3. Be Proactive in Discipleship Strategies
When I served as a vocational pastor, I found great benefit in printing out the church calendar four times a year and developing a plan for personal and relational discipleship for the months ahead. I would gather books and resources that I wanted to either read personally or walk specific people through. I would make a list of men and families that I wanted to get to know better or invest in. I didn’t always do things well or right, but I had a plan and learned along the way.
In 2 Timothy 2:2, we see that the church is to be a learning and teaching fellowship in which the passing on of what we learn is vital to the health and spiritual progress of the body. It’s also clear that pastors are men set aside for equipping saints for the work of the ministry (Ephesians 4:12-16). I believe that a lasting ministry is built in the quiet hours of pastoral reflection and in smaller, intimate discipleship groups. Pastors, let me encourage you to not waste the summer. Develop an intentional plan not only for personal discipleship, but also for relational discipleship during the summer months — this is where faithful and fruitful ministry often occurs.
