As the year 2008 will bring about change, I feel compelled to invite God to change how I handle ministry. Through my experiences serving in the church within the past 3 years I have seen a lot of good and bad within ministry. Coming from the corporate and entrepreneurial world, I sort of looked at ministry in ways that were similar to business. Personally, I think a lot of pastors do as most mega churches and churches that want to be mega churches seem to have a corporate structure about them.
I made a decision after a lot of prayer during the second half of 2007 that I was not going to climb the corporate ladder of success and strive to be the president and CEO. Instead, I just need to serve where I can, connect with whomever God puts in my path, and just try and show them love and grace as Jesus would.
Sure, I think I can bring a lot to the church in terms of how to lead and manage various ministries, but at the same time it causes me to look upon how prepared and effective those ministries are and begin to cast judgment on those involved. The church should not be managed like a secular corporation and it is time to take it back to the streets and walk with those whom Jesus would have walked with. His message of hope is received best by those that need hope, but unfortunately it is the very people that need hope the most that tend to be ignorant about Jesus’ teachings.
I believe that we as the church should honor God with our best, but as He meets us where we are at, my best may not be at the same level as someone else’s best. Is it up to me to set the standard and make someone strive to be better than God Himself is asking them to be? How can I know what God finds acceptable in the work of someone else?
As hard as it is going to be for me to stop thinking about ministry as I would as a CEO or COO I feel it is what I must do in order to move forward assuming my role in the kingdom of heaven. I should not be so worried about how to remove the speck from another’s eye if there is potentially a big plank sticking out of mine.
It’s going to take a lot of prayer and a lot of patience, but I believe this is what I must do to further my calling in 2008.
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Tags: God church judgment ceo leadership pastor Jesus ministr
