Did you know that we didn’t always have the standard seat belts we have currently in our cars? Up until 1959, the standard seat belt was a lap belt that just went across your lap. That was until car maker Volvo changed everything. They created the 1st ever three-point seatbelt that covered you lap AND your chest. It wasn’t until 1968 when this new seatbelt became mandatory in all American cars.
Whenever a new idea is created, the creator stands to earn a lot of money from it because they typically hold the patent for that product. Then, anyone who wants to use that, has to pay the creator a fee to use it. But, did you know that Volvo actually GAVE AWAY their 1962 patent for their revolutionary seat belt for FREE? It’s true! They could have made so much money by keeping the patent all to themselves. But they choose to share. Why would they do this?
The reason why they gave it away for free was because the company wanted to save lives. They decided this invention was too important to keep to themselves and they shared their resource to everyone else for FREE! And since then countless lives have been saved.
So how does this relate to ministry and leadership? Just as Vovlo shared their resources, we should share resources. You should share your ministry resources. After all, when you do something great for the glory of the Lord and it is something that is reproducible, give it away and let others use it. Life.Church Open Resources does a fantastic job at this. They have a ton of resources they GIVE AWAY for FREE because they want to help the “Big C” Church. And they have, not just with online resources and tools but with family, children’s, student ministries as well. They also have plenty of leadership resources as well.
Ministry is not a competition. We are all desire for people to come to know Jesus as their savior. That is why it is so important that if you have ministry resources that can be helpful to other Churches or ministries you share them. Share your ministry resources. Share your stories. Who knows how it will help and encourage others.
What ministry resources have you created that you can share with someone else? How can you use them to help and encourage other ministries? Share your ideas below or on social media.
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