Fifteen Things I Have Learned in Fifteen Years of Ministry

After reading and sharing this post by April Yamasaki, I was challenged to compose my own list. I have been in church pastoral ministry for three years, but if I go back to when I started in Christian camp ministry, I can count almost fifteen years of experience in God’s Kingdom work. 

First, my personal mission statement: “I desire to live a life of integrity and authenticity marked by intimacy with God, to grow in sensitivity to the whispers of the Holy Spirit, and to live a life of faithful, loving obedience to God’s call, Christ’s love, and the empowerment of the Holy Spirit.”

There are six vital goals in that statement; integrity, authenticity, intimacy, sensitivity, obedience, and being empowered. You will read echoes of those in the following list.

1. Devotion. I need to continue learning how to love God with my whole being and to focus all my energies into daily worship of Jesus Christ. Without this central core value to my life I would be just another person struggling to find fulfillment and contentment in the vast resources of the world; searching and not finding completion, stressed and not finding hope. Staying centered on God redefines not just the ordinary, but everything. I will spend my entire earthly life working on this.

2. Cultivate prayer as constant conversation. I’ve had seasons of vibrant daily hour+ long prayer times, very dry seasons when all I could whisper was “help”; and unnerving seasons of silence. Over time, what has emerged is constant conversation with God, speaking and listening. If I truly believe God is present at all times (and I do), then I talk to him. Constantly. And honestly.

3. Always follow through on nudges of the Spirit (this requires item #2). Expect surprises!

4. Cultivate stillness. I am not very good at holding still. When I was little my mother would give me a quarter if I would hold still or be quiet for five/ten/fifteen minutes (I did not make much money on that offer). However, in the stillness of both body and mouth, I learn to distinguish God’s voice from that of my own, and the lying voices of the world and God’s enemy.

5. Participation in communal worship with a body of believers. It is within the assembly of believers that I will find my identity as God’s child and a member of the family of faith. There we commit ourselves to God and each other for accountability, mutual love and concern, ministry, and witness. I am blessed, so very blessed, by my Lindale family! 

6. Allow others to minister to me. I am human, too. I must admit when I struggle and ask for help when needed. I have been so well-cared for by my brothers and sisters during my seasons of anxiety, sorrow, and fear. What beautiful gifts of grace! 

7. Integrity. I strive for consistency in behavior and principals so that my words and deeds are undivided. I desire to offer a complete witness of a life given to following Jesus Christ. Again, a life-long endeavor.

8. Hold ministry loosely. This is God’s work to which he has invited and empowered me. Any praise goes right back to God (a pride check). Likewise, complaints must also be filtered; what is true in what is being said to me, and how should I attend to it? Conversely, what, as I like to say, are “not my monkeys” and can be released to God for him to attend to? Sometimes I’ve needed a trusted friend to help me with that processing.

9. Holistic self-care; spiritual; mental/psychological, and physical. My choices in all areas of life can be life-giving or life-draining. I need to be attentive to my whole being and care for all aspects of my person. I really need people to hold me accountable to this, as well! 

10. Family first! I learned this through a very difficult lesson. I do not apologize for taking time to care for my family relationships.

11. I am not indispensable. There are thousands of people who can perform my job as well or better than I. Ministry is God’s work and it can and will continue without me (and in spite of me)! I want to do what God has called me to do and do it passionately, but need to remember to be humble through it all.

12. Close friendships with like-minded individuals, as well as those who can offer me challenge, are beneficial to my whole being! God has been blessing me with friendships that are mutually life-giving!

13. Laughter and fun! At camp, we had quote boards that were always a source of mirth (and only a few people knew of the one on the back of my office door). Something as simple as a Lego figurine can provide a lot of entertainment.

14. Hard Work. Do something that has immediate satisfying results. Ministry often does not have visible results. At camp I would mow, or help clean, or organize something just so I had a gratifying reward. Working in the soil also provides me enjoyment because it is very tactile; dirt under my fingernails and grass stains on my feet make me happy.

15. Always be willing to do anything. I would always tell the camp staff; “I will never ask you to do something that I am not willing to do myself. Unless it involves reptiles.”

So, there you have my list of things I have learned in fifteen years of working alongside God. I am thankful for these lessons and for every person with whom I have shared the journey!