Episode #4
Holding the Mission, Changing the Method: Mission Design with Aaron Abramson
What happens when the methods that once worked for ministry no longer work the way they used to? In this episode Lindsay talks with Aaron Abramson, CEO of Jews for Jesus and author of Mission Design, to explore what it looks like to lead a legacy ministry through change without losing sight of its mission. Aaron has spent 26 years with Jews for Jesus, moving from volunteer to organizational leadership. Along the way, he discovered that staying faithful to the mission sometimes means being willing to rethink the methods. Aaron also shares what it takes to build a culture where teams can admit when something isn't working, learn from failure, and try again, and why leaders shouldn't wait for a ministry to decline before they begin innovating. At the heart of the conversation is a question every ministry leader eventually has to wrestle with: How do we remain faithful to our mission while becoming flexible enough to respond to the world around us? Takeaways Listen before you design. Start with people, not programs. Measure what matters. Look for fruit and depth, not just activity. Prototype, learn, adapt. Small experiments can prevent big mistakes. Hold the mission tightly; hold the methods loosely. Faithfulness sometimes requires us to change. Episode field note: Ask better questions, get uncomfortable and embrace the mess. Don't be afraid to ask questions that unsettle you. Get close to the people you're trying to serve, even when it makes you uncomfortable. Listen, learn, and let what you discover shape the design. Then give yourself permission to experiment. Prototype. Try something that isn't perfect. The messiness of the process is where learning happens. You might just discover a new way of doing ministry that makes you wonder, “How did we not think of this before?” Resources and links Aaron’s book, Mission Design with @IVPress Aaron's Website: Jews for Jesus Follow SLI: @spiritualleadershipinc This episode is brought to you by Spiritual Leadership, Inc Head to spiritual-leadership.org to take a look at resources for ministry leaders.
