Personal Development

Balance in Ministry

Socrates, the Greek philosopher once said, “The truth is in the mean” or the truth is usually in the middle of the two extremes. The key to much of life and ministry is keeping your balance.

Ministry is becoming more challenging with each passing year. It is so easy to find ourselves “stretched” to the point where your priorities are out of balance. The effectiveness of what you do in ministry is determined by your ability to keep your balance spiritually and personally.

Balance Tolerance and Truth

Truth – We are called to stand on God’s Word while loving people (Ephesians 4:15). There is no doubt that ministry provides many temptations to water down the truth but we are told to hold fast to the truth (1 John 2:24-25). We are the deliverers of the package, not the originators of it.  Certain truths are not up for grabs and we are called to stand firm in the faith.  Let nothing move you (1 Corinthians 16:13-14). By standing for the truth, you may be labelled as narrow or bigoted but Jesus said, “Narrow is the way that leads to life and few are they that find it.”

Tolerance – We are called to do everything in love. We can’t preach the love of God with a clenched fist. Our message is far more effective if it is spoken humbly, gently, patiently and in love (Ephesians 4:2). John Stott the English preacher said, “Truth without love is dogmatism.  Love without truth is sentimentality.  But when we speak the truth in love, that’s Christianity.”

Balance Ambition and Contentment

Ambition – God has gifted each of us for service (Ephesians 4:7) but we are tempted to think that because we are gifted, we will be effective. A spiritual gift is like a garden tool. It is helpful, but it takes a lot of work with that tool to make it effective. More people fail in ministry because of a lack of personal discipline than because of a lack of talent or training. There is a real danger of becoming too lax in personal discipline when you don’t have to punch a time clock and no one is overseeing you. Make a choice as to how you will spend your time. Make the most of the gift God has given you. Be desirous of making it grow.

Contentment – Many pastors are discontented, restless, unfulfilled and critical of their situation.  They have ambition to do more and they are frustrated and envious. “When the road to the cross and the road to success meet, there can be a head on collision between a man’s ambition and his desire to serve God” (Joel Gregory. Too Great A Temptation). We face two enemies of contentment in ministry:

  • Unrealistic expectations
  • Unfair comparisons

It doesn’t matter where you are on the statistical ladder, there will always be someone above you. In ministry there is always an occasion for envy and jealousy, yielding a wounded ego. Ambition must be controlled by a sense of satisfaction from simply doing one’s best. Realistically evaluate your gifts and realistically evaluate the soil. God evaluates his servants not by comparison or by statistics, but by their faithfulness. We must receive our self-worth from our relationship with God and not from tangible statistics at church. Doing your best is more important than being the best.

Balance Calling and Family

Calling – Live a life worthy of the calling you have received (Ephesians 4:1). William Barclay said, “A man’s message will always be heard in context with his character.” It is easy to love the calling so much that we neglect the family. It is significant that the early chapters of Ephesians talks about one’s calling, while Ephesians 5 and 6 talks about marriage and family.  It is hard to keep the balance between the two. The people who should mean the most to us are often taken for granted in favour of the people who need us at the moment (and the problem is that we need them).

Family – The best thing you can do for a church is to demonstrate love for your family.  This requires several steps:

  • Let your family know that they are the most important people in your life.
  • Communicate frankly with the church to let them know what your family priorities are and to secure the endorsement of the leadership.
  • Be able to say “no” to infringing activities and stick with it.
  • Sacrifice ego.  Recognize that God’s work doesn’t revolve around you.
  • The church is not meant to be a pyramid where the person at the top meets all the needs.  We need to view the church as a circle where we minister to one another, and there is no limit to the size and effectiveness of the circle.

Conclusion Speak the truth in love.  Like Jesus, be full of grace and truth. Work hard to develop the gifts God has entrusted to you.  But don’t compare or compete. Bloom where God has planted you and be content. Be true to your calling, but remember your primary calling is to your family. Keep your balance and God will honour your ministry, bless your family, and bring fruit for your labour.

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