|
-
An important relationship to maintain as you lead your ministry is your relationship with your husband or wife.
-
For example, your spouse may not be on board yet with what you want to do. The high probability of erratic paychecks early in the life of a ministry can be unsettling, even to the point of physical illness. You need to be sensitive to this strain. Don’t pull the “God card” and try to guilt him or her into following what could be perceived as your impulsiveness. Be patient; do your due diligence. Let your spouse see and understand your plan to provide for your family as you follow God along this path. The last thing you want is hell at home while you are trying to get heaven to others. Spousal alignment of hearts is a must.
-
Without this alignment, the sideways energy that is generated will drag you down and probably result in failure (your marriage if not the ministry). Failure makes Satan smile and causes you to do the opposite of what you originally set out to accomplish. In contrast, if your spouse’s heart is on the same page as yours, you’ll have alignment. This alignment will propel you through the difficult times and often will be just the dose of encouragement you need to persevere. God’s call includes relational wholeness.
-
Relational wholeness implies good working relationships with those who know you the best. While you will still have conflicts with others, it means you have forgiven those who have hurt you, and you have asked for forgiveness from those you have hurt. You experience relational integrity. You are able to look into the eyes of others, friends, and foes alike with a clear conscience.
-
When starting or maintaining a new ministry, everything “rises and falls” on relationships. A relational high maintenance situation is distracting; it will inevitably keep you from giving your full attention to the ministry.
-
A new ministry is like an infant, 100% dependent on the parents. When a baby bursts into the world, it is “all hands on deck.” Mom and dad work in tandem to meet the needs of this desperately needy infant. No distractions, other than baby, are welcomed. In the same way, God’s call to start a ministry is like having a baby! You had better be as prepared as possible, with hours of time available; otherwise, don’t bring a ministry into the world. Maintaining a ministry is like being a parent to a teenager. The responsible spiritual entrepreneur will allow as much relational capacity as possible.
- Passion is also important for effectively communicating the mission of your organization. Knowing your mission is basic to starting and maintaining a ministry, yet it is easily overlooked. What is it that you actually do? What is your program? Vague and anemic answers like “We are change agents” are not strong enough. You also need to be able to state your mission in one sentence. For example, at Ministry Ventures, our mission is to “equip ministries for Christ!”
- For passion to be seen in action; you have to have a deliverable mission, one that is compelling and sinks in to the very being and heart of your listener. If you make your mission so crystal clear that others can get their arms around it, then with your passion you will be able to communicate with compelling clarity. Otherwise, no matter how passionate you are, you default to others experiencing the horrible situation of “a mist in the pulpit is a fog in the pew” (a Howard Hendricks saying). Since God draws like-minded people together for the sake of His kingdom, when your passion aligns with the passion of others, you have a recipe for success! God calls those with passion.
|
|