Church Marketing Sucks

Remember that first day? You got there a little early. You opened the new computer that still smelled like the box. You had butterflies throwing a house party in your stomach and you were so excited to start this “job.”

Job… that’s funny—who could ever call getting to do this a job? You waited forever for this opportunity. You got to be in ministry and you were giddy. You prayed that you would get the chance to do this and most likely you even sacrificed to accept the opportunity, but that doesn’t matter because this is what you wanted and God opened the door for you to do it. And now, you are on day one. What a great gift to get to do this.

Giving in to the Grind

Then, over the course of time, from day one to day whatever your number is today, you had some wins and some painful losses. The butterflies have taken a hiatus. Now there are more Mondays where you drag yourself in rather than getting there early, ready to change the world. You may have even caught yourself complaining from time to time about what you have to do.

What happened? Was it the losses? Was it the people? Maybe it was the pace? Or could it have been the times that people didn’t agree with you or like your ideas that chipped away at your confidence? Was it the fact that you allowed your identity to get trapped in what you were doing rather than who God created you to be, and when things didn’t go the way you planned, it was actually your identity that was damaged?

Whatever caused the change, it’s time to snap the streak and get back to the original you, the you we need so we can accomplish all God has called you and your team to accomplish!

A Season of Gratitude

Now it’s November. Guys have swapped shaving for charity and the smell of pumpkins is everywhere. It’s the time of year we take a minute to pause and be thankful for what God is doing in our lives.

Today is the day to revive the butterflies.

Your work matters. Not only does it matter, it’s necessary. You get to do this. You get to do ministry and that is a gift. You get to be an agent of hope in a world full of despair.

Sure, not every day is easy. But really, what job is perfect every day? Over time we may have allowed the miracle of ministry to become common in our lives and today we get to flip that equation. We may have lost the passion for a minute, but today we are getting our groove back.

Be Thankful

Think about the lives you get to impact. The look in that person’s eyes when they walk in hopeless on a Sunday morning and leave a little over an hour later with enough back in the tank to face another week.

You get to create the art, share the stories and create the environments that impact the future of the people in your community. That’s a gift. Be thankful for that responsibility.

In fact, today is the perfect day to stop and be thankful for the chance to be part of this movement. Take a few minutes today and do a little inventory. Make a list. What are all the things you are thankful for? What do you get to do that you never thought would be possible? God is a God of possibility and that possibility is fueled by the thankfulness for all that has happened and the hope for what is about to happen. We get to do this. We get to be his hands feet in this world. When we replace our natural tendency to be entitled with an attitude of thankfulness for the chance to make a difference, it changes how we approach each day.

Be thankful.

I think I hear the DJ spinning and see those butterflies starting to dance again.

More:

We do important work—sharing the gospel—but that doesn’t mean we can work ourselves to death. Learn more about how to fight church communicator burnout.