever gone through something like this? What did you learn from it? I’d love to hear about it, so scroll down and leave a comment. Also, make sure to subscribe to the blog to get tips on church growth, leadership, and more delivered to your inbox each week.
