I coach my son's basketball team of fifth- and sixth-graders. After four games, we carried a one win, three losses record. Dejection and desperation began to appear—but only in the coaching staff. The boys continued to have a blast.

Last week, we introduced a change to the offense designed to help us score more points. Just a slight shift—two boys ran to spots about ten feet away from their usual positions. The impact of this change was tremendous. We won.

The team huddled up after the game to share high fives and smiles. One player spoke words that nearly left my co-coach and me in tears of joy: "Our new offense was great!" I sure hope all the boys' parents heard.

It's tempting to avoid introducing "new" components into ministry because they pose a leadership challenge, isn't it? The ministry weekend is much easier if everything remains the same. But just as a basketball team walks onto the court to do more than just run around, ministry teams enter the weekend with a purpose ...