Momentum is a powerful adversary for any organization. As a leader you will either FEEL momentum or FUEL momentum. You have only a moment with momentum, unless you can learn to sustain it. Every opportunity in lIFe (notice there is an IF in the middle of Life) is a moment for potential growth, energy, winning and excitement. You must attack the opportunity, then go 100% after sustaining it.
How Can You Sustain Momentum:
#1 Character
Who you are in the dark is what will kill or fuel your momentum. As a leader you will be hammered during momentum. Derailment is found when the leader bombs morally, maritally or mentally. So put up the guard against secret sin. Character defects HALT momentum. By the way there is no “secret sin”, God is watching (ouch). It is not how high you can jump that really matters, it’s how you land.
Acts 9:22 “His momentum was up now and he plowed straight into the opposition”
#2 Consistency
Stick with what brought you the momentum. For Brand New Church, it is reaching the lost, the last and the least…not reaching the saved. Many churches do a great job reaching the saved and we need them, but within our local body momentum is built in reaching the lost. Matthew 4:23 “People brought anybody with an ailment, whether mental, emotional, or physical. Jesus healed them, one and all. More and more people came, the momentum gathering.” Everything we do must be consistently around developing moments of significant life change. Things won’t look the same and you will not use the same methods every time, but the purpose and goal must be the same.
#3 Catch It
Your best friend is Momentum, but it can be your worst enemy. You can ride it like a wave, but you must know how to catch the wave or it will pummel you into the reef.
#4 Come Through it
Winning is a momentum builder and sustainer. Coming through tough times or winning against all odds, constructs huge victories. A marriage is a perfect example of this… you’re down financially, you come through it, and you’re stronger for it. Your church is the same way. So many pastors leave during conflict, instead of coming through it for a big win. I will add this…winning is a generator, but if you don’t have character you won’t sustain. These points are very sequential.
#5 Continuing Calling Out
Pray for God’s favor to sustain and continue the moment! When you do, examine yourself. Momentum begins in you. If you do not have the “mo” your team will not have it, much less sustain it. Admit why you do not have it and change today. Don’t be too analytical and halt any action, but examine. Take responsibility for lack of “mo” in your life, marriage, vocation, church or whatever. The blame game is old school and foolish. Pray and submit to God…the “mo” will begin.
Please continue this dialogue and add momentum sustainers…can’t wait to learn from you the reader.
Shannon, if I can relate this to my ball playing days, momentum is also sustained when winning becomes the new normal. After Ken was here, the only thing I could say was “We need to get used to this!” I want to see our church get so used to people coming to Christ on a regular basis that it becomes “abnormal” when people aren’t. And the reality is that it’s up to me. I can’t pass it on to anyone else.
Shannon: 2009 was brutal to the church I pastor. Around September things began to change and “mo” began to happen. I am not sure exactly what or why but I think part of it is can be explained several ways. 1) we stopped being so concerned about ourselves. We pulled out the stops to serve our community. 2) We determined to stop focusing on the negatives. 3) I made a public statement of #2 and that I was excited. I believe once they saw me as the pastor being excited they caught on. 4) We gave away a lot during the Fall/Christmas season. Not sure if this is what you wanted but it is what had helped our “mo.”
The momentum we are seeing at brandnewchurch right now is bigger than I have ever experienced. Changed lives are the story and “the last, the lost and the least” are the ones who are the beneficiaries. You can argue with about anything, but you cant argue against a “CHANGED LIFE”!!