Be Ready to Ride the Waves God Brings

Surfing is a big deal in Southern California. Many of the movies and television shows that have popularized the sport took place in our part of the country. In fact, many of our schools offer physical education courses in surfing.

You can learn just about everything in surfing classes, including how to choose the right equipment, how to use it well, how to recognize a “surfable” wave, and how to catch and ride a wave for as long as possible. 

But you’ll never find a course that covers how to build a wave.

That’s because you can’t build your own wave. Surfing is all about catching the waves that God gives you. No waves? No surfing that day. But if there’s a good wave rolling in, surfers won’t miss out, even if it means paddling out in rough weather. It’s a small price to pay to ride a good wave.

The same is true for the growth of your church. Only God makes the church grow. Much of the books and training related to church growth fall into the category of “how to build a wave.” They’re all about how to use gimmicks, programs, and marketing to mimic the Spirit’s work. 

But that’s not our job as church leaders. Just like the surfer, our job is to recognize the waves God makes and ride them. 

How can we do that?

1. Respond to God’s timing. Don’t bother trying to create waves. Stay on the lookout for the waves God sends your way—and ride those. That often means learning to discern when it’s time to move fast and when it’s time to move slow. Some leadership moments call for immediate action, while others require patience and endurance. God’s timing is perfect. Learning when to move fast and when to wait is essential for effective ministry.

2. Focus on balance. Surfers need a well-attuned sense of balance, and so do church leaders. Balancing the biblical purposes of the church—worship, fellowship, discipleship, ministry, and evangelism —is critical for healthy church growth. Balanced, purpose driven churches grow. Unbalanced churches eventually stagnate.

3. Be prepared to keep going even when you wipe out. Even the best surfers wipe out, but they don’t give up. They get back on their boards and try again. Church leaders must do the same. Failure is never fatal in ministry. God often uses our greatest failures to grow our character and deepen our dependence on him.

4. Stay flexible. No wave is the same. Just as surfers need to make adjustments to ride the waves God gives them, pastors must stay flexible to be ready for the waves God sends their way. You’ll likely change methods frequently in ministry, yet the message — the gospel of Jesus Christ—never changes. Leaders must be flexible in how they reach people without compromising the gospel. 

5. Cultivate expectancy. Surfers are constantly looking for the next big wave. Church leaders should also learn to foster a spirit of expectancy, believing God is always at work and preparing to respond when he moves. That’s what faith is—expecting God to act. God works in our ministries according to our faith. Encourage your church to pray boldly and prepare practically for God to bring new opportunities for growth and ministry.  

It’s easy to look around at our world and grow negative, but we’re living in exciting times. God’s Spirit is moving mightily in waves around the world.

That’s why I pray something like this each day:

“Father, I know you’re going to do some incredible things in your world today. Please give me the privilege of getting in on some of what you’re doing.”

That’s a prayer God loves to answer.