Philosophy Of Ministry - Start Small, Do Something, Build And Grow
Everything that we have and everything that we are is by the grace of God.
Everything that we have and everything that we are is by the grace of God.
I have been saying this since July of 2016, when I started in online ministry. I could see where things were headed, and I believed that God wanted me to be a part of it. I started with “By His Grace,” and it has evolved into its present state, “God Centered Theology.” Being God-Centered is so vitally important, and I know this because it has been an area in which I have struggled for most of my life.
Learning to be God-Centered instead of man-centered, or even self-centered, is not an easy task, but it is possible! It just takes time, effort, a reliance upon God, and a deep dive that is consistent into His Word. Then, followed up with a heavy dose of application.
Take, for example, a plant. It takes several steps for it to reach maturity. It must be planted, watered, receive plenty of sunshine and nutrients, pruned and trimmed at times, and protected as it goes into the ground as a seed, grows up out of the ground, and then grows larger into full bloom.
The same is true for our lives. The world preaches right now, right away, no delay, no waiting, microwave it, etc. However, any honest observer will see that this is not the way true satisfaction comes. This is not how true maturity is developed. It certainly is not how God sanctifies us.
The Holy Spirit raises us to spiritual life, and we are a new creation in Christ. We begin as babes in Christ. We begin as small seeds or saplings, if you will. From there, we are to receive the good milk of the Word, where we begin to grow. As we increase in our repentance, we decrease in our sin, and we move towards greater maturity.
The same can be said about our ministry endeavors. One of the areas I have struggled with since July of 2016 is being patient, staying consistent, and being obedient with whatever God has put in front of me at the time.
Therefore, I developed a Philosophy Of Ministry that has put guardrails in place to assist me with overcoming some of my faults. I have applied this philosophy to all areas of life. It is amazing how it applies to so many areas.
Andy’s Philosophy Of Ministry
Start Small
Start small in scale because Rome was not built in a day. It is ok to dream big and have long-term goals, but one must start with something that is manageable so that we do not burn ourselves out trying to do too much too quickly.
One needs to have bite-sized, manageable, and achievable goals so that one does not become burned out before starting. This protects you from taking on too much too quickly. Not all of us, but many of us, try to go the full 100 yards and score a touchdown on the first play (sorry for all of you non-sports folks).
There is so much that we miss when we get caught up in the end result and fail to enjoy the process and the journey. In fact, I would argue that as I have learned to start smaller in scale, I have found far more joy in the simple processes of preparation, study, and just enjoying life than I ever have in any end result. The reason for this is that we have become conditioned to never truly enjoy or celebrate anything. We finish one goal and then almost immediately move on to the next. There has to be a better way.
Do Something
One can have all the dreams in the world, but if nothing is accomplished, they are wasted. This is why starting small in scale is vitally important, allowing us to achieve smaller, manageable goals and have something in place to evaluate.
Some of the best plans, ideas, and dreams this world has ever known never came to fruition because nothing was ever done about it. Dreams don’t create. People create. Will all your creations be grand? Nope! Take it from a guy who has failed more than he cares to admit at times. However, it is in creation and the pursuit of goals and dreams that we find God working in and through us for His glory.
Ideas and dreams are meant to be the fuel that get us started and not the goal of our purpose.
We were created for good works in Christ, and we were meant for working and doing and creating. Sitting around, doing nothing, is not our purpose. I enjoy discussing and planning with other Christians just as much as the next guy, but without actual accomplishment, what does it really matter?
We are to take action. We are to make things matter. We are to accomplish much for the Kingdom. The Kingdom of God is full of people who truly live and work, and accomplish much for God’s glory. This can’t be done until you do something.
Sometimes the hardest step is the first step. We can’t live in fear of whether we will fail, because we will at times. We can’t live in fear that nobody will read/listen/watch our content because they won’t at times. Remember, the goal is to be consistently faithful and obedient to God. Our task is not to produce or guarantee any particular set of circumstances. That is part of God’s sovereignty. Not ours. We are not sovereign.
Our goal is to utilize the gifts and abilities that God has given us to grow in righteousness and maturity, edify the body, evangelize the lost, make disciples, and expand the Kingdom. God has given each of us a unique set of gifts, circumstances, trials, sufferings, and more to be sanctified and be useful in the Kingdom. Just because one’s journey looks different from yours doesn’t mean yours is not vital. Do what God has called you to do and do it one step at a time.
Build And Grow
Once one has started small and accomplished something, then one can evaluate and make decisions about what is working and what is not. From here, we will see growth in those areas that are succeeding. We can also find those areas that are not leading us to success and either adjust them or leave them behind altogether.
Wise counsel is important in this area. We need good Pastors/Elders in our lives to help us with some of this. We also need wise Christians who are not Elders to help us in these areas. Some of the best ways we are discipled is by other Christians who help us along the way as we grow into maturity and live out our calling.
Some people come into our lives for a season. Others are there for the bulk if not the entirety of our lives. No matter where we find ourselves and no matter who surrounds us at any given moment, we need to be honest in our evaluations. Sometimes that will mean giving up something we may enjoy because God is leading us in a different direction. The key is our faithfulness and consistent obedience.
God is sovereign and knows exactly where He is taking us. Therefore, we have no one to trust more than God Himself. If He is moving us to build in a particular area, we will never truly be satisfied or joyful if we are stubborn and refuse to move in that direction. TRUST ME!
Once, I was considering a church local to us. After preaching the first service, I had a horrible feeling deep down in the pit of my soul that it was not for me, even though there was much to be liked about the position. In fact, most people from the outside looking in would have questioned my decision to choose a far smaller church over this one. However, I could tell that it was God, through the power of the Spirit, instructing me not to choose this route.
Now, one may say, “Well, if God didn’t want you to go there, why would He let you go there at all to begin with?” Ah, the classic refrain of little faith. You see, the reason God had me go there in the first place was not to Pastor the church but to see if I would be obedient in not going there because He had something better in mind.
God does not download all the files and folders into our brains for what He wants us to do and then winds up our strings and says, “Ok, go!”
We grow in our obedience.
We grow in our sanctification.
We grow in our trust.
We grow in our faith.
This takes time. It takes effort. It takes evaluation. It takes self-reflection. It takes repentance. It is all worth it.
My friends, what you will find as you build and grow is that the true joy doesn’t come from seeing one’s particular ministry “grow.” This is why one of the hallmarks of a dying church is its obsession with growing numerically or growing its budget, or whatever. No, the true joy in the Christian life even as we carry out our mission and ministry is the growth that comes in us as God molds us into greater Christ-likeness.
That is what I want for myself, and that is what I want for you!
So, if you need a reset. If you need to chart a new course. If you need to have a better plan moving forward. I encourage you to start small, do something, and then build and grow.
