134. Initiate Ministry
I often say to team leaders that “events” make me nervous. Maybe it is due to my personality but I just don’t like creating events and running them. That is why I don’t think I’m a great community builder. When I hear stories of successful pastors planting thriving churches through their interpersonal skill and knack for planning great events makes me a bit envious sometimes.
For this reason, I feel unqualified as a lead pastor time to time. There are times I dream about doing nothing other than reading and studying. Sometimes I feel sorry for Jennifer for marrying someone so uninteresting. But I’m happy where I am. It is because I have many great people around me who love what I don’t love and good at what I’m not good at all.
In the very beginning of our church ministry, we didn’t have a team of staff to help out with events. But I had my wife Jennifer with me who loved event planning (and exceptionally good at it!). Since I loved doing message preparation and ministry planning, we worked as a great two-man team and did many events and retreats to build our youth ministry.
When Jennifer went to children’s ministry and we had a great need for community-building events, a few people volunteered to plan events with me. That’s when I clearly realized there are many people who like what I don’t like. What I considered as a chore was their passion. Thank God we have different gifts!
Over the years, I’ve discovered that I like helping and supporting those who have great initiatives. It is mainly because I have come to realize how much I lack energy and skill to initiate in many areas other than preaching and vision casting, I’ve learned to really appreciate people who have different gifts than I do. For this reason, instead of initiating an event or program, I have decided to wait until there are people who volunteer to initiate. As long as that initiative is in alignment with our church’s mission, I will be so glad to support.
Whether that would be VIP-invitation event, outreach, mission trip, or a new implementation, those who have the heart to initiate, please let me know instead of waiting for the church to initiate. We will not do anything without people willing to do it because I strongly believe that God already placed enough people in his church to do what he wants to do. Moreover, ministry becomes a burden if done with an unwilling heart. God loves cheerful giver and ministry is a privilege, not a burden. Only if we can recognize our own unique gifts and passion, the ministry will not only be more fruitful but enjoyable.
