Service and Sales.

Being present and available for the people who are currently under your care while being thoughtful and intentional about planning for the people who are not yet under your care.

Loving those "in the flock" while pursuing those "outside the flock."

Discipling "the found" while evangelizing "the lost."

As a ministry leader, this is a very important tension to manage.

If you lean too far in one direction you run the risk of being outwardly ineffective, if you lean too far in the other direction you run the risk of being inwardly insensitive.

But, both sides of this tension are a necessity. Both deserve a certain amount of your attention. Both require systems and processes to be put in place to execute well. Both are a requirement of the Great Commission.

With that in mind, here are a few things I try to keep in mind to manage this tension effectively:

Identify which direction you naturally lean. (I am naturally more "insider focused.")
Schedule time to invest your energy and effort in the opposite direction.
Recruit team members whose strength is your weakness.
Pray that God gives you the wisdom of when to lean into which direction.

I encourage you to take the time to take whatever steps you need to in order to strike this balance.

It may seem harsh, but the reality is, if we don't put the proper emphasis on both of these responsibilities of the local church, only one word will be fit to describe our ministries - unfaithful.