Am I Effective Where I'm At?

One of the things that seem to validate effectiveness to me is knowing:

• I am the right person
• I have the right gifts
• I am with the right congregation
• This is the right time

I can also be ineffective if I'm mis-matched with the congregation at the wrong time in the wrong place. I've known pastors who bloomed in one place and were severely ineffective in another place.

Isn't it important to know whether you're in the right place at the right time doing the right thing?

It took me several years to come to grips with this, but I'm slowly learning that what God wants me to do is usually consistent with how He created me.

Therefore, I have to pay attention to my desires and gifts. But, it's not desire and gifts alone - those must be balanced with the demands of my circumstances.

Sometimes God may call me to a place that I don't necessarily like or where my gifts aren't fully appreciated. It's not always a "perfect" match. But it's there that I must make a choice. A choice to either bloom where I'm planted or complain till everything around me is thorns and thistles.

Who are you?
Where are you?

Consider these questions for your ministry:

• Do my gifts and style of ministry meet the needs and expectations of my congregation?
• Do I feel good about myself and my ministry?
• Am I accomplishing more in my ministry than I did five or ten years ago?
• Are the leaders who are following me responsive to my ideas?