Discouragement in Ministry
I am currently in my 15th year of occupational ministry. In 15 years I have probably experienced equal parts encouragement and discouragement. The encouragement has come from the Spirit of God speaking through his Word, through brothers and sisters in Christ, financial provision, miracles, experiencing breakthrough, through His still small voice. The discouragement has come from Satan - mostly through his nagging use of my own sin nature, and often (unfortunately) through brothers and sisters in Christ.
There is value in acknowledging our weaknesses. There is strategy in knowing the opposition’s tactics. There is a need to be able to distinguish what is from the Lord and what is not. The sad truth is that I have become a bit of an expert in the area of discouragement in ministry. In my experience there have been 10 basic lies that the enemy has spoken to me in one way or another. I hope that you can be encouraged by recognizing these statements of discouragement and acknowledging them for what they are and the source from which they come. “For God has not destined us for wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, who died for us so that whether we are awake or asleep we might live with him. Therefore encourage one another and build one another up, just as you are doing” (1 Thes. 5:9-11).
1. Your work is insignificant
According to Maslow’s hierarchy “esteem” is the fourth tier of needs. In the minister’s hierarchy of needs this seems to be the base of the pyramid. But should it be? Is it healthy to seek significance through doing ministry? In reality, unless your name is Rick Warren or Matt Chandler you most likely have experienced periods in your ministry, or maybe even a career of ministry that doesn’t “look” successful as measured by exploding numbers and large building projects. If this is the case, and if you find your significance in your ministry, then you are either no longer in the ministry, or you have only survived with the help of your good friend Prozac. The only way to survive is to know that the Lord is pleased with your service to Him. As one redeemed by the blood of Jesus, your works are no longer filthy rags, they are a pleasing aroma in the presence of the Lord! He takes joy in the obedience and sacrifice of his children, even if the people to whom you are ministering do not - and who would you rather be pleased with your efforts?
2. Look at other people’s work - they have built something with their hands that they can touch and hold and measure.
The devil of comparison is well at work in the life a minister. We are discouraged by comparison with other churches/ministries (see #6), but we are also discouraged when we compare the fruit of our labor with those who build businesses, build homes, build wealth, build cell phone towers. At the end of the day most laborers can look at their work and see accomplishment, progress, achievement. The work of the ministry is a bit more nebulous.
There are certainly measurable achievements - a completed sermon, the baptism of a new believer, the number of students who come to a Bible study - but progress and “success” in ministry can’t usually be captured in a spreadsheet or with a video camera. This can lead to a sense of insignificance (see #1), poor stewardship (see #3), or the need to be a spin doctor (see #6). Spiritual growth is difficult to quantify. The fruit of one’s labor is usually not seen immediately, or ever. But know that the spiritual progress that does come by the grace of God as a result of your ministry is of infinitely more worth than businesses, homes, wealth, and cell phone towers.
3. How much money is it costing people/the church for you to do your job? Your work is not worth that financial investment.
And then there is the ever-present discouragement of R.O.I. What is your ministerial Return On Investment. This is a difficult one because there is no doubt some serious trimming of the fat that needs to be done with churches and missions organizations. There are entirely too many people out there who are “doing ministry” and are receiving a paycheck but nothing of eternal significance is happening - and that money and energy could be much better spent elsewhere. If you truly are just receiving a paycheck because it is comfortable and easy for your family then you need find another way to support yourself and your family. However, this is for those who are involved in life-giving ministries which are building the Kingdom.
You are worth it! Your ministry is worth it!
If a teacher is paid $40,000 dollars a year to educate a classroom full of 4th graders, and if a policeman is paid to “protect and serve”, and if a mechanic is paid to fix cars, then your job is worth every bit as much as these others. If your ministry is building the Kingdom, seeing new life, equipping the saint to do the work of the ministry, then it is certainly worth your salary!
4. You are required to suffer since you are in ministry
Every one of these statements can be negatively taken to the other extreme. The preacher who lives in excess and the president of the social justice ministry who lives in a mansion are equally dangerous in the opposite extreme.
This discouragement (I might even call it a lie) can especially be true of those on the foreign mission field - that because they have been called to serve in a different culture, and possibly a culture of poverty, they are called to suffer. I feel very strongly about ministers being held to a higher financial standard. I also believe that every good and perfect gift comes from our Father of lights (James 1:17). If we live and move and have our being in the Lord (Acts 17:28) then what does that say about Him if we feel an obligation to be miserable.
5. Christians who have “secular” jobs have to find time outside of work to pray, so you shouldn’t be using “work” time to pray either.
This is a lie from the pit of hell! This is nothing short of a total disregard for the power of prayer. I may even go so far as to call it blasphemy. It denigrates the power of the Spirit, the power of the Word, the power of prayer, and exalts the power of our own ability to do ministry by our own efforts. It will lead to burnout, lead to ineffective ministry, produce a reliance on one’s own strength, and will produce a minister, and therefore those to whom he or she ministers, with insufficient prayer lives. Your prayer life must be miles ahead of others because it can - you have the time, use it wisely.
6. Your reports and newsletters aren’t very impressive (certainly not as impressive as the other guy) - you should probably pad those stats and stories a bit.
Robert Morrison, a name you have probably never heard, was the first foreign protestant to minister in China. He served 27 years and had the joy of seeing 10 new believers baptized. That must have made for horrible monthly newsletters emailed back to his supporters. Of course, he did eventually translate the Bible into Chinese and other names you would recognize (Hudson Taylor being one) stood tall on his shoulders.
This goes back to #1 - who are you aiming to please with your ministry? Not only are inflated numbers and exaggerated stories lies told in an effort to impress those who are not the determiners of your value, but they perpetuate discouragement in other ministers who may read your reports and be discouraged by their own paltry efforts. The principles I live by, as one who writes a letter to supporters regularly, are: be honest, be transparent, rejoice when there is something to rejoice about, be frustrated when times are frustrating, and never, NEVER use a story, a feigned excitement, or numbers to manipulate the readers (current or potential supporters). I don’t rely on my own manipulation techniques to raise support, I rely on God to provide.
7. It sure would be nice to have a regular salary and quality health insurance.
Yes. Yes it would.
8. You could make a lot more money doing another job.
In my case, not so much. The marketable skills I posses don’t pay much in the open market - soccer coaching, conversational Mandarin, above average parenting ability, an adroitness for teaching the Bible. But for some others, the answer is a whole lot more than now. But I’m assuming that money is not your chief aim in life if you decided to enter occupational ministry.
9. Your salary is other people’s sacrificial giving, you really shouldn't be taking that vacation.
Yes I should, actually, and I am going to enjoy the heck out of it - in the same way that those who give sacrificially to support me enjoy the heck out of their vacations.
10. Make sure your supporters/the people in your congregation don’t see you doing that!
Why? Because then they might think I am a real, approachable, fallible, person who has the same issues and struggles they have? Because it might shatter their perception of what ministers do when they are not in the pulpit? Because I have to make sure that my issues are kept private so that I can present a facade of being “above reproach”? Yeah, because that’s healthy (typed sarcastically).
I am so thankful that the people that support my ministry have never put me on that unrealistic and dangerous pedestal. And if any of you are shocked and appalled to hear that I also do that, then you can use your money to support someone else who is squeakier and cleaner than I am, or you can go to a church whose pastor actually is without blemish. Good luck with that.
There is value in acknowledging our weaknesses. There is strategy in knowing the opposition’s tactics. There is a need to be able to distinguish what is from the Lord and what is not. The sad truth is that I have become a bit of an expert in the area of discouragement in ministry. In my experience there have been 10 basic lies that the enemy has spoken to me in one way or another. I hope that you can be encouraged by recognizing these statements of discouragement and acknowledging them for what they are and the source from which they come. “For God has not destined us for wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, who died for us so that whether we are awake or asleep we might live with him. Therefore encourage one another and build one another up, just as you are doing” (1 Thes. 5:9-11).
1. Your work is insignificant
According to Maslow’s hierarchy “esteem” is the fourth tier of needs. In the minister’s hierarchy of needs this seems to be the base of the pyramid. But should it be? Is it healthy to seek significance through doing ministry? In reality, unless your name is Rick Warren or Matt Chandler you most likely have experienced periods in your ministry, or maybe even a career of ministry that doesn’t “look” successful as measured by exploding numbers and large building projects. If this is the case, and if you find your significance in your ministry, then you are either no longer in the ministry, or you have only survived with the help of your good friend Prozac. The only way to survive is to know that the Lord is pleased with your service to Him. As one redeemed by the blood of Jesus, your works are no longer filthy rags, they are a pleasing aroma in the presence of the Lord! He takes joy in the obedience and sacrifice of his children, even if the people to whom you are ministering do not - and who would you rather be pleased with your efforts?
2. Look at other people’s work - they have built something with their hands that they can touch and hold and measure.
The devil of comparison is well at work in the life a minister. We are discouraged by comparison with other churches/ministries (see #6), but we are also discouraged when we compare the fruit of our labor with those who build businesses, build homes, build wealth, build cell phone towers. At the end of the day most laborers can look at their work and see accomplishment, progress, achievement. The work of the ministry is a bit more nebulous.
There are certainly measurable achievements - a completed sermon, the baptism of a new believer, the number of students who come to a Bible study - but progress and “success” in ministry can’t usually be captured in a spreadsheet or with a video camera. This can lead to a sense of insignificance (see #1), poor stewardship (see #3), or the need to be a spin doctor (see #6). Spiritual growth is difficult to quantify. The fruit of one’s labor is usually not seen immediately, or ever. But know that the spiritual progress that does come by the grace of God as a result of your ministry is of infinitely more worth than businesses, homes, wealth, and cell phone towers.
3. How much money is it costing people/the church for you to do your job? Your work is not worth that financial investment.
And then there is the ever-present discouragement of R.O.I. What is your ministerial Return On Investment. This is a difficult one because there is no doubt some serious trimming of the fat that needs to be done with churches and missions organizations. There are entirely too many people out there who are “doing ministry” and are receiving a paycheck but nothing of eternal significance is happening - and that money and energy could be much better spent elsewhere. If you truly are just receiving a paycheck because it is comfortable and easy for your family then you need find another way to support yourself and your family. However, this is for those who are involved in life-giving ministries which are building the Kingdom.
You are worth it! Your ministry is worth it!
If a teacher is paid $40,000 dollars a year to educate a classroom full of 4th graders, and if a policeman is paid to “protect and serve”, and if a mechanic is paid to fix cars, then your job is worth every bit as much as these others. If your ministry is building the Kingdom, seeing new life, equipping the saint to do the work of the ministry, then it is certainly worth your salary!
4. You are required to suffer since you are in ministry
Every one of these statements can be negatively taken to the other extreme. The preacher who lives in excess and the president of the social justice ministry who lives in a mansion are equally dangerous in the opposite extreme.
This discouragement (I might even call it a lie) can especially be true of those on the foreign mission field - that because they have been called to serve in a different culture, and possibly a culture of poverty, they are called to suffer. I feel very strongly about ministers being held to a higher financial standard. I also believe that every good and perfect gift comes from our Father of lights (James 1:17). If we live and move and have our being in the Lord (Acts 17:28) then what does that say about Him if we feel an obligation to be miserable.
5. Christians who have “secular” jobs have to find time outside of work to pray, so you shouldn’t be using “work” time to pray either.
This is a lie from the pit of hell! This is nothing short of a total disregard for the power of prayer. I may even go so far as to call it blasphemy. It denigrates the power of the Spirit, the power of the Word, the power of prayer, and exalts the power of our own ability to do ministry by our own efforts. It will lead to burnout, lead to ineffective ministry, produce a reliance on one’s own strength, and will produce a minister, and therefore those to whom he or she ministers, with insufficient prayer lives. Your prayer life must be miles ahead of others because it can - you have the time, use it wisely.
6. Your reports and newsletters aren’t very impressive (certainly not as impressive as the other guy) - you should probably pad those stats and stories a bit.
Robert Morrison, a name you have probably never heard, was the first foreign protestant to minister in China. He served 27 years and had the joy of seeing 10 new believers baptized. That must have made for horrible monthly newsletters emailed back to his supporters. Of course, he did eventually translate the Bible into Chinese and other names you would recognize (Hudson Taylor being one) stood tall on his shoulders.
This goes back to #1 - who are you aiming to please with your ministry? Not only are inflated numbers and exaggerated stories lies told in an effort to impress those who are not the determiners of your value, but they perpetuate discouragement in other ministers who may read your reports and be discouraged by their own paltry efforts. The principles I live by, as one who writes a letter to supporters regularly, are: be honest, be transparent, rejoice when there is something to rejoice about, be frustrated when times are frustrating, and never, NEVER use a story, a feigned excitement, or numbers to manipulate the readers (current or potential supporters). I don’t rely on my own manipulation techniques to raise support, I rely on God to provide.
7. It sure would be nice to have a regular salary and quality health insurance.
Yes. Yes it would.
8. You could make a lot more money doing another job.
In my case, not so much. The marketable skills I posses don’t pay much in the open market - soccer coaching, conversational Mandarin, above average parenting ability, an adroitness for teaching the Bible. But for some others, the answer is a whole lot more than now. But I’m assuming that money is not your chief aim in life if you decided to enter occupational ministry.
9. Your salary is other people’s sacrificial giving, you really shouldn't be taking that vacation.
Yes I should, actually, and I am going to enjoy the heck out of it - in the same way that those who give sacrificially to support me enjoy the heck out of their vacations.
10. Make sure your supporters/the people in your congregation don’t see you doing that!
Why? Because then they might think I am a real, approachable, fallible, person who has the same issues and struggles they have? Because it might shatter their perception of what ministers do when they are not in the pulpit? Because I have to make sure that my issues are kept private so that I can present a facade of being “above reproach”? Yeah, because that’s healthy (typed sarcastically).
I am so thankful that the people that support my ministry have never put me on that unrealistic and dangerous pedestal. And if any of you are shocked and appalled to hear that I also do that, then you can use your money to support someone else who is squeakier and cleaner than I am, or you can go to a church whose pastor actually is without blemish. Good luck with that.
Good words Jared.
ReplyDeleteBy the way, this was not written in the midst of a debilitating bout of discouragement. I wrote it 9 months ago as a result of a conversation with some colleagues. I recently found it, dusted it off, and posted it.
ReplyDelete