Recently, I created a list of tips related to ministry. Most of them are things that I have discovered over the past decade or two being a youth pastor and a lead pastor. And many of them are things that I wish I could have learned earlier so that I would have been better prepared for serving God.
My plan, over the next several newsletters, is to share some of them with you in the hope that they will help you to serve God better. And if you know anyone involved in serving God in some way (ex: a children’s ministry worker, the church sound guy, a Sunday School teacher, etc.) that you think would find these tips helpful, even if they are a part of another church in some other state, feel free to let them know that they can sign up for this newsletter on our website if they find these tips helpful.
TIP #1: A GOOD LEADER DIFFERENTIATES BETWEEN THE MAIN THING AND THE LESSER THINGS
It is unhealthy to give a small amount of attention to a very important thing, just as it is bad to give a huge amount of attention to an unimportant thing. And people who serve God must remember that not all messages (even biblical ones) are equally important.
For instance, the Bible teaches us that the Apostle Paul traveled from Philippi to Thessalonica. And it also teaches us that Jesus died on the cross and rose again. Both of those things are taught in the Bible, yet only one of those two messages will save us.
As one who serves God, you may need to give someone advice regarding work or marriage or parenting. And that is good. May God use you in those ways. But you must never forget that the gospel is the most important thing. In fact, even our advice about work, or marriage, or parenting must often factor in how the gospel affects everything else.
TIP #2: IT’S EASY TO FORGET WHAT IT’S LIKE TO BE AN OUTSIDER
Many of us who are involved in church, eventually stay involved for so long that we forget what our church feels like to a new person. Over time, we end up talking mostly to insiders, using insider language, and even doing things that only make sense to other insiders. For example, I’ve seen churches do things like baptism and communion without talking about what they mean, why they are being done, or who ought to participate. It’s just so obvious, right? Meanwhile, a newcomer may be thinking, “What exactly are they doing?”
It is worth it, every now and then, to try to put yourself into the mindset of a new person and then consider what changes you might make for their sake. Of course, this doesn’t mean that you stop doing things like baptizing or serving communion. But it might mean that you explain a few things, so that an outsider can make sense of what you are doing. In other cases, it might actually mean stopping doing something – if that something is unhelpful, not commanded in the Bible, and something we are doing simply because we’ve always done it.
