I pastored my first church for almost three years. My largest Sunday attendance was 50 and my smallest was two… well okay, three if you include me! Most Sundays we averaged about 30. I set up, tore down, taught four times a week, visited, prayed, created the bulletin, copied the bulletin, folded the bulletins, well, you get the idea. It was easy to get discouraged. Being young, I wanted immediate results. Lots of alone time left me longing for relationships. Often it was like flying by the seat of my pants trying to figure ministry out. In a 200church, you’re perhaps the only staff member and there is no one to bounce ideas off or share frustrations with – there can easily be times of discouragement. Here’s five ways I’ve learned to stay encouraged over the years:
The foundation of the above five is, of course, time with God. While this one should be a given, it often isn't is it? An authentic and personal friendship with the living God through communication and heartfelt time spent together in so many varieties of ways is absolutely crucial to staying encouraged in ministry. After all, he is our boss, partner, biggest cheerleader, etc. etc. Your church and your ministry matter huge to the Kingdom of God, no matter the size of your church! In a way, Jesus’ church never got above 12! So stay encouraged! Comments are closed.
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