Sunday, April 13, 2014

Ministry Isn't As Easy As I Thought (Lessons From My First Year)



After my first year in ministry, I wrote three additional blogs on lessons I learned over the course of my first year.  I'll post all three today.  This week, I'll post the lessons learned over the last five years.

Doing Ministry is Harder than Discussing Ministry
The Hardest Criticisms Come When You're Doing the Right Things

Introduction

A week or so ago, I celebrated (well I didn't really do anything to celebrate it, but you get the idea) my first year as a student ministry pastor. Without going too far into detail, it's been a year full of highs and lows. This year has had far more "church drama" than the previous 20 years. At the same time, it's been full of ministries highs and life change. It has demanded that I grow up very fast, and learn some hard lessons the hard way.

Lesson #1 - Ministry Isn't As Easy as I Thought

  1. Growth isn't as easy as I thought
  2. Sustainable ministry isn't as easy as I thought
  3. Discipleship isn't as easy as I thought
  4. Dealing with criticism isn't as easy as I thought
  5. Working with a budget isn't as easy as I thought
  6. Sticking to a ministry plan isn't as easy as I thought
  7. Consistently partnering with parents isn't as easy as I thought
  8. Earning good credibility with parents and students isn't as easy as I thought
  9. Teaching the same group of people for over a year isn't as easy as I thought
  10. Taking time off isn't as easy as I thought
  11. Structuring a ministry isn't as easy as I thought
  12. Staffing a ministry isn't as easy as I thought
  13. Doing what matters most isn't as easy as I thought
  14. Sticking to your purpose isn't as easy as I thought
  15. Sustaining momentum isn't as easy as I thought
  16. Providing opportunities for people to serve isn't as easy as I thought
  17. Getting students to serve isn't as easy as I thought
  18. Keeping spiritually fresh while serving in ministry isn't as easy as I thought
  19. Finding time to read isn't as easy as I thought
  20. Doing ministry and keeping up a blog isn't as easy as I thought

More Thoughts on Being a Pastor:



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