What keeps me in Ministry!

There was a survey making the rounds not long ago asking questions about leaving ministry. A large number of ministers leave ministry every year. I am a relatively young minister with few years experience. I understand my credibility lacks compared to many. However, I would like to share with you the motivation I've used to make it through the downs of ministry.

Many factors affect remaining in ministry, for me it comes down to motivation. What drives you? Where does your motivation come from in ministry? In my opinion, if it's money, it won't be enough. If it's comfort, not likely. Popularity? someone is always going to dislike you. So what should motivate us? Well, obviously wanting to please God should motivate us, but you can be pleasing to God in any field you want (well maybe not every field). I found it has to be something else.

I learned this motivation from a rather interesting place...my three year-old daughter. At three, she was in that extremely annoying "why" stage. She asked "why" about everything. So, learning from Jesus, I decided to counter her questions with questions of my own. I too began asking "why" to everything she said. In asking this question, I learned a very important lesson. She'd say something like, "I want you to lay by me dada." I would respond, "Why Rylee?" to which she said, "because I love you Dada." Or she wanted me to sit by her and after asking "why" her response was, "because I love you Dada." One time she even said she wanted to go eat pizza and answered that question with, "because I love pizza Dada." In all of those answers I see that Rylee is motivated by Something ...LOVE!

I have learned over the last 8 years in ministry that success in my ministry comes when my number one motivation is Love for people. When I first began full-time ministry I rated my success based on numbers and invitations to speak at workshops and lectureships, or how well I could fix the "problems" of the church. Had that remained my motivation, I doubt I would have made it through some of the difficulties.

Paul says in 1 Cor. 13, without Love all we do is meaningless! You can preach at the largest congregation in the brotherhood, and get invited to all the biggest workshops but if you do not have love it means nothing. You can have many degrees and get straight A's all through school, but if you do not have love it is meaningless. However the opposite is also true. You can preach at little bitty church in Timbuktu middle of nowhere, and if you have love you will be successful in ministry! You don't even have to be in formal ministry. You could be a sacker at a grocery store and if you have a love for people you can have a successful ministry!

One of my favorite moments in the earthly ministry of Jesus is right before the feeding of the 5000. Jesus' disciples had just come back from preaching to spend alone time with him. Also, John the Baptist had just died. Jesus needed some time to get away from the crowds and be refreshed. Mark says as they were going the crowds saw them and RAN around the lake. Picture 5000+ people running around the lake to meet Jesus! Had it been me in the boat, I would have said, "turn around, we can outrun them!" Not Jesus! It says seeing them He felt COMPASSION for them!!! Jesus was driven by Love, are you?