Cutbacks

When do you start another ministry vs. helping to build one that already exists? In our church there are loads of new ministries started to reach different segments of the population. However, when we do this, often we end up hurting the existing ministries. I was at a Happy 5 leadership meeting last night, and the soccer ministry is going to have to cut back two fields this year. That means 64 to 72 kids (and their respective families) are not going to be able to join the Happy 5 ministry this year: 64 to 72 kids and their families that may otherwise have been introduced to First Bible and even more importantly may have been introduced to the Gospel of Jesus Christ. It's not because we don't have the fields, but because we don't have enough workers. So, I look at it and realize that the people that have stepped down from coaching and refereeing positions (which causes us to cut back the number of fields) are doing so because they have other ministries they are working in. Whether it be, Street Ministry, Paintball, Flag Football - or like me, just ministering to their families:

(you know those little hats they give to the babies at the hospital? That's what the boys are wearing!)

Rather than going to the people that I know and trying to guilt them into coaching or refereeing, I'm realizing that they are already ministering elsewhere, and they need to invest into those other ministries. Taking on a position in Happy 5 would just detract from their ministering elsewhere.

So, what do we do? Well, the Bible says to pray the Lord of the harvest that He would send forth laborers into the harvest. But maybe He has sent them - just directed them elsewhere. It seems the available labor force is comprised of those people that I don't know: the people that honestly are not doing anything in ministry, but rather are just coming to church to be fed and to be ministered unto. There is a need for reaching out to different segments of the population - starting an evangelistic team that focuses on street work, visitation, public events, etc. However, we have over 500 kids and their families coming to our place on Saturday mornings, and we are not able to minister to them effectively. Do we drop existing ministries, or do we keeping pouring into them to make them better?