Have you ever come into a situation where you were left to pick up the pieces from someone else’s sin or mistakes? Our guest today on the Multiply! Podcast is Dan Adams. Dan currently serves as the Youth Pastor at Parma Heights Baptist Church in Ohio. He talks about his experience in “picking up the pieces” from the previous youth pastor’s moral failure and how he handled it
Takeaways:
- Prayer Life
- You need to realize your dependence on God
- Remember the importance of prayer even in the good times
- Work hard to build trust
- More than just preparing lessons
- Trust is earned
- You need to work at authenticity
- Spend time with students and the congregation
- You cannot change the past, but you can build the future
- Be careful to follow through
- When you say something, do it
- Keep your word
- When you’re asked to do something, follow through with it
- Do your job well
- Honor the past
- Do not victimize or make the people who have come before you villains
- Do not trash talk them – no gossiping
- Stay humble in your position
- Be careful about guarding your words and not talking badly about the past
- Do not beat yourself up over students who leave
- You are not responsible for the choices made by the students affected by past events
- Do your best to keep them, but do not feel responsible when you lose them
- Ask good questions
- Investigate well
- Know your new students
- Know who is who in your church
- Ask questions about the situation you are coming into
- Work intentionally, slowly, and strategically to build your own team
- Build your own team
- Don’t allow just anyone to be a part of that team
- Have targeted positions to fill
- Prayerfully consider the people you choose
Remember: Picking up the pieces of a ministry does not depend on your abilities and strengths. Be faithful and follow after Jesus.