The Ministry Table

Being a leader is a challenge; being a leader in ministry is a challenge on another level. 

To be a leader in the church is an honor.

“This is a trustworthy saying: “If someone aspires to be a church leader, he desires an honorable position.”

1 Timothy‬ ‭3‬:‭1‬

We see that leadership is an honorable position and an honor to walk in. There’s something special and humbling about being a leader for God. This responsibility is huge because we represent Jesus to people everywhere. How we lead, how we live, and how respond impacts individuals, families, communities, and beyond. This honor is massive because it’s by grace that we’re saved and that we’re leaders. We’re in the process of becoming more like Jesus and being who He called us to be, while we’re leading others. Being a ministry leader is an adventure of a lifetime and how we end with our legacy matters.

“When clouds are heavy, the rains come down. Whether a tree falls north or south, it stays where it falls.”

Ecclesiastes‬ ‭11‬:‭3‬

When I think of my life, I can’t believe I get to do this. What an honor to serve Jesus in this way.

However, it comes with dynamics that require our faith to be into action.

There’s no doubt as leaders in ministry we will be tested, tried, and challenged. This is true for any leadership position but there’s a difference in ministry. The ministry table presents challenges and opportunities that can cause us to flourish or get stagnate. 

So, here are three ways our faith will be put into action.

1st – We have to keep Jesus first.

Being a leader for Jesus doesn’t mean He’s going to be first in our lives.

This happens all the time when the ministry becomes number one, verses Jesus being number one. Before we’re a leader we’re a child of God. Our identity is being a son or daughter of God. Our temporary role is being a leader. 

In fact, Heaven is our promise because we’re a child of God, redeemed through Jesus. With this truth, we must keep Jesus first in our lives. 

Meaning, we must stay close to Him through prayer, reading the Bible, being accountable to someone, and becoming more like Jesus. This is our mandate personally and it’s what we’re called to do. 

Jesus wants us, period. 

We must remember this and be a child of God first.

2nd – We must forgive others.

This is huge for us in ministry because we will be betrayed, lied about, slandered, blamed for personal problems, accused of nonsense, the scapegoat of their troubles, and more. 

To overcome this we must forgive. 

If we don’t, we’ll be embittered, stuck, and full of wrong things in our hearts.

Furthermore, we’ll miss out on the full potential God has for us. 

To have longevity as a ministry leader will require us to forgive a lot. I mean a lot. But we forgive others not because they deserve it, we forgive because we’ve been forgiven. This is something we preach about but we should walk it out personally as well. 

“Make allowance for each other’s faults, and forgive anyone who offends you. Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others.”

Colossians‬ ‭3‬:‭13‬

We overcome through forgiving. We outsmart the devil by forgiving. We grow by forgiving. We get stronger by forgiving. We are healed by forgiving.

So, is there anyone you can forgive today? 

Please do so and refuse to be stuck in this trap.

3rd – We must be bigger, not better.

It’s easy to be petty and go back and forth. But as ministry leaders we’re called higher than that. We’re called to be bigger, not better.

Meaning, we rise above the temptation for pettiness and we respond versus react. We think bigger by seeing the masses and loving the one. We refuse to be small-minded, small thinking, small acting, and small living. We choose to be bigger.

Being big requires intentionality and grace. This is because the devil always wants us to be small. He seeks to shrink us through our attitudes and actions. He seeks to limit us by our pettiness.

But not us! We’re rising above this and we choose to be bigger. 

Notice we’re not called to be better. It’s a waste of time trying to be better than others. It’s a joke and not Godly. When we do this it screams insecurity and it stinks. However, this happens way too much as we try to be better and prove something to others.

Let’s rise above this and be bigger.

Let’s walk in love and reflect Jesus in deeper ways within us and through us. Life is too short to get caught up in distractions, we must keep our eyes on Jesus and be who he called us to be.

As ministry leaders, how are you doing today?

It’s not easy but with God all things are possible. God is with you to complete you. Jesus is at the ministry table with us and one day we will see him face to face.

Keep going, God is with you and the best is yet to come,

PD