Some Important Elements in Ministry

Just as a food recipe must be followed to get the right result, there are certain elements that are essential to ministry to make it successful:

1. Communication. You may be a great preacher or orator, but if your day-to-day communication is lacking, you will have a lot of frustrated people around you, as well as yourself. Make it a point to communicate appropriately when someone sends you an email or leaves a message on your machine. Otherwise you are going to find yourself working alone because no one can stand to work with you because of your lack of communicatioin skills.



2. Integrity. Our enemy, Satan, is waiting and watching for opportunities to derail and discredit our ministries. It only takes one misstep for this to happen, so be careful how you handle the personal, business, and financial aspects of your ministry. Be transparent in your finances with lots of accountability so no one can accuse you of being dishonest. If you don't have a system in place for dealing with counseling or being around women, do so now. Don't give rides to women unless there are others in the car with you. Don't counsel women unless you have safeguards in place so nothing can be said that will cast doubt on your life or ministry. Leave a door open when you talk to a woman in your office during business hours, even if it is a staff member. Have your wife or husband help you in this if they are available.



3. Be Compassionate. People are going through things just like you are, so be compassionate and listen to them with an open heart. Concentrate on what they are saying, not what you want to reply. Listen to the person, to God, and then talk if you need to. No one wants to talk to someone who isn't interested in listening to them.



4. Watch Your Schedule. Sort what you are doing by the focus of your ministry, not because you want to feel important by having a lot to do. Think about how Jesus would handle His daily duties if He were here now. If you study the Gospels, you will see that one attribute of Jesus was that He was never too busy to help someone. For example, Jairus and the woman with the issue of blood. Make time for aloneness with God so He can rejuvenate you. Allot time for your family so your ministry doesn't override your family time together. Remember, that your family is a big part of your ministry. If your relationship with your spouse and children are in shambles, how can you be effective in what you are doing for God?



5. Stay close to God. If you are close to God you won't be digging at the last minute for a message to give on Sunday or whenever, He will supply it. If you are so busy you don't have time to prepare your messages, then something is wrong. Is your message a priority or an afterthought each week? God will give you what you need for those under your care if you are close to Him.

These are but five of the many areas that are important in ministry. Ask the Holy Spirit to help you to see what is happening in your ministry from God's point of view. Keep an open, humble heart before God so you can hear what He has to tell you.