Six Toxic Ministry Attitudes
It’s been almost 3 weeks since my last blog post (sounds a little like a confession). I’ve got a bunch of stuff rolling around in my head, but as I press towards the end of the College year, there just is not enough time in the day to get any of it down in writing. After graduation (May 9) I plan to be back in business.
For now I’ll share something I spoke in chapel at LPC a couple of days ago. I talked with the students about attitudes that will mess up a person’s ministry. As some of our students get ready to graduate and put into practice all they have been learning over the last few years, I sensed a need to share some caution. Pastors regularly fall. Ministries often fail because of a misstep by a pastor or leader. Families get damaged. We need to be on our guard against the schemes of the enemy. Here are the 6 things I communicated that can destroy a person’s ministry:
1. Having an undue love for the world. (1 John 2:15-16/1 Tim 4:10) When we love the things of the world more than the things of the Kingdom, we will end up feeding our flesh (with sexuality immorality, love of money, love of recognition, etc…). We talk about how leaders need to be disciplined, but I think the deeper issue is what we really love—we will always pursue whatever we love.
2. Being stubborn instead of correctable (Proverbs 10:17 & 12:1) We may have learned to look like we are not disrespecting our elders, but we often disregard their correction. Prov 10:17 says that if we ignore correction we will lead others astray. As leaders, that’s not OK. We need to seek out and weigh carefully any discipline or correction that will challenge us to grow.
3. Having soft skin but a hard heart (Proverbs 19:11 & Phil 2:3) Don’t be easily offended; give people the benefit of the doubt; work through your hurt by others; treat others the way you would want to be treated. If we are like Jesus, we will always keep a soft heart towards others and the Father, and we will not be easily hurt or offended by what others do or say (and in ministry, we will always have people saying/doing things that can hurt or offend if we let it).
4. Not being trustworthy in everything (2 Timothy 2:15) Don’t take shortcuts; don’t compromise your integrity no matter how hard it is to keep it. Be trustworthy teaching the Word, but also in the way you handle your schedule, your finances, people, etc. If I am untrustworthy in any area of my life, even just a little, it will reflect in my ministry.
5. Thinking that you are in ministry to be served rather than to serve (Matthew 20:26/1 Chronicles 14:2). Our call is to be servant-leaders. We don’t ever take a ministry assignment (whether for a night or a lifetime) because of what it can do for us. We go to a place for what we can do to serve them. If it ever becomes about what you can get out of it, then get out! We are servant/stewards assigned for the sake of His people.
6. Putting ministry first instead of Jesus (John 15:4). We must have organic life with Jesus first before pursuing organizational effetiveness. I like to remind myself that the Pharisees were great scholars and that King Saul was actually a good leader—but they were totally disconnected from the source of life.
If I have one prayer for you, it is that you would stay closely connected to the source of life and that all ministry will flow from that.