The story of Gideon in Judges 6 and 7 is a familiar one to kids ministry leaders, and it’s one that we might do well to revisit during this challenging season of ministry. Gideon was something of an unlikely war hero. When we meet him in Judges 6, he is literally hiding from the Midianites, threshing wheat on the floor of a winepress so he won’t be seen and raided. That’s where the Angel of the Lord came to him with an unexpected greeting in Judges 6:12: “The Lord is with you, mighty warrior.” Gideon himself seems surprised by this assessment of who he is, as we see in verse 15: “Pardon me,” Gideon replied, “but how can I save Israel? My clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my family.” After some famous convincing involving two days of dew and a fleece, Gideon trusts God, makes a battle plan, gathers 32,000 troops, and prepares to attack. At least that was Gideon’s “Plan A.” 

Right about then, God made another unexpected statement, recorded for us in Judges 7:2: “You have too many troops for me to hand the Midianites over to them, or else Israel might elevate themselves over me and say, ‘I saved myself.’” So God proceeded to whittle down the troops. Twice. First from 32,000 to 10,000, and then to just 300. And then the battle plans changed. This battle would not be won with soldiers, swords, and shields. Nope. Each of the 300 men would instead go to the battle with a trumpet, a torch, and a terracotta pot. We’ll call this “Plan B.” 

You may know the story. Gideon’s 300 men surround the Midianite camp, and on his signal, they break the pots, revealing their torches, then they blow their trumpets and shout, “For the Lord, and for Gideon!” And the Midianites are so frightened and confused, they fight against themselves, and God uses Gideon and 300 men to defeat them. 

What does this have to do with your ministry in 2021? Like Gideon, most of us have had our Plan A taken away, and we don’t know what to do. We feel discouraged and distracted and defeated. Some of us are literally hiding! Our churches aren’t meeting. Our volunteers are MIA. We feel like our soldiers, swords, shields, and strategies are gone. Some of us are doubting whether God has chosen the right person for our job. If this is how you feel, these five truths from Gideon’s life are for you. Listen closely, and apply them to your situation.

Truth 1: The mission hasn’t changed.

2020 (and now 2021) have been difficult for everyone in ministry. No, we can’t do it the way we have always done it, but we must continue to minister to kids and families in whatever ways we can. Let’s not allow our ministries to be deterred or deferred. There’s urgency around the gospel. Ephesians 5:16 reminds us to make the most of the time we have. 2 Timothy 4:2 challenges us to present the Word “in season and out of season.” Not having Plan A is not a reason to concede the mission. When God took away Gideon’s soldiers, the goal was never to not have a battle, and it was never to not win the battle. The mission didn’t change, only the method. And God did what He did for good reason.

Truth 2: God sometimes does big things in absurd ways.

Time and time again in Scripture, we witness God doing miraculous things in unlikely ways. God rescued humanity from elimination by having a 500-year-old man build a boat in the desert. He saved baby Moses by having his mother float him down the river in a basket, then had the daughter of the very king who decreed that all Israelite babies be killed, adopt him and raise him in the palace. He waited until Abram was 100 before he gave the promised son. He used a shepherd boy with a rock to kill a famous military champion (who also happened to be a giant). He had Elijah pour water over the altar, enough to fill a trench around it, before burning up the offering with fire from heaven to humiliate the prophets of Baal. Jesus told the wedding caterers to fill the jugs with water. He told Peter to get a coin from a fish. He healed a blind man with spit-mud. He defeated death by dying. When He left the tomb, He folded the cloth. Don’t waste time worrying that God has taken away your meeting times or your volunteers. Don’t cry over soldiers and swords. Look for torches and trumpets. Watch for the Lord to do something amazing that only He can do, so the glory can only be given to Him.  

Truth 3: It’s not your battle.

When looking through the account of Gideon in Judges 6–7, it’s interesting to notice how many times “Gideon’s” story mentions God’s actions. God approached Gideon to lead the charge (6:12), sent Gideon (6:14), promised to be with Gideon (6:16), gave signs of assurance to Gideon (6:36–40), filtered out the fearful soldiers (7:3), tested the troops at the river for Gideon (7:4), promised to deliver Israel with 300 men (7:7), told Gideon when to attack (7:9), assured Gideon again (7:10), handed the Midianites over to 300 men (7:15), and caused the Midianite army to turn on each other (7:22). Do you see it? We may think of this as Gideon’s battle, but it wasn’t. It was God’s. It was always God’s. The battle belongs to the Lord. So does your ministry. Stop trying to carry the burden of failed Plan A and the stress of an untested Plan B. Your church is His. Your kids are His. Your job is His. It’s not about you. It’s all about Him!

Truth 4: God WILL accomplish His plan.

God is absolutely, 100%, perfectly in control of every circumstance and situation you will ever face. History is His story. He is the author and finisher. He raises up kings and tears them down again. He is our strong tower. He is an ever-present help. He is Lord of all and over all. There is no one and nothing outside of His control. When God says something will be done, you can know that it WILL absolutely, positively, 100%, be done. In Judges 6:16–23, God tells Gideon, “ I WILL be with you.” “You WILL strike Midian down as if it were one man.”  “I WILL stay until you return.” And, “Don’t be afraid, for you WILL NOT die.” In Judges 7:7 The Lord said to Gideon, “I WILL deliver you with the three hundred men.” God has a purpose and a plan, and He will be faithful to complete His plan. Ephesians 2:10 reminds us that God created us for good works, “which God prepared ahead of time for us to do,” and Jeremiah 29:11 reminds us that God knows the plans He has for us.  When we understand that God will work out His plan, it changes how we pray. Instead of asking God to be with us in our plans, may we ask that He allow us to be with Him in His plans.

Truth 5: God wants leaders to walk in confidence by faith.

When the time came for the battle to occur, Gideon gave each of his 300 men their torches and their trumpets and their clay pots and he gave them this instruction in Judges 7:17: “Watch me,” he said to them, “and do what I do.” In this moment, Gideon gives us a beautiful picture of biblical leadership. It’s not a “do as I say” strategy, but one built on leadership by example. In reality, we all know that “do as I say” never works. Our actions need to model our words. It’s not enough to say it; we have to display it. It’s not enough to talk it; we have to walk it. It’s not enough to know it; we have to show it. Paul encouraged the church at Corinth to follow him as he followed Christ. We need to model trust in God through difficult circumstances. We need to walk by faith through uncertainty. We need to model determination to reach kids and teach kids, if not in person then through their mailboxes, their inboxes, or online. 

As leaders, we need to get our hearts right and our heads right, and then invite people to watch us and do what we do, reminding ourselves and others that the mission hasn’t changed. God sometimes does big things in absurd ways. This is not our battle to win or lose. God will accomplish His will.

In the end, we’ll learn something profound: In God’s eyes, Plan B was Plan A all along.

Chuck Peters is Director of Operations for Lifeway Kids. Before his role at Lifeway, Chuck had an extensive career in television and video production. He is a 3-time Emmy Award Winning producer, director, writer and host. A graduate of Columbia Bible College, Chuck, and his wife, Cris, have served vocationally & voluntarily in Student and Children’s Ministry for many years. They have four amazing children: Tally (21), Tristen (20), Tyson (14) and Tate (11). 

If there’s one word that sums up the experience of the church in 2020 (and now 2021) it may be the word “Pivot.” The foundational assumptions of when, where, and how we facilitate ministry have been upended. Because of COVID, it’s likely your Sunday School classes and community groups haven’t been meeting. If you are having worship gatherings they are likely at a greatly reduced capacity. People simply aren’t coming like they did before COVID.

We have all always known the real church isn’t a building. Every one of us could preach a sermon or lay out a lesson that passionately proclaims the church is the people not the steeple. Even so, that hasn’t kept us from relying on in-person gatherings as the primary way of conducting church. So what can we do in light of the setbacks the church is experiencing.

Your initial reaction may be one of paralysis; choosing to watch and wait and wonder when things will go back to normal again so you can go back to doing ministry the way you have always done it. But there’s danger that comes with getting stuck in this “freeze” response. People need pastoral care, Bible study, and biblical perspective right now.

While people may not be coming to church, they still desperately need the influence of the church in their lives. As people deal with isolation, job losses, health crises, and death, they need Jesus. We as the church need to act with a sense or urgency during this season. If people can’t or won’t come to church, we need to find new ways to take church to them. The gospel is too important. We need to be determined to not allow our ministry to be deterred or deferred. It’s time for us to take active steps to pivot our strategies. We need to warm up to the idea of Plan B. 

ASSESS THE SITUATION ACCURATELY

The first step in adjusting your plan so you can pivot properly is to accurately assess the situation. The emphasis here is on accuracy. Tell yourself the truth about the situation. Because your assessment directly impacts your action plan, it is essential that your observations be true and valid representations of the situation and of your available resources.

In Numbers 13, Moses sent out 12 men to spy on Canaan. Ten men came back with a negative perception, and two with favorable one. In that instance, all 12 saw the same things; they did not dispute what they saw, but they interpreted the data differently. The lessons here for us: First, it is wise to not assess a crisis by yourself. Multiple perspectives are important. You don’t need to have twelve advisors, but there is wisdom in conducting assessments with a trusted team, not in isolation. Second, the larger group may make observations, but the data gathered should be interpreted by wise and trusted leaders who are strong people of faith, committed to the cause of your ministry.

REASSESS YOUR KEY ASSUMPTIONS

Making an adjustment from Plan A to Plan B offers you an important opportunity to check your focus. It’s time to ask clarifying questions about what you will choose to categorize as essential and non-essential operations. I call this clarifying your “why.” Before delving deeply into the “what” and “how” of a new plan, it is essential to first bring clarity to a clear and compelling purpose for your plan. You cannot move forward into a viable and effective Plan B without revisiting and clarifying your foundational purpose and goal.

ASSESS AVAILABILITY OF ASSETS

Once you have an accurate idea of the situation, you need to assemble an accurate assessment of what resources you have available. A word of caution here: It can be easy to improperly focus your attention on what you don’t have, rather than what you do have. What matters most in a crisis situation is knowing what options are available. These assets will help you establish a workable action plan.

When Moses stood before God at the burning bush in Exodus 4, he was quick to list the skills and assets he lacked as an explanation of why he could not do what God asked of him. God’s response, however, was to ask Moses, “What’s that in your hand?” God then took the one thing Moses had, his ordinary staff, and used it in miraculous ways as an instrumental tool in accomplishing His plan.

Jesus did this at the feeding of the five thousand. When His disciples came to Him with an impossible problem, Jesus asked them in Mark 6:38, “How many loaves do you have?” He asked. “Go and see.” He then instructed them to bring what they had to Him, and He proceeded to do something big with the little they had available.

As you assess your available options, don’t worry about what you lack; instead, list whatever things you have “in your hand.” Lift whatever resources you have to the Lord, and trust Him to use whatever you have for His glory.

BE ACTION ORIENTED

The purpose of assessment should always be action. We don’t assess merely for the sake of interest, or simply to explain why things aren’t happening. Assess from a standpoint of gathering data that can be used to formulate an actionable plan. This typically means generating a prioritized list of sub-goals and then setting immediate, intermediate, and long-term actions to accomplish them.

In the short term, be careful to only fix what’s really broken and only add what’s needed. Start with essentials. Preserve and secure your necessary functions. Maintain and sustain your base actions, then expand your plan gradually toward operating at full capacity.  

Assessment should not be a one-time event, but an ongoing process of recurring evaluation. This is especially true during seasons when we are implementing temporary short-term strategies. In some seasons you may need to re-assess assumptions, available resources, and action plans weekly. Whatever you do, don’t do nothing. Take the first step to a new action plan by assessing the situation, re-examining your core purpose, and identifying your available assets so you can create a solid action plan for the future.

Chuck Peters is Director of Operations for Lifeway Kids. A graduate of Columbia Bible College, Chuck has served vocationally & voluntarily in Student and Children’s Ministry for many years.