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youth ministry, youth worker, space for god

Leaving Room For God

By Doug Franklin August 13, 2009

As I drove in this morning someone on the radio was taking about miracles and I starting thinking, “do I honestly believe in miracles and when had I seen one.” A few really cool experiences came to mind, miracles I had seen while on mission trips or training trips overseas. Then I wondered, “when had I seen a miracle in the office? Never,” I thought. It made me think that with all the strategic planning we do, do we leave room for God to work?

The new ministry season is here and most of us are doing our strategic plans for the coming year. My plan has critical success factors tied to measurable goals with 3 to 5 action steps for each one. If we execute this game plan I know exactly what the results will be, but where is God in this? To be honest with you, this is a struggle for me; it drives me nuts when a youth pastor tells me he has no plan because he is going to let God lead. At the same time, not leaving room for God’s direction seems a waste of the Holy Spirit’s power and his work through us.

Once again I have come full circle back to the need for balance in my leadership. It’s always about balance; I need to plan at the same time I need to dream, because dreaming allows me to leave room for God.

About the Author

Doug Franklin

Doug Franklin is the president of LeaderTreks, an innovative leadership development organization focusing on students and youth workers. Doug and his wife, Angie, live in West Chicago, Illinois. They don’t have any kids, but they have 2 dogs that think they are children. Diesel and Penelope are Weimaraners  who never leave their side. Doug grew up in…  Read More