Look before you leap! That’s true when it comes to ministry too. In the book of Jeremiah, God says,
“And I will give you shepherds after my own heart, who will guide you with knowledge and understanding.” (Jeremiah 3:15, NLT)
God wants those who are ministers to be “after His heart.” It’s an interesting phrase that at first glance seems to mean that He obviously wants us to be godly and represent His character. While that’s true, there’s another level of the meaning here too that means that we are to passionately pursue after God’s heart.
Serving effectively as a minister isn’t instantaneous. It doesn’t happen with a degree or a title. Unfortunately, there’s no shortcut to success. But the promise here is that God will give knowledge and understanding.
What is it that God wants us to understand? I want to use the word to LEAP to hit four quick areas where we need to grow:
Leadership: This is the ability to effectively cast vision, to develop winning strategies, and motivate and empower others to carry out God’s vision together
Equipping: This is the ability to see the potential in others, to recruit them for ministry, to train others, develop them, give away ministry, and skillfully teach others
Attitude: Ministry starts in the heart, with a positive attitude and a stick-to-it-ive persistence that never gives up
People: You might have heard that ministry would be easy if it weren’t for the people, but we often forget that ministry is all about people. And we’re in the people business. So we need to learn to communicate clearly, relate with all kinds of people, and resolve conflict in a healthy way
Yes, it’s a tall order. So always look before you LEAP!