For anyone who has been in ministry throughout this pandemic, the word “pivot” has probably come up in many conversations. It has become somewhat of a buzzword in most church circles, used to describe how pastors have shifted things in their ministries to reach out still and minister to people. Being a big basketball fan, I am quite familiar with the concept of pivoting. The pivot is a move players use when they come to a standstill with the ball. The player is allowed to move one of his feet while leaving the other firmly planted on the ground. This enables him to create space, think, and set up the next play sequence. In this way, I think the pivot is an excellent picture of what I’ve seen in many ministries over the last several months. After coming to a grinding halt in the spring, leaders quickly began moving things around to make space for ministry to continue. There have been successes and failures, and for a lot of us, the pivots continue to happen (COVID seems to have a way of keeping us on our toes).
I want to encourage all of us, though, that as we pivot and try to create new ways of reaching people, we can’t forget to keep our other foot planted. Even though the form and method of delivery might change, the message and the mission need to remain the same. As we continue to venture into unknown territory, we can’t get so caught up in innovating and creating that we forget about the simplicity of the message we hope to communicate. We don’t need to re-invent the wheel; we just might need to change to our off-road tires.
With our NextGen ministries initiatives, we’ve been forced to make a big pivot as we look to Historymaker 2021. Judging where things are at, it seems inevitable that we will need to tweak how things look once again this year. Our “pivot foot” will be moving to more of an online format this year, which will be a difficult adjustment for some leaders. However, our other foot will very much remain planted. HM has always existed to create the potential for a life-altering encounter with God for students and leaders. It also serves as a momentum boost for youth groups as they gather with other groups from all over western Canada in one unified event. I believe these things can still happen this year. In fact, I think these things can even happen WELL. This year will allow us to partner better with local youth leaders and empower them to help make Historymaker unique and tailor for their own youth context.
We look forward to hearing testimonies of how God will once again change students’ and leaders’ lives, even amidst the craziness of a pandemic! Please pray for us as our team continues to plan and prepare for this pivotal year. Cheers, and God bless!
