Iron On Iron: Longterm Growth

Shhh...don’t tell the students but Thursday afternoons, while they were in school, were some of my favorite moments of being a youth pastor. It was organic, simple, and transforming over the long haul. All it took was a commitment to showing up to lunch at the right restaurant or coffeeshop at the right time. It was a simple commitment a couple youth pastors made to each other. Over the years, these lunch hours had a direct influence on my understanding of God, student ministry, life balance, self-care, and tools of the trade.

In fact, these lunches are where I met the co-founder of Colocate Ministry Consulting (CMC) as we both worked as youth pastors on the westside of Cincinnati, Ohio. Over the years, we went from meeting for lunch to leading joint events, retreats, and mission trips together. These adventures led us to launching CMC to continue the conversations we were having with local churches and nonprofits looking to improve their abilities to reach their communities.

Take a minute and give yourself permission to ask “What if...”

What if...you didn’t have to do it alone?

We have all felt alone. Helping and leading others can feel incredibly lonely at times. We find ourselves wondering if anyone else was going through the same thing or facing the same struggles. The truth is no one understands your issues better than one of your peers facing the same things and going through the same type of struggles. You can be there to support each other! Good networks give us a circle of support!

What if...you didn’t have to be the one with all the answers?

We can’t all be experts in every area we are called to lead. We can’t be experts in scripture, adolescent development, counseling, volunteer management, leading worship, outreach, communications, parenting, leadership, policies, finances, games, event planning...and the list goes on and on. All though we can’t be experts, we can surround ourselves with people that are experts. What if every time you had something come up that was not in your wheelhouse you knew someone who was passionate (or at least a step ahead of you) in that area. Good networks helps us have the best answers!

What if...you could be on a longterm growth plan for the cost of a cup of coffee or lunch that you were going to get anyways?

I bet you are thinking the same thing I would be thinking. I do not have time, money, or energy for one more thing. Before you write this off, let me help you count the costs. A sense of being alone sooner or later will lead to a staleness or even worse it will lead to burnout. A need to be the resident expert to everything will up your workload immensely. A good networking experience will feel natural once you get into the rhythm. You can connect with your peers through the lunch or coffee you were already treating yourself to this week! The only real cost is being intentional by finding a group or asking your peer at the church or nonprofit down the road to join you. Good networking moves from “have to” to “get to” overtime!

What if...Colocate Ministry Consulting (CMC) could help you find a network?

Part of the CMC mission is to develop relationships among leaders in similar fields to share best practices and applicable tools. These side by side relationships allow for long-term care, health, and growth.

You can continue on the life long journey of growing as a Christ follower and in your ministry area by being shoulder to shoulder with your peers who share the same mission and passion as you.

Find out more about Networking Events we have scheduled: https://www.facebook.com/pg/ColocateMinistryConsulting/events/

Let’s chat soon about how Colocate Ministry Consulting can come along side your ministry or nonprofit.

By: Rev. Brent Dearnell, CMC Cofounder and Coach

Email Us: cmc@colocateministryconsulting.com

Call Us: (513) 909 - 4083

“As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another.” - Proverbs 27:17