Wouldn’t it be great if every ministry has a very detailed handbook with step-by-step instructions for any and all situations? It would certainly be easier! I joined the children’s ministry when I was 14 years old. You can just imagine how much I wish I knew then some of the things I know now. Read the first 3 things I wish I knew before joining the ministry. Then read the next 3 below.
4. Lead leaders.
Raise disciples. Turn them into leaders. Lead leaders.
We can’t do the ministry alone, but it’s just as hard if you don’t have leaders leading the ministry with you. Jethro gave his son-in-law, Moses, very good advice in Exodus 18. Everyone was coming to Moses with their problems and disputes, and it was wearing Moses down. Jethro told him to choose capable and trustworthy men who fear God to serve as officials and judges over the people.
Divide and delegate the responsibility among leaders. Capable and trustworthy leaders who fear God. Who can think and decide for themselves. Who will consult you on bigger issues. Who will carry the load of the ministry with you.
5. Ministry is messy.
In every way. It gets messy when you’re on diaper duty, or cleaning up after a youth game night, or a putting together a women’s potluck dinner. It also gets messy when volunteers fight, or hook up then breakup, or when someone is hurt. It’s messy when you have to eat a bitter humble pie. Or you have to serve it.
Ministry is messy because people are involved and people are messy. There’s no other away around it. We can do all the training in the world, attend every class and conference, and read every guidebook, but we’ll never be completely 100% ready. We have a lot of the same problems, but because every person, ministry, and church is unique, so are the issues we face and the reactions that we’d get.
We should prepare ourselves as much as we can. Learn problem-solving skills. Read management techniques. Practice confrontations. But also remember that we can’t anticipate everything. There are some things we’ll end up learning by experience. Therefore pray, pray, pray. God is the only way we can navigate the mess.
6. I must constantly be learning.
The ministry requires continuing education. Like the medical field. There are new medicines, procedures, etc. that nurses and doctors have to keep up with. The ministry changes as people and cultures change. We don’t just need to continue to study the Bible. We need to study the ministry.
What are the latest statistics? What are the trends? What new curriculum is out there? They matter.
We shouldn’t jump into every bandwagon. We need to carefully and dutifully inspect what we bring into the ministry, what we take out, and what stays. What works best in reaching our goals and mission? We need to figure that out, which we can’t do without updated facts.
For example, the community your church is in might have changed demographics or economic status. One year can change a city. Are you still reaching the people around you with what you’ve been doing five years ago? Generations change, too. How can you best relate with the people you serve?
God doesn’t change. His Word doesn’t change. His timeless Truths are just that, timeless. They don’t change. But the way we present the Truth changes. If the Truth is an actual mail or package, the delivery method constantly changes. From telegrams to snail mail to email to texts. From coaches to FedEx to instant download.
We need to be learning all the time so we can deliver the Truth in relevant ways.
Have you found these 3 things to be true to you?
Check back next week for the last 4 things.
2 thoughts on “10 Things I Wish I Knew Before Joining the Ministry (Part 2)”