When I was a pastor, there were always opportunities and pressures to begin new ministries. Over the last few months, I heard two leadership lessons from fellow pastors that really make sense to me when confronted with these possibilities.

The first is what I call home plate vision.

A Covenant pastor told me about a leadership principle he uses to determine if a new ministry fits with the overall vision of the church. He uses the metaphor of a baseball stadium. Every seat in the stadium is designed to see home plate. If you can not see home plate from your seat, that is a design flaw in the architecture.

Home plate represents the overall vision of the church. When a well meaning parishioner suggests an idea for a new ministry, the pastor subjects it to the home plate test. If the ministry fits with the overall vision of the church, the pastor replies, “Yes, I can see home plate from there.” But if there is a lack of congruence between the proposed ministry and the stated vision of the church, the pastor replies, “No, I can not see home plate from there.”

I like that!

The second principle is what I call the lead off hitter factor.

In baseball, the lead off hitter is the first up to bat. Their on-base-percentage is usually the highest on the team. That’s why they lead off the inning...their role is to get on base and get things off to a great start.

In his sermon, this pastor was describing why it took so long to begin a particular ministry. They had the idea for quite a while, but not the right leader. Although pressured to begin immediately, the pastor stuck to his guns, reaffirming the principle that we never start a new ministry unless we have the right leader. They waited, found the right leader and the ministry is now prospering.

Can you see home plate from there? Do we have the right leader? Two great questions that must be asked before starting a new ministry.

Reflections on the Journey:

1. How do these two questions apply to your situation right now?
2. Why is it sometimes hard as leaders to say “no” or “wait?”
3. What happens when a new ministry is started that does not fit the vision?
4. What happens when a ministry is begun without the right leader?
5. What process do you have in place for people who want to start new ministries?
6. In revitalization, why are new programs not always the answer?
7. What other leadership lessons do you have from the game of baseball?