Thriving, Not Just Surviving in VUCA Times

On January 31, 2023, we saw our minsters and leaders gathered once again for 2TiP to be empowered by Rev Chip Ingram.

What would you expect to hear from a veteran teaching pastor with an international ministry on thriving in VUCA (Volatility, Uncertainty, Complexity and Ambiguity) times?

More than a feel-good pep talk, the second 2TiP of 2023 was a time of divine encouragement, spiritual feeding and fresh perspective for pastors to stay faithful to the core mandate of the church—disciple-making. Sharing his own struggles with depression during the pandemic, Rev Chip gave three personally proven strategies to use when we are feeling depressed:

1. Work Out and Get Sweaty

Exercise and sweating cause the secretion of endorphins—the feel-good hormones in our body. This helps to improve our mood and lift us out of the dark feelings we are feeling.

2. Sing Praises Out Loud

When we are depressed, we tend to be self-focused on our problems. Worship shifts our perspective and God does supernatural things when we praise Him! Amazingly, “Holy Forever,” one of the songs sang during the 2TiP’s worship time, was a divine encouragement to Rev Chip. Written by his son during COVID-19, this song had also ministered to him greatly when he was depressed.

3. Find Someone Who is Hurting Worse and Help Them

During the pandemic, churches who were involved in reaching out saw growth. At the start of COVID-19, Rev Chip had connected with an overseas pastor to offer his help. During the training session, the local pastors asked poignant questions about how the pandemic had taken away lives of their loved ones and their discouragement in the ministry. Out of this, Rev Chip was able to develop a “What Now? What Next?” sermon series, which blessed thousands of pastors globally!

Besides practical tips, Rev Chip also expounded on James 1:2-12. From this first epistle recorded in the early church, James encouraged the believers during a time of suffering and severe persecution. These spiritual principles were unpacked and laid out in his booklet “The A.R.T. of Survival in An Age of Chaos.” Some highlights shared from his booklet during 2TiP:

• Attitude

James 1:2 “Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds.”

James’ first recommendation to people going through an horrendous crisis was for them to make a choice about their attitudes. We could choose to see ourselves as victims of our circumstances or we could choose to not give up.

• Resource

James 1:5-6b “If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you. But when you ask, you must believe and not doubt…”

God will give us the resources and the help needed, but we must choose to obey His directions. Rejection of His instructions and failure to obey is equivalent to doubting God.

• Theology

James 1:9-10 “Believers in humble circumstances ought to take pride in their high position. But the rich should take pride in their humiliation—since they will pass away like a wildflower.”

Poverty can make us dependent on God’s help but wealth tends to cause us to be self-reliant for solutions. God is near to the broken-hearted. He dwells with the contrite and lowly in spirit. Dependence on God is the spiritual posture to have.

The pandemic has been described by some as “The Great Revealer.” Churches around the world have had to face the reality about their spiritual condition. Instead of Christlikeness and faith-filled responses, we saw immaturity and arguments about money, mask-wearing, and politics. Though churches are good at growing churches, we have not been good at making disciples. God has lessons for us all in the pandemic. May churches not go back to pre-COVID-19 ways but instead allow the painful lessons learned in the past years to move us forward towards effective disciple-making. Who are the disciples you are investing in right now?