Archive for the ‘Ministry’ Category

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So, You Think God is Calling You into Pastoral Ministry

Tuesday, July 6th, 2010

I received an e-mail from a young man who sensed God’s call to become a pastor.  He felt like he was at an impasse, not having much money and needing guidance on where, when and how to answer this call.  I thought perhaps my response could be helpful to others.

If God has laid this on your heart and gifted you to be a pastor, it will be a matter of timing for it to come to fruition.  God does not always bring about what He calls us to do immediately.   Look at examples in Scripture … Moses, the 12 disciples (spent 3 years with Jesus), Paul. 

If God has laid this on your heart and gifted you accordingly, He will provide for what is His will.  Do not let a lack of money deter pursuit of God’s will in your life.  Learn early on that pastoral ministry is not a means of “great gain” (1 Tim. 6:3-10).  It is waiting on Him and trusting Him to bring about His desires.  If you don’t learn to do that now, you could find pastoral ministry very difficult.  You must patiently wait on the Lord so that ministry is about Him and done according to Him.  It is not about you and your ideas.  It is His church.  He is the Head.

If God has laid this on your heart and gifted you accordingly, He will prepare you to serve in this way.  While this will undoubtedly include formal training, His preparation will involve so much more. 

The “where, when, and how” will fall into place and be more obvious when He has more fully prepared you and it is His timing.  Let me caution you against trying to make it happen or thinking others can tell you all this.  God will make it clear when the time is right.  Look at examples in Scripture.  God did not reveal all ahead of time.  (Ex. – Abraham – Gen. 12:1 – “The Lord had said to Abram, ‘Leave your country, your people and your father’s household and go to the land I will show you.’”  God merely told him to go.  He didn’t provide all the details.)  We step out in obedience one step at a time as God directs us.  We must be faithful in what He has given us now and trust Him for what is to come.

Following are some suggestions to begin doing now.  If God is calling you into pastoral ministry, these things will serve to intensify that prompting in your heart.  If that doesn’t happen, you should question if it really is God’s leading or simply an emotional reaction or self-imposed expectations.

  1. Spend time in God’s Word and in prayer consistently.  You need to be in tune with the Lord, to know His heart and ways, which will be a guiding factor now and in future ministry.  If you do not learn to constantly rely on God now, it will cut into ministry effectiveness. (See Jn. 15:1-7, especially verse 5 where Jesus said “Apart from me you can do nothing.”)
  2. Ask God to continually search your heart (Ps. 139:23-24) and mold you to be the person with qualities in 1 Timothy 3:1-7 and Titus 1:5-9.  Character is very important in pastoral ministry.
  3. Ask God to continue to prepare in your heart a love for Him and His people.  According to Matthew 22:37-40, love is the greatest in God’s book.  According to 1 Corinthians 13:1-3, without love, you have and gain nothing.  According to 2 Corinthians 5:14-15, love is what should compel us. Jesus told Peter, “If you love me, feed my sheep” (Jn. 21:15-17).  Pastoral ministry needs to grow out of a love for God which spills over into a love for people.  If you are having a hard time loving anyone, work that out now through His power and grace.
  4. Take time to specifically study God’s design and purpose for the church.  A pastor needs a philosophy of ministry based on the Word of God.
  5. Involve yourself in a variety of ministry opportunities to get hands-on experience of the various facets of church ministry.  A pastor has a servant’s heart.  You are not going to be a servant if you do not serve.  (Mk. 10:42-45; Lk. 9:23-26; Jn. 13:1-17; Phil. 2:5-8)  Being an example, which is part of this calling, should begin now. (1 Pet. 5:1-4; 1 Tim. 4:11-16)
  6. Seek out a respected pastor who would be willing to take you under his wings, to mentor/disciple you.  This will help to give you a realistic view of pastoral ministry and it will also give opportunity for someone else to observe you and identify evidence of God’s calling.  If God is the One calling you to pastoral ministry, certainly others will recognize God’s hand in your life this way.  We have the example of Paul and Timothy and others Paul took under his wings.  Also see Proverbs 11:14, 15:22, 20:18.
  7. Begin now to offer pastoral care to others and to communicate God’s Word to others.  You do not need a title or position to begin using gifts He has given you.  The more you do, the more this passion should develop within you if God is calling you to pastoral ministry.  (Gal. 6:1-5; 2 Tim. 2:24-26)

As you do these things, God will be preparing you for any specific ministry He has in mind for you when the time is right  — character / heart preparation, philosophical preparation, and skill preparation.

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A Holistic Approach in Ministry

Wednesday, June 30th, 2010

In response to a question about what the greatest commandment is, Jesus said to “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength” (Mk. 12:30).  He created us with a body, mind, soul, and heart.  We are “fearfully and wonderfully made,” knitted and woven together when we were made by Him (Ps. 139:13-14).

Here are some implications for ministry:

  1. God wants to use all of who we are when we serve.  Combining all these parts is a guide to how we could best serve based on His design of our lives.  It’s what we can call our ministry profile.
  2. God wants us to care about the whole person in those we serve.  Remember the second greatest commandment?  We are to love others as we love ourselves (Mk. 12:31).  Just as we attend to the whole of who we are, so we should care for the whole person of those whom we serve.  As a church we can get caught up in ministering to the spirit.

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I Know Some Servants

Monday, June 28th, 2010

With the Spiritual Gift of Hospitality

to warmly welcome people, even strangers, into one’s home or church as a means of serving those in need of food or lodging

Servant #1: She enjoyed hosting a small group in her home but when asked to lead the group, became frustrated and discouraged.  When simply hosting, she eagerly focused on making sure people were comfortable and had what they needed.  When facilitating the group, she tended to be more anxious and unsure of herself.

Servant #2:  She was there watching for me every week when I was a guest speaker at her church’s Sunday School for a series of lessons.  She not only genuinely welcomed me, but offered for me to sit with her and her husband during the worship service.  She introduced me to others within the body.  And, she often invited me to lunch after the service.

Servant #3:  He was often one of the first to spot a visitor and extend a hand of welcome.  He quickly put people at ease by his warm smile and kind words.  He helped them find their way around the church and answered any questions they had.  Here’s the catch: Nobody asked him to do these things.  

All of these servants took pleasure in using their spiritual gift of hospitality.  It is what they enjoyed and did well.  They offered “hospitality to one another without grumbling” (1 Pet. 4:9).

Lesson to Be Learned:

When doing what lines up with our spiritual gifting, pulling on His power, we are energized to serve.  When serving outside of our gifting, it is so much easier to grumble and complain, to get frustrated or discouraged.  When serving in accordance with His divine empowerment, we will tend to serve with enthusiasm, cheerfulness, and diligence.

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Pastors & Ministry Leaders: Lead by Example

Tuesday, June 22nd, 2010

I often find myself suggesting that leaders must lead the way by the example of their lives, not simply through their words or decision-making and planning efforts.  Through my many years of involvement in the church, I have seen both the good and bad in leaders.  The power of leaders leading by example was often seen in the outcome.

The effective leaders were those who set a good example, modeling Christ-like attitudes as well as godly behavior. 

The ineffective leaders were those with integrity breaks who told people one thing but did another.

Here are some examples on the MinTools.com site of where I write of the need for pastors and leaders to lead by example:

Training, being equipped to serve:  The first tip in an article providing Teacher Training Tips and Resources is “Training Begins with Leadership.”  I wrote, “If leaders are not convinced of the need to personally become better equipped in ministry, they will have a harder time convincing teachers of its importance. As they exhibit a humble, teachable spirit, teachers will come to realize that everyone needs to learn and grow, including them.”

Fellowship, relating with and building up one another:  In looking at causes for the declining of true fellowship in the church I wrote, “Pastors and ministry leaders must participate in fellowship with the Body as well, leading the way, if they expect others to follow suit.   It is so easy for pastors and ministry leaders to engage in fellowship with fellow staff and rarely with fellow church members.  People need to see both in leadership.”

Prayer Life, regularly communicating with our heavenly Father:  In the Prayer Ministry section of the site I wrote that we need to “Model what it means to have a lifestyle of prayer.”  “The impact of modeling an effective prayer life is seen in the life of Christ. After observing the priority and passion Jesus had in spending time with the Father, one of His disciples initiated a request to learn to pray.”

Worship, revering God as the One True God, the Sovereign Lord:  In the Worship Ministry section of the site I wrote that worship leaders must “Set the example in your own life of humbling yourself before Him so as to lead the way for the congregation. (See 2 Chron. 20:18 for an example.)”

Leading by example, however, isn’t something that should happen simply because of observation of church leadership effectiveness.  The concept of pastors and ministry leaders modeling the Christian life is:

biblical.  -  1 Pet. 5:2-3

Leadership is not lording our authority over people but being an example to them.

a matter of accountability.  -  Matt. 23

Jesus had some harsh words for the religious leaders of His day who did “not practice what they preach.”

commonsense.  -  Matt. 7:3-5

We aren’t going to see clearly where to take people if we aren’t going there ourselves.

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