when DRAMA strikes

Drama...if you have lead a student or college ministry for more than 2 months you have experienced it. Drama shows up because we lead people and people bring drama. You can't avoid it and you really can't prepare for it. This past week we had drama show up in our student ministry's and like always it showed up at a not so convenient time. One of our small group leaders (who is amazing) sent me a text and asked for prayer and advice and we worked through it. We never want drama but the maturity of our ministry will be tested when it comes. When drama strikes here are a few reminders...

• Don't react, slow down and think // This is so important. Drama in our culture moves and spreads fast. Refuse to join in the fray. Stop and think instead of giving in to the pressure to respond.
• Limit digital conversations // When drama comes text messaging and Facebook conversations really can get messy. It is so difficult to communicate your heart digitally. Make sure real conversations happen so you get the real story. Talking is much better than typing when drama hits.
• Pray for God to be honored // Making drama disappear is not the goal...life change it the goal. Teens and college kids trapped by poor decisions need us to pray for them more than they need our advice. We forget so often that Jesus is the solution, not our advice.
• Listen more than you talk // Most of the time we just need to be available and ready to listen. Give advice but make sure you are listening more than talking. Many times if we do all the talking we can just make the drama bigger.
• Use drama to point people to Jesus // This is our place in the drama story...we constantly need to point people to Scripture and to Jesus. We step into drama and work to bring clarity!

What are some things you do when drama erupts in your ministry?