Ministry 101- A word of Advice

I was doing a study recently and a question was asked- Suppose you were to mentor a young woman headed for ministry, what would be my advice to her? Here are my thoughts:

1. Your Motive: Be sure you heard from God and that He is your source for validation, security and instruction. That is fundamental and will be tested through bad opportunities and good ones.
2. Ministry is more of who you are than what you do: Your character matters. A lot. Who you are will always outlast what you do. Who you are will ALWAYS show.
3. Wait on the Lord for your specific assignment- Knowing exactly what you are called to do will help you to do ministry without internal and external struggles and insecurities. Waiting on God for your ministry and assignment puts you in the position of constant dependence on God, and inadvertently, success.
4. Don’t despise the process- Everyone whom God has truly called will go through a process. The process, though not easy and on many occasions painful will refine you, settle you and mature you to handle the weight of the responsibility of Ministry. As a Bible teacher once said, allow God to ‘cook’ you well.
5. Your FAMILY has to buy-in to the vision and calling. This is essential. When your family members are carried along, you can do phenomenal things together, when they are not it causes unnecessary heartache and it limits you. A lot.
6. Don’t impose your calling on your family: Don’t shove your calling down their throat. Give them the dignity and the respect to process the vision and its implications. This demonstrates that their feelings are important to you.
7. Be there for them first: Let your family know that you are a good Dad, Mom, husband wife, daughter, son, sister and brother first before they identify with you as a man or woman of God- This gives your ministry credibility to the people that matter most- Your family.
8. Trust God for, and find an INNER CIRCLE- Your inner circle is the close friends, associates and advisors you surround yourself with. They have your ‘ears’, and they should have your back. Your inner circle is crucial to your success and effectiveness in ministry.
9. Make knowing God’s character and His ways your priority- That’s your primary assignment.
10. Let Wisdom be your best friend- Ministry is about people. It takes a lot of wisdom to deal with people. Wisdom will help you to deal with people.
11. Lastly, never forget that ministry is about God’s greatest treasure- PEOPLE. The moment you start to value buildings, programmes, money, ambition, church growth, etc above the life and well being of PEOPLE, you are no longer in ministry. You’re doing merchandise. God will hold you accountable.

As I reflected over this, I have come to the realization that Ministry- ie Service and Leadership in Church is a trust. It is not taken lightly by God, and not to be taken lightly by men.