Connecting the Dots

I recently had the opportunity to see an incredible exhibit of one of my favorite expressions of art – paintings from the Impressionist period. Over time, one form of Impressionist painting used many small dots of paint to create the image. If you get up close to one of these paintings, you see individual dots in a variety of colors that seem to make little sense. In that moment, it’s easy to lose sight of the overall picture. But step back a few feet and the individual dots fade as the scene becomes clear. Leaders must be able to step back and see the big picture. They need to distinguish random, individual dots from broader patterns. Decisions based on specific dots are rarely strategic, and may be harmful to the organization. But identifying the broader patterns can be critical to making wise decisions. It’s a dot if an individual church member thinks that the teaching in the youth ministry lacks depth. It’s a pattern if youth ministry attendance has declined and if the kids from several core families are attending another church. If the leader of a small men’s group reports that participants are experiencing spiritual breakthroughs, it’s a dot (albeit an encouraging one). It’s a pattern if these individuals start inviting their friends and the one group divides into several. In many ministry and non-profit environments, it seems as if all the forces are conspiring to draw the leader(s) into the dots. An individual insists that you address their specific concern or fix their problem. It’s as if they are saying, “Come and look. Put your nose a few inches away from the painting.” I’m not suggesting that you can or should always resist these forces. There are times when you need to pay attention to individual dots. But if you don’t have the time and ability to step back and connect the dots, your ministry will fall short of its potential. What can you do this week to make time to reflect on the bigger picture? It’s easy to receive my blogs by email. Just sign-up on Feedburner by clicking here.]]>