A high ropes course is a set of cables, ropes and platforms that are placed among trees in the form of an obstacle course about thirty feet off the ground. One description I found says that the purpose of the course is to help participants learn about risk taking, their own perceived limits, how they perform under pressure, how they give and receive support from other people, and how working with others collaboratively can help an individual achieve more than they thought they could accomplish.
But through the experience, I had learned several things about myself and about where we are in ministry today:
* Some times ministry offers no more stability than a steel cable attached between two trees. We have to lean into the rope to make our way across. We have to trust in God that God will lead us when we are trying in our own strength to make our way.
* Ministry is like the swing seat that starts moving before you are securely on it. We live in a rapidly changing world. We must adapt to the changing neighborhoods, changing expectations, and changing needs in the communities around our congregations.
* We have to face our fears and step out in faith. If we think things will get easier or if the challenges that we face in our congregations will go away if we just wait or stick our heads in the sand, that’s not going to happen. We have to risk stepping out in uncertain times on nothing more than a thin rope or cable.
* Failure is a real possibility. If we step out in new ministries, if we launch out in new directions as God calls us, we may not always succeed. We need to realize that is part of the “risk taking” that stepping out in mission means.
* It’s good to have mentors and guides, and it’s good to work in teams. We cannot function on our own or by ourselves. We need to trust in God’s guidance and in the leading of the Holy Spirit. We need to seek those persons who can help to guide and mentor us as we move out in ministry. We need others to watch out for us, and we need to watch out for one another as we face new challenges in ministry and mission.
* Grace abounds. When I fell off the “hourglass” obstacle, I didn’t fall to the ground. I hung from my safety harness. It’s good to know that God is there to help pick us up when we falter. Grace is truly amazing.
These are just a few of the lessons that I have learned through my experience on the high ropes. We live in times where we must, as Adam Hamilton challenges us, “change, innovate, or die.” These are days that call for us to be in prayer, to be listening and seeking what God has in store for our congregations and our mission as the church today.
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