If you read articles in leadership, business, military strategy, or self-help, you will inevitably run across a quote by Sun-Tzu. The Art of War seems to be a fount of much modern wisdom! In keeping with that tradition, I offer my own Sun-Tzu quote: “In the midst of chaos, there is also opportunity.”

The last 15 months have been a time of chaos. Many of us ministers preached a “2020 Vision” series, but I doubt many of us preached that we would have a global pandemic that would change every aspect of church life and ministry! We quickly had to pivot:

• In February 2020, 10% of churches were livestreaming their services. By the end of 2020, approximately 90% of churches were.

• We quickly adapted to teaching classes, holding meetings, and practicing discipleship through Zoom and other platforms.

• We had to rethink and reprioritize our ministries, learning to minister in ways for which seminary never truly prepared us.

Yes, it was a time of chaos. But we saw churches adapt to this new situation. While many churches have struggled, others have found ways to thrive in the midst of chaos.

• Churches have reached new audiences that never would have darkened the doors of their church buildings.

• Congregations have seen their reach expand not just in their own communities, but also across the nation and around the world.

• Congregations have been able to rethink and re-strategize, closing ministries that had outlived their efficacy and rethinking who we might become.

• The congregation where I work watched our youth group double in size due to the innovation and creativity of our youth ministers, Ben and Nikka.

I have been blessed to be in community with ministers across the nation who are creatively pursuing ministry in these chaotic times. They are willing to rethink the methods they employ in order to continue sharing the gospel in any way possible.

Back in August 2020, I wrote this article about the concept of the OODA loop, which was developed by an Air Force pilot to describe the process of making important decisions during the chaos of battle. The OODA loop contains four steps:

1. Observe: What is the challenge we are facing? How does it disrupt “business as usual”? What do we stand to lose if we respond poorly or not at all? How is this affecting our people?

2. Orient: What do we have on hand (strengths, skills, talents, staffing, materials) to meet the challenge? What are all of the potential next steps, and how do we evaluate a way forward?

3. Decide: We must make a decision and implement it.

4. Act: Move forward with the plan, assessing and evaluating as we go. Make observations. If things are going well, what can we learn from those successes? If they aren’t, how can we adapt on the fly? The process never ends; do the loop again as you learn new things or encounter new challenges.

This process is meant to take place quickly. Imagine yourself in an aerial dogfight (the original genesis of the concept.) The pilot who can make decisions and implement them faster, overwhelming their adversary’s actions, is the one who will win the fight. So pilots, soldiers, special warfare operators, etc., train to make decisions as quickly as possible with the information at hand.

In the end, however, it comes down to training in the midst of chaos. When nothing is going right, what comes to the forefront? Can you adapt and overcome even in the midst of chaos around you? Are you prepared to make difficult decisions without having all the information at hand?

I have observed in my own personal life, however, that my OODA loop trends in the direction of my heart. If I have been spending time in spiritual disciplines like prayer, reading, silence, and direction, then I have an easier time trusting God and the guidance of the Holy Spirit. But when I haven’t been taking care of myself, I lean into my own understanding and strengths. There’s a sense of “spiritual muscle memory” that comes to the forefront. [1] Just as pilots constantly train to react correctly amid chaos, so we must train ourselves spiritually to react when the challenges of life and ministry come to the forefront.

How can we train our hearts for the chaos of ministry?

1. Spend time with God. This is often a given, but also often overlooked in the never-ending tasks of ministry. Make sure you are dedicating time to deepening your relationship with God.

2. Submit to spiritual direction or mentorship. Having someone who asks questions of you and challenges you, while listening to both you and the Holy Spirit, helps us come to know ourselves better. In my own life, spiritual directors have helped me see my own biases, blind spots, and shortcomings, as well as strengths, talents, and giftedness.

3. Be in community with other ministers, and discuss the challenges in your congregations. These group discussions can help discern good responses to the challenges of ministry. They can serve as case studies for your own ministry while also helping a fellow minister work through the issues they are currently facing.

4. Look for small (or large) ways to practice innovation in your congregation, and ask others to help you discern how well it is working. This will give you the space to try new things. Even if they fail, you will have been able to push the boundaries and practice creativity in ministry.

In chaos, there is opportunity – opportunity for us to grow, and opportunity for our churches to adapt to the ever-changing circumstances of life and ministry.

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[1] Some of Jesus’s teachings consistently come to mind here. For instance, “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also,” and, “A good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and an evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For the mouth speaks what the heart is full of.”