Ministry & Church Management: A Few Words of Encouragement

Let me speak to you who have been in ministry awhile and it isn't working for you. Some here have been in the ministry awhile, and you've been faking it. Let me tell you how to overcome it. Quit faking it and start working it! You're a co- laborer with God, which means that God works and at the same time YOU have to work. You have to do whatever it takes to make a go of your ministry. 

You're going to stand before the Lord in the future and give account for your ministry. If it was easy to be effective in the ministry, and there were no trials and tribulations, and you were so qualified, you had no problems, a perfect marriage, perfect kids, plenty of money, and you just went into the ministry and had a mega-church, if it just happened like that, there would be no reward for you!  

There's not a single person who doesn't have to really struggle with himself to fulfill the ministry that he received in the Lord (Colossians 4:19). It's one of the greatest struggles in life. You have to overcome your flesh, overcome your past, over come your doubts, overcome your criticizers and the nay-sayers, and you have to overcome defeatism, rejection and complacency. But it is the most fulfilling life a person can live, in Heaven or on earth.  

You're going to make mistakes, and you can learn from the mistakes of other people around you, and from those who have gone before you. You can learn from the mistakes of those who have written books telling you what to do and what not to do. But they can't make the mistakes for you. You will still go out and make your own mistakes.  

If you've been in the ministry and it's not working for you, here’s how simple it is:

You're not inviting people to come in and when people DO come in, you're not ministering hope to them. You may be giving fine information and deep and correct theology, but you're not reaching the heart. You can't reach the heart by overfilling the head. 

What's the secret? We see the success of other churches, other pastors and wonder what do they have? There is no secret, just hard work. What did the Apostle Paul  say? There's the blessing of God and there's work. 1 Corinthians 15:10 says, “But by the grace of God I am what I am: and his grace which was bestowed upon me was not in vain; but I labored more abundantly than they all: yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me.” 

You can't be successful in ministry with a year at a time commitment. “Let's give it a year and see what happens.” Don't waste your time. What, God can't work in a year? It's not that. The “let's try it for a year and if it doesn't work, I'm outta here” is a failure attitude. God will never bless that attitude. God never blesses tentativeness. You pray, make a decision, make a commitment and then pay the price. Say, I'll do whatever it takes to bring to pass the word o God in this church.” That's the attitude that God blesses and that people will follow. 

The secret is commitment and work. It's not something magical or something you can't do. Those who are giving lip service aren't going to be blessed and are going to have to give more lip service as the years go by, or face up to the fact that you're not going to have the attitude that God can bless. It's not that you can't do it, it's a choice that you make.  

If you choose not to pay the price, then choose that and admit it, and that's ok. Not everyone is going to pay the price to be blessed in their church and ministry, but they can still love the Lord and be Christians. We will be disappointed, but you still can make that choice.  

What if some people threaten to quit? Let them go. People quit on Jesus, too. He just let them go. Don't get mad at them and don't burn any bridges. They probably will go out there, check out other churches for two or three months and then come right back. Your church is home to them. They may become your greatest allies. You can't tell who will be a supporter and who will come against you.  

Preach the gospel, give people hope, and love them. Just keep doing it. And pray a lot. Enjoy the ministry, enjoy the people and have a good time doing it.

How do you get them to accept you as a leader? Do what needs to be done, no matter who should be doing it and isn't. When they see that you're going to do what needs to be done, they will realize you're a leader because you're going to minister whether they cooperate or not, you're going to go ahead anyway. When they know beyond a reasonable doubt that you're going to be obedient to God and fulfill your promises and commitment with a good attitude, they will recognize that you're a leader. 

Your church isn't the reason you're successful in the ministry. That's a decision YOU make. “I'm here because I have such great people.” No, you need to decide that you're going to be here whether your people are great or not, you're going to be here because God told you to go where you are and to do what you're doing and now you're doing it! 

Don't get hung up on trying to have a huge church. Do what God says, and realize He's going to put you in a situation where you're going to grow because you grow when you have to struggle. When you quit struggling, you stop growing. People need to see you're working hard, working long and having the time of your life. If they see you up and down, complaining, whining and not doing what you say the church ought to do, they see you as a phony. To be a leader, you have to be good for your word, you have to do the things you're telling them to do, and do what you ought to do. You set the example for your people.  

You do important things first, set your priorities and do least important things last.  

You're not out there to give people the most information. People aren't dying for more information. Your primary job isn't to dispense deep theology. We're out there to bring people hope. Faith, hope and charity – that's the business we're in. The faith, hope and love business.  

People need hope. Hope for their lives hope for their children, hope for their relationships, hope for their future, hope for themselves, hope in God. Make sure they feel faith, that they get hope and know they are loved. People will not only come back for more, they will tell their friends and bring them along, too. It's exciting to bring hope. We need to be excited, and to tell people was well as show people we are excited about life. That abundant life is good and that we're pleased with it. 

Promote and edify your church. Talk it up. Talk your people up. People, brag on your church and your pastor. All the time. To his face and behind his back.  

Bring in people yourself, Pastor. Witness, brag on your church, your people and build up the person you're talking to. Tell them how much you would like to have them in your church. Most people have never had anyone do that, or invite them anywhere. Bring in 15 or 20 people over the next year and see what happens in your church. The excitement level will build, and that 15 or 20 will bring in another 15 or 20. Could that happen? Could your people begin doing what you're doing?  Be proud of your church and your people. 

You can't force people to love you as a pastor. You can't force people to submit to you as a leader. But what you can do is to love them, serve them and set the example for them to follow. That's what Paul did. 1 Corinthians 4:16 “Wherefore I beseech you, be ye followers of me.” 1 Corinthians 11:1  “Be ye followers of me, even as I also am of Christ.” Can YOU say that? Of course! Follow Christ and then invite others to follow your example. 

That's the biggest thing you can do. When you set the example, they will WANT you to serve them. Why? Because they'll believe you know God in a way that they don't and they'll want to know Him like you do. Why do they believe that? Because you're setting the example. You're being a disciple, you're paying the price. 

So, bring in 15 to 20 in a year, people who are like you. People you relate to, can communicate with and are interested in what you're interested in. You can relax around these kinds of people, and feel confident as you lead them. When they begin to bring in their friends, it will be easy for you to relate to them, because they are already friends with people like you. You have to relate to people and like people to make it in the ministry.

That’s it. As we discover these things and bathe them in prayer, God will cleanse our hearts and purify our minds, and bring to pass the ministries He created for us from the foundation of the world.

Copyright Steven L. Davis  www.SteveDavis.org