In ministry there are certain things you can do that will in effect cut your legs out from under you, making you virtually useless as a minister. The sad thing is many ministers do it to themselves. The good news is you don’t have to be one of them. Here’s a list of some of the more common ways you can sabotage your ministry without even knowing it.
- Neglect your own spiritual development. Yes, Jesus told Peter to “Feed My sheep” (John 21:17-18.) But He never said “Don’t feed yourself.” Ultimately as a minister you are responsible for your own feeding (spiritually.) Your congregation can rely on you to feed them every Sunday. How are you making sure that you get fed regularly?
- Grow an ego. Do you find it hard to take criticism with grace? Do people tell you that you always have to be right? Servant leadership has no room for your ego. Check it at the church doors.
- Read only those books that support your preconceived ideas. Leaders are readers. Ministers need to stretch themselves by reading authors that differ from themselves theologically, doctrinally and every other -ally.
- Surround yourself with people who think exactly like you. Believe it or not, you don’t have a monopoly on how to do ministry. Round out your ministry by making sure your support team has people on it who are different than you.
- Try to make everyone happy. This one should be common sense but unfortunately it’s not. God has called you to a ministry; you need to do what God has called you to regardless of what anyone else thinks.
This is just a very short list of things that I’ve done in my own ministry in years past. It’s not a complete list though, so I want to know, what are some things you’ve noticed that can sabotage a ministry?
