90% of Success is Showing Up

One of the blessings of working in the Pacific Union Conference is the variety of ministry enterprises in this territory. The core of my responsibility as Executive Secretary--aside from overseeing the statistical and record-keeping function of our organization-- is "ministry of presence." That means travel, lots of travel! In fact, more travel than I've ever done in my life. It figures that for 2009 I'll be "on the road" about 80% of the work-days of the year.

Where does that take me? To churches, gatherings in our 7 conference fields, North American Division meetings in Silver Spring, MD, Amazing Facts Board, A.S.I. Board, the Board of Trustees for Pacific Union College and La Sierra University, the Board of White Memorial Hospital, and our own Pacific Union Conference Executive Committee and in-house committees. Whew…that seems like a long list.

People ask me sometimes, “How can attending meetings be ministry?" Well, from 17 years of local church pastoral work I learned the truth of Woody Allen’s observation about leadership—“90% of success is showing up.” Ministry of presence in the lives of people was the key to success in pastoral ministry then and it remains so for me today.

My role as Secretary grants me the potential to plunge more deeply “into the weeds” of the great things that God is up to as He works through the hundreds of committed people I interact with. The stories, pictures, and some of the challenges over the course of our time together are what Journeys in Ministry is all about.