Lessons of an Immersion-tern: Boundaries
This is the fifth post in a new series on the things I've learned about ministry while interning for Immersion and Justin Wise this summer.
You can view Part 1 (Details) here.
You can view Part 2 (Communication) here.
You can view Part 3 (Haters) here.
You can view Part 4 (Ministry as Job) here.
Stepping outside of personal boundaries always leads to good things.
This has been huge for me. I'm more of an introvert by nature. I'm much more comfortable sitting and reading in a coffee shop than being in a crowd of people hanging out. I'm more of a thinker than a doer. Being in ministry however has forced me to step out and introduce myself and start conversations that I would not have started in the past. And I kid you not, every single one of them was beneficial and life-giving.
I am amazed at how God lives in our risk-taking, even the little ones. Hopefully the little ones will then lead to big ones.
This is also true of taking on new responsibilities. I would have never thought of myself as being comfortable setting up a camera/webcast when I started the summer. I stepped out of my boundaries, and into the shoes of a techie, and lo and behold, it turned out beautifully. Yes, mistakes were made, but my confidence soared. By the end of the summer, our group of three interns were able to run an entire service when our two staffers were out of town. It was awesome!
Questions:
- How do you know which responsibilities people can handle and which ones they can't? Is it possible to know?
- How do we encourage the average service-goer, and even the leaders for that matter, to step outside their boundaries to create community?
- What boundaries do you need to step outside?
