Paul told Timothy in 2 Timothy 4:5, “But you, be sober in all things, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill YOUR ministry.” As a leader, you have to distinguish between YOUR ministry and THEIR ministry. If not, you’ll keep forsaking YOUR ministry for THEIR ministry. THEIR ministry is the one that God calls you to equip them for according to Ephesians 4. YOUR ministry is the equipping. Sometimes, people will make you feel guilty for not doing THEIR ministry (Why don’t you start a program for this group of people? When are you going to do something about homelessness in our community? When are you going to build a bridge between the church and the business community? What are you going to do to follow up with first time guests? When are you going to start a class for new believers?) If you never get before God and come to grips with what YOUR ministry is, you will become consumed with doing THEIR ministry and feel a sense of emptiness. You’ll say, “God, why am I doing so much and feel like I’m accomplishing so little? Why is that I feel as if I’m in your will and out of your will at the same time?”
Here’s what I think MY ministry is (at least for right now): preaching God’s word, casting vision, and developing leaders. Everything else that’s on my plate is somebody else’s ministry that awaits them. My goal is to work myself out of those ministries, so that someone else can have the opportunity to do THEIR ministry. The amazing thing is THEY can do THEIR ministry much better than I can and probably ever will.
