Growth pains in the start-up lifestage

Every ministry that grows well prepares for growth before growth arrives. In this final section, you’ll reflect on the habits that will help your ministry transition successfully into the growth stage of its journey.

Many start-up ministries experience similar growing pains.

Recognising them early allows you to address them before they become barriers to healthy growth. Below are some of the common challenges you may experience, but then in addition, a healthy leadership response to each challenge.

Common challenge	Healthy leadership response
Founder dependency	Begin sharing responsibility with others.
Too many priorities	Stay focused on your mission.
Limited resources	Steward what God has already provided.
Burnout	Build healthy rhythms of rest and support.
Unclear roles	Clarify responsibilities as the team grows.

From symptom to underlying issue

When something is not working, avoid immediately asking:

“How do we fix this?”

First ask:

“What might this be telling us?”

For example:

Symptom: A volunteer keeps missing deadlines.

Possible underlying issue: The role may not be clearly defined, or the volunteer may not have enough authority or support.

Choose one current challenge.

Notice: What is happening?

Pause: What assumptions might we be making?

Discern: What might God be showing us through this situation?

Act: What is one practical response?

Learn: What will we look for afterwards?