Till the land, plant the seeds and take care of it regularly.

Starting a new ministry or a charitable non-profit organization is very rewarding and yet very challenging.

You may be one of many people who can relate to this. First, a person or a group of passionate people comes up with an idea to solve a problem or to address an issue or to help those in need. Then, this person or this group of people started talking to others about their passion and start working on it. They are so enthusiastic that they were able to bring a few more people onboard.

Is this sound familiar? Your passion is contagious! You are helping a lot of people and are being recognized by the community.

I was there in the late 2004. I thought why not find a solution to the ever growing division in the churches. I thought I would be a conduit to the unity in the Body of Christ. Although I was not thinking of starting an organization, I found myself starting a non-profit organization through the encouragement of peers and those who benefit from the cause.

So, I was put in a strange place where I have not been before. I have never been a board member in the past and now, I have to put a board together, create By Laws, Statement of Faith and file Articles of Incorporation. However, I was convinced that my idea was exceptional. I continued to plow the ground. Then, reality hit and I found myself driving a vehicle with no instruction or manual how to sustain it and to keep my dream alive.

Things I learned that were not (normally) taught schools and universities:

1. It is not too hard to do a one time event but extremely hard to sustain it. Many people can do a large event just one time. The challenge is how can you sustain and get it going? For example, many non profits start food pantry but after a few months, it fizzle out.
2. Having a non-profit requires money (unless you have millionaire parents or have lots of money in the bank); it’s not easy to raise funding. Doing good is commendable but sustaining it is very difficult without funds in the bank. My first big outreach resulted in a deficit of $400 and I have to pay it myself.
3. Founders of organizations sometime find themselves lonely and alone. After a big outreach and the accolade, then the hard work of clean up, follow and reporting come. At times, the leader is left with tons of work to do all the stuff by himself/herself.
4. After giving all you got, the founder often gets all the criticism and accused of bad management and leadership. As a leader, you need to have broad shoulders, willing to tolerate small things and brush off the negative comments.
5. One of the things to tolerate are those people whom you helped and you felt you delivered more than what was promised. However, those whom you helped talk bad about you because they expected a lot more than what they asked for. What do you do with this situation? Don’t get stuck on a pity party, move on.

There many more things that are not talked about in the non-profit world but are very real once you are in the arena of charitable organizations. Once you weather all of these, you may be able to create a legacy that will continue on long after you’re gone. It’s like a garden, you cultivate the soil, plant the seeds and take of the plants on a regular basis. So after all the hard work and endurance, you may find yourself sitting at a beach looking at the horizon asking God what else you can do in the future.

Merlin Gonzales is an Author, a Church/Ministry consultant, a teacher, a preacher and conference speaker who developed the concept of “Mission Trip in Your Own Backyard” and “Incubating Self-Sustained Food Pantries.” Contact him at [email protected] for assessment of your ministry.