What does it take for a church leader to be prepared for ministry? Can we ever be truly prepared?
Preparation Should Begin with an Understanding of the Basics
To effectively lead God’s Church, we need to understand God’s intent:
- His Purpose for the Church to love Him with all our hearts and to love others
- God’s Design for the Church to function interdependently as a body
- God’s Mission for the Church to go and make disciples
- His Heart for the Church that we be Christ-like in both character and conduct
- God’s Power for the Church to accomplish all we do by and through His strength and His resources
Realize, however that we need to apply these basics to ministry. We must see the connection between what we know from God’s Word and specific tasks and issues church leaders face.
Preparation Through Formal Training
To prepare for ministry we could go to Bible College or Seminary where we can earn a bachelor’s degree, Master of Arts, or Master of Divinity. Or, perhaps we could take some correspondence or online courses about the Bible and how to do ministry. We could attend conferences and receive ongoing ministry training through our church.
Learning God’s Word is important (2 Tim. 2:15; 3:16-17) and getting equipped for ministry (Eph. 4:11-12) is beneficial, but will it truly prepare us for ministry? So often a great divide exists between book learning and real-life ministry. Even if blessed to have taken courses with practical assignments, projects, and other hands-on learning experiences, no amount of training will ever thoroughly prepare us for everything we encounter in ministry.
Get Prepared for Ministry But Expect the Unexpected
God wants us to give Him our best (1 Cor. 10:31) which very well may mean some training to equip us. But, we must always remember that effective ministry ultimately isn’t dependent on our backgrounds and education. God is the One who changes lives and grows His Church (1 Cor. 3:7).
So, if we encounter the unexpected, for which we’re unprepared, we don’t have to let it discourage or disillusion us. Our knowledge and ability to articulate what we know aren’t the Source of power by which we effectively serve.
Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight. (Prov. 3:5-6)
Jesus said, “If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.” (Jn. 15:5)
I can do all this through him who gives me strength. (Phil. 4:13)
His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. (2 Pet. 1:3)
Our training isn’t the foundation on which we stand firm in ministry; God is (Ps. 40:2-3). We have a “rock that is higher” than us to whom we can call when our “heart grows faint” (Ps. 61:2).
The Lord is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer; my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold. (Ps. 18:2)
Perhaps the best way to become better prepared for ministry is to refresh our hearts and minds about this Great God on whom we depend. Here are two resources to help: