Are You Ready for Ministry?

I have worked in Christian ministries for over 25 years. In that time, I have founded two media ministries, including my current ministry, Flannelgraph Ministries. Over the years, I’ve had many people come to me and ask me about how to start a ministry. Some wanted to do mission’s work while others desired to pursue a video, television or music ministry. At the time, I gave them my best advice. But I’ve had time to reflect on this and really give it some thought. I think I’ve learned a thing or two over the past few years. I certainly have made my share of mistakes.

Here’s what God’s revealed to me about ministry and maybe you will find it helpful.

1. Your relationship with God is essential. This is the foundation. If your relationship is not fresh and current and daily with God, your ministry will not produce fruit. You must spend time with God and allow the Holy Spirit to control your actions and motives. A mail-in approach to Christianity will not be sufficient.

2. Make absolutely certain that you are called to do the ministry that you believe you are called to do. Callings are a tricky thing. It’s amazing how we can convince ourselves that we have heard from God. But in reality we are only responding to what we want to do. I believe God has a plan for each of our lives. How we discover that plan and our calling is a difficult process. In some cases, it can take years to fully realize and understand.

I recommend reading Experiencing God, Knowing and Doing the Will of God, by Henry T. Blackaby and Claude V. King. This is a fabulous resource. Usually discovering your calling always requires you to adjust your plans to fit where God is at work. The bottom line is make sure, absolutely crystal clear, that you are called to be in the right ministry.

3. Get the right people around you. You need people who believe in you and your vision. Remember this isn’t your vision, it’s God’s vision. The worst thing you can do when you start a ministry is to get people who don’t understand that vision. They may be on board with some of the vision, and you think that’s ok. Believe me you will be headed for trouble. When I first put a board together, we were looking for people who could fill seats and help us raise money. Frankly, we would have been better off if we had empty seats and no money. If God’s called you to ministry, he will lead you to the right people who will embrace your vision. Don’t settle for less. You’ll save yourself a lot of grief.

4. Prayer is the foundational rock. Your ministry must be built on prayer. Over the years, I have failed at this. I realize at times prayer seems to be inconvenient. Getting everybody together at one place and one time can be challenging. I hope you learn from my mistakes and experiences when I tell you it is essential to pray with your staff every morning. Find the time. Make the time. Just do it. How do you expect God to bless your efforts if you don’t invite him into the process.

Prayer must be a commitment, a choice. When you commit to daily prayer, watch out. There will be a million distractions and reasons why not to pray. Don’t be like me and start out daily and then weekly prayer and then whenever you can squeeze it in. When you take this approach, your ministry is finished.

5. Learn to deal with conflict. Many young people believe that ministry or working in a church is some form of utopia or heaven on earth. Let me be clear. That is not the case. The same problems that exist in the world exist in the church. Yes. You will, even with the best intentions, hurt people and, in turn, they will hurt you. Petty differences are often the seeds that destroy ministries because people cannot and do not want to deal with conflict. My best advice is learn to forgive and move on.

6. Protect the vision. If God gave you the ministry and the vision, your duty and responsibility is to protect it. As sure as the sun comes up, there will be people who will come along and try to slightly modify your vision. There will be plenty of justification and reasons why this is a better way. But the question is, “Is this from God?” There is a fine line to walk. If your relationship is not solid with the Lord and your life under the control of the Holy Spirit, how will you know how to protect the vision?

I have realized over the years that God can give you a vision, and it can be enhanced or changed as time goes on. You just have to realize if you are on the right course. There’s no question that you want to allow people to speak into the vision but not change it. Remember, everybody will have an opinion, but is it the right one? Varying just one degree off course may not seem like a lot in the beginning. But as time goes by, that small misdirection can lead you in a direction in which you can no longer see the original purpose of your ministry. You usually do this by making small compromises to the vision. But one day you will wake up and realize you don’t even recognize your own ministry. By then it’s too late. It’s not a question if you are going to, it’s only a matter of time that you will lose your ministry.

7. Don’t make your ministry your god. It’s amazing how easily as humans we engage in idol worship. Yes, your ministry can become your god. The Lord is always interested in having a relationship with you. That is his number one priority. How many people in ministry have failed at this? Is putting in countless hours away from our families what God wants? If we fail in our relationship and our responsibility to minister to our spouse and children, we have failed. So what have we accomplished if we reach the world but loose our families in the process? If you want God to bless your work and your ministry, your priorities must be correct and properly ordered.

8. Don’t develop tunnel vision. This is a trap that so many people in ministry fall into—when you believe your ministry is the most important thing on the planet. Without you, the Kingdom of God and heaven would go out of business and have to post a for sale sign. Believe me, God can get the job done without you. No part of the Body of Christ is more important than the home. We all play a part, and we must recognize that. God wants us to work together. That includes ministries, parachurch organizations and churches. Remember it’s not our deal, it’s God’s deal.

9. The end does not justify the means. We all have a destination—the great thing we want to do for God. And that sounds great. But do you know what God is really interested in? The journey or the process, it’s how we get there that really counts. There are times in ministry where it is convenient or justifiable to cut a few corners or make a few decision that’s perhaps in a bit of a grey area. It’s easy to justify because of the greater good. It may not necessarily be illegal, but morally that’s another question. Don’t take the easy way out. It’s always hard to do the right thing, especially when money is involved. And most of these kinds of decisions will always involve money.

10. Trust God! Sounds easy but it’s the hardest thing to do. When times are tough, do we trust God? Or do we call a board member to pull us out of a jam? God requires our faithfulness. He wants us to trust him for the impossible. But this requires us to stretch our faith and move into areas that are uncomfortable. God always wants the glory, and that doesn’t happen unless we allow him to move supernaturally. We can make our move, but it won’t be from God. We must allow God the opportunity to move. This is essential for ministries to be fruitful. It’s quite possible that your ministry will look successful. But remember, God has a different view of success than we do.

Final thought—learn from my mistakes. Believe me, I wish someone had given me this advice years ago. What a difference it would have made. But like so many people, I had to learn it the hard way. I hope you don’t have to.