Many years ago, one of my most influential mentors was asked by a leading Christian publisher to be part of the editorial board and key contributor to a new journal. The purpose of the publication was to provide oodles of new ideas to church pastors and leaders on a monthly basis. It was a flattering offer to my friend; but he told them, in his wisdom, that he didn’t think he’d participate. His reason was this: focus and tenacity.
My mentor went on to explain. It wasn’t that there aren’t oodles of terrific ideas that can be circulated amongst church leadership people—nothing wrong with that idea. But my friend told the publisher that it wasn’t more ideas that church leaders need to be flooded with, but tenacity and focus. His rule, and one that gave him considerable success: Don’t embrace, don’t flit from one good idea to the next good idea. There will always be lots of great ideas. What is needed is focus. Lock on to one or only a few ideas, and then be tenacious. Stay focused, see the good idea through, and you may discover that you don’t need a continuous flow of good ideas.
Focus and Tenacity. I suspect that many church leaders are infected, even victims of flitting from idea to idea. They go to another conference and hear a plethora of fine ideas, but what really may be needed is to lock on to one or a few good ideas and see them through to completion.
That’s what some of us may need more than new ideas - focus and tenacity.
Joyfully - Dale Patterson
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