MBWA

I have come across many books and seminars on leadership since I began my ministry in 1976. Some were great, others not-so-great. But one principle which has stuck with me is known as MBWA – Management by Wandering Around. The concept is simple, get out of the office, ivory tower, cubicle or wherever you have your workstation, and wander around the area where the actual work is being done. In that way, you get to interact face to face with those in your team and actually see what is happening in their sphere of influence and work areas.

This is even more important today as we have become even more isolated coming out of Covid. We rely on social distancing, keeping away from people and “zooming” or “facetiming” or “skyping”. No there is nothing wrong with these activities at all! They have allowed us to cobble together ways of communicating even from a distance. I have had zoom meetings with people from all over the world right from my desk in Georgetown, Texas.

Now as we think of the people that the Lord places in our lives, or whom we have yet to meet but divine intersections are to come up… I think we need to have a heads up and change the MBWA from Management to Ministry by Wandering Around.

As we go about our day be it at the grocery store or a restaurant or even a walk in the park, wherever we are there are numerous opportunities for Gospel interactions. At a restaurant? Ask the server their name and how you could be in prayer for them. At a grocery store? ASK the person next to you in the checkout line what challenges they are facing and how you could pray for them. The same for the checkout person. When someone calls you or comes to your door? ASK them how you could pray for them and what they think of Jesus.

You will find people today are hiding the hurts and challenges they are facing, and most will welcome the invitation for you to pray for them and become engaged in their life. You will then find amazing ways in which you can bring ministry to them in prayer, helps, witness, showing compassion, and sharing God’s love.

Where will you wander to this week? Will you keep your eyes and ears open for ministry opportunities simply by asking? Go ahead, try it – see how the Lord will open doors to hurting hearts and give you words through the power of His Holy Spirit to meet the need right then and there.

From now on, therefore, we regard no one according to the flesh. Even though we once regarded Christ according to the flesh, we regard him thus no longer. Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation; that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation. Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. (2 Cor. 5:16-21, ESV)

Steve Cohen is the founder of Apple of His Eye

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