6. Learn To Lead Through Setbacks and Suffering.
Advancing the Kingdom of God is not for the faint of heart, there is a price to pay, but the beauty in the eternal results is far greater than any sacrifice we might make.
From financial setbacks to the suffering of betrayal by a friend, like the narratives in scripture, career ministry is not exempt from challenging circumstances.
Developing resilience in our character to bounce back from setbacks and seeking to grow from our sufferings is part of what brings meaning and beauty to ministry. This is not a morbid idea, it is the example Jesus set before us.
We don’t need to seek setbacks and suffer, that is dark, but we should not run from it by avoiding the tough parts of ministry.
7. Think and Play the Long Game.
Career ministry leadership is more like a marathon than a sprint. We must pace the run, or fall short before the race is over.
Very few things in the church are microwavable. They take time.
The one great contradiction is our worship services, they arrive about 52 weekends a year ready or not. That fact can fool us about the rest of ministry.
The point of ministry is always people, and their transformation cannot be rushed. Neither can your development as a leader along with the pace in which you were designed to run.
If you want to go the distance in ministry, pace yourself by finding margin, establishing boundaries, loving your family and make sure you laugh every day.
This article originally appeared here and is used by permission.
