Ministry hoarding

Just in case...
I'll keep the bag full of bicycle inner-tubes.
I'll keep any spare scripture books from the last decade.
I'll keep that pile of cloth.
I'll keep every prop used in a talk.
I'll keep the outline of every scripture lesson I've ever done.

I mentioned here that those in youth ministry have access to a lot of stuff. If I don't have something, no matter how obscure, I'll be able to track it down in a few phone calls or a shout out on Facebook.

The reason? Those in ministry hoard. Everything. We've ever used. Just that one time.

I do it. BIG TIME.

I'm go guilty of ministry hoarding that the pile of stuff I bring with me to each church has exponentially grown after each position.

And you encounter the negatives of this when you arrive at a new place and notice that they also have a lot of... crap stuff.

Things which were kept but, to fresh eyes, is actually rubbish.
Things which you can imagine no discernible purpose.
Computer files kept from the time when clip-art was cutting edge visual media.

Tomorrow one of my main jobs is to catalogue all the stuff that my new church has accumulated over the many years of youth ministry.

For I would hate to buy a dozen ping pong balls or manilla folders and then find out that there is a stack of them in a miscellaneous storage cupboard...