Learning Curves: Preparing Yourself To Become An Agent Of Change

By Tobey Pitman, Community Ministries Missionary, Northshore Baptist Association in Louisiana

1. DEFINE SUCCESS AND KNOW WHERE IT IS FOUND

Success may be defined in many ways depending upon your profession and point of view. However, anyone who serves a ministry call can have no misgiving about success. In ministry, true success is defined by God alone. His marker is simple! He calls us into a service of faithfulness- both as personal disciples and as servants to His specific call upon our lives. See Hebrews 11 if clarification is needed.

Complications may come if one experiences difficulty understanding or obeying His call. One must constantly and critically seek clarity regarding nuances and adjustments needed to faithful followship.

Additional distractions often come our way as other methods of measurement may be suggested. Employers and supervisors may define success by certain goals or attainables. This is a reality of life and may create some inner conflict and turmoil. But scripture reminds us that we are subject to the authority of others. Make any conflict a matter of open, honest discussion with your superiors whoever they may be. Conflict can be incorrectly perceived. Supervisors desire nothing more than your ministry success. Your success (or failure) will reflect upon them. They want you to succeed! Frank discussions remind all parties of your intention to serve well with commitment and faithfulness.

Always make success a matter of prayer. Render your heart and service in accordance with God’s call upon your life. You will not be successful if you cling to your own plans and wisdom. We must offer a prayer like that offered by Abraham’s servant (GEN24:12) “grant me success today.” Ministry success is found in Him alone.

2. KNOW YOUR SOURCE

Ministry is not about you. Ministry is not about anyone except Jesus. Ministry is about seeing with His eyes, hearing with His ears, and responding with His hands and heart. Ministry is about speaking His name. Ministry is about obediently taking His message to the people and places He directs. Ministry is about lost people hearing and responding to the gospel.

Why do I mention things we know already? Because as humans we may forget or become misdirected. As humans it is possible for missionaries (this is for all ministerial types out there) to place a higher value upon our service than we should. We must never estimate our service to be of greater value than the One who called, sent, and equipped us. Such would be a fault of pride. Who does not like to be commended for doing good work? Who does not like to be ‘admired’ by those who may have been helped tremendously by our work— oops — sorry, it is HIS work! So you see the point. He IS the source- The One who gives us the power to live, to move, and to have our very being (Acts 17:28). Never allow anyone to place a higher value upon you as servant than upon HIM as Savior.

Go to The Source frequently. Go several times each day. From the Source you will get everything you need for every element of your life, your work, your family, your service. Seek Him in prayer. Go to His Word. Worship Him. Call upon His name. Honor Him. Obey Him. Speak to Him. Rejoice in Him. Begin each day upon His wings (Isa. 40:31) and end each day under His wing (Matt. 23:37). He is your source, your very present help in times of trouble (Ps. 46:1).

Related to The Source… know your resources… but never confuse the two! Our denomination provides some tremendous resources to our churches. These resources include Baptist Associations and State Conventions, National agencies and a National denomination, colleges and seminaries, evangelists and mission boards. Know how to find those resources. Do not reinvent the wheel unless it is necessary. Seek out others who have been there. Learn from them and their experiences.

3. EMBRACE CHANGE

OK, I probably oversold this one! I know hardly anyone who loves change! Most of us prefer not wander too far off the beaten pathway with which we have become very so familiar. However, this present age is one of rapid and constant change. I was asked just this week by a very young techno-geek why I still have an email address. Frankly, I don’t know what has come along that trumps an email address.

Are we willing to make personal adjustments, as needed, in order to legitimately deliver the message of Christ to community and culture? To embrace change is about remaining relevant, being current. I am not suggesting that we be driven by fads. Change is simply unavoidable. Not all change is good. Not all change is bad. Change may be incremental. Change may be thrust upon us! Change takes place even within our churches, denomination, and agencies. Change takes place in society and politically. Change is part of life. Change is unavoidable.

Change must also include the spiritual. God’s call upon His people, upon His Church, and upon His servants is that we are to be agents of change! The “salt and light principle” is all about change. Discipleship is all about change. We are to change from what we are into that which Jesus ultimately calls us to be. Change means to impact our family, our neighborhood, our school, our workplace, our church, our community, all for good.

Change is ironic in that to embrace change is to embrace the one who is un-changing, “Jesus Christ, the same yesterday today and forever (Heb. 13:8).” In other words, all change must be filtered through the One who is unchanging. I must remain the same in my commitment to Him while recognizing that change is occurring all around me. I must also welcome and embrace the spiritual change that is needed constantly within me. I must at times make adjustments in the delivery of the ‘ministry product’ without ever changing it’s content, message, or Savior. As we carry water we must make sure it is being carried to the desert and not the ocean! I must adjust for change.

4. BE POSITIVE

A “can-do” attitude speaks volumes about who you are (Phil 4:8)! Do not create for yourself the reputation of one that is always looking for the fly in the ointment. Too many Kingdom servants rally on the side of those things which divide us rather than on the side of things we agree upon and share in common. There will always be things that divide just as there are things that will unite. I want to be among the group that is uniting, joining, cooperating, finding a way. Granted, there is a time to say no. May I encourage you to go there only after making every possible effort to overcome differences.

Be positive about everything! This includes your church, your job, your community, your schools, your family, your spouse, your opportunities (aka challenges). Let optimism be your hallmark- it will lift others. Rather than being the half-empty guy, be the half-full guy! Seek and welcome opportunities. Being positive elevates your stature in the eye of others. To be positive makes others want to work with you. Be a collaborator. It is amazing how an outgoing, positive optimist can change attitudes and perspectives of those all around.

Even the lost community catches on when they encounter a can-do missionary or a can-do church! I know of a particularly famous church in Leesburg FL that has gained such a positive reputation in their community that often when a new problem arises the City officials will call upon the church to respond to the need. Talk about a church that is relevant to the community!

5. TREAT ALL PEOPLE WELL

“Treat others the way you want to be treated” is one of the universal mottos that is taught by every momma. It is a good one! Be guilty of being nice. Always be pleasant. Be interested in other people, their interests, concerns, and problems. Truthfully, you will hear plenty of concerns and problems in ministry! The last thing you need as a minister is to gain a reputation as one who does not care about others!

There are some who will challenge your resolve to treat others well. Make an extra effort to be polite. Go the extra mile. Ministers and missionaries simply cannot afford to treat people shabbily. We are in the people business. We must conduct ourselves in such a way that others are attracted to what we have. I must present myself as having something that others want. Don’t let personal grievances take away from your life being a living sacrifice, (Rom. 12:1).

In the same vein, keep in mind that family is people too. Treat your spouse in such a way that no one questions that he or she is the great gift from God that He intended. Make your spouse a priority. Make a practice of giving undivided attention. During meals, dates, and family time let the phone calls go to voicemail. It is a way to show your priorities and commitment. Develop special rituals that prioritize family. Spend time with your children. Be sure they know you as mom or dad before they know you as the preacher or missionary. One of the most famous pastors of the 20th century was asked by a group of seminarians how he made his family a priority. He had no answer, only a confession that he had deep regrets about his family life. Don’t let it be true of you.

6. BE OUTGOING

Relationships are important. They become the foundation upon which we are able to share our faith. Be conversant on a wide variety of topics. Engage others in conversation. Have a big world! Yes, this is about extroversion versus introversion. Paul says to be all things to all men in order that we be able to win some (1 Cor. 9:22.) Ex. 33:11 also refers us to a conversation in which God spoke to Moses “as a man speaketh unto his friend.”

Most people know someone who has never met a stranger — maybe you are one of those outgoing, socially adept beings. It is easy for the more introverted person to be envious of those who have an innate ability to approach, meet, and befriend total strangers. However, most people are not like that. Varying degrees of social comfort exist and may be categorized as extremely outgoing to extremely introverted. This point is so important that the extreme introverts among us must find ways to compensate. Introversion, if severe enough, can hamper effective ministry. Likewise, extroversion can become an issue that must be overcome at times.

Read on this topic. Know yourself. Seek help if appropriate. Develop standard ways of approaching people as a way to feel more comfortable. Study people. Learn ways to start conversations and to keep them going. One example of this is to realize that most people like to talk about themselves! Ask a few questions about others and you suddenly have plenty of fodder for conversation! However, one topic must always be on our lips– the one about what God is doing in your life.

7. BE YOURSELF

I just advised you to change something about yourself and here I am saying be yourself! Let’s try to avoid confusion… previously I suggested that you know yourself well enough to know that you may have innate traits that can work against you. Internal adjustments are necessary sometimes.

To be yourself is to acknowledge that God made you in a very unique way to be who you are. He has given you specific interests, skills, talents, and insights that equip you in a particular way to be a productive and useful instrument to His kingdom. God made only one Billy Graham, John the Baptist, and Saul of Tarsus. So it is with each of us. He creates and gifts everyone of us as useful and specific tools for the Kingdom. Only you can fulfill your role. You cannot serve the role of another nor can any other serve the role God has called and equipped you to fill. Refer to 1 Corinthians 12 for a reminder on how we are to serve through personal giftedness.

Get your assignment directly from God. Discover the uniquenesses which God brought together within you. Without God’s heart, direction, gifting, and vision one can never serve His calling with the degree of success that is needed to make a difference in the hearts and lives of people in our communities.

8. DEVELOP AND MAINTAIN A GOOD NAME

Scripture speaks of the value of a good name. A good name is to be more valued than precious stones. Our parents and grandparents taught us about the value of a good name. One of my sons was conducting business recently with a man who discovered he was negotiating with my son. His comment was, “You are OK in my book if you are half the man your dad is!” That was about developing and maintaining a good name. Prov. 22:1 says that a good name is desirable more than great wealth.

Scripture also says to let your yea be yea and your nay be nay. It is very important for those of us in ministry to have a name that is above reproach. We must demonstrate ourselves to be reliable. Others must know that we will do what we say we will do. Let us not bring reproach unto the name of Christ through any act of negligence that calls our personal witness into question. The world is looking for any reason to distrust the trustworthy message. May it never be due to your personal failure.

9. PRACTICE EXCELLENCE IN ALL ASPECTS OF STEWARDSHIP

Stewardship is the word of the day. Manage your time! Multiply your productivity! One such way is to identify and reduce elements in your daily routine that nibble away at your productivity without producing the results that are needed in your ministry. We all have them.

Get control of your calendar! If you can’t control your own time then who can? Priorities must be one part of your planning every day. For example, pastors are ever so aware that Sunday is coming! They learn to schedule sermon prep and study because preaching is rarely not on the top of the list of most important things. Titus 1:7 is a commandment for us, as God’s stewards, to be above reproach. This is indeed a high calling!

What about your list? What will reflect badly upon you if it is not done well or on time? What will reflect badly upon the ministry if it is incomplete or haphazard? What will jeopardize your job if you fail to make it a priority in your ministry?

Down-time is important too. Down-time is earned in ministry just like it is in the world of business. Down-time should not be considered a time-waster. It is necessary for personal recharging and for family health. Take down-time and take it seriously.

10. MULTIPLY YOURSELF

Could you get more done if you had some help? A common struggle that all ministry types have is too many things to do and not enough time to do them all. We are bound by budget constraints when we begin asking for an assistant or other hired positions. Luke 10:2 calls upon us to pray to the Lord of the harvest that He send more laborers into the field. This is key to finding assistance in our service.

I have discovered that many people are looking for good challenging opportunities to roll their sleeves up and to go to work beside someone from whom they can learn. In fact, over the years I found volunteers who were far more capable than I in several areas of important ministry work. I thank God for them. But more importantly, I learned to appreciate them. Areas of our ministry grew under the capable leadership of volunteers. Minimal supervision was required most of the time.

Another truth in this discussion is that those who volunteered usually did so because of certain life events through which they had lived. God brought them through circumstances that helped to equip them and to give them a heart full of compassion for others who may now be in the same boat they were once in. As such, these volunteers approached the ministry opportunity in an entirely different manner that I did. They approached from a “having been there” stance. Their life experience approach went very far in most instances to help and to challenge other people to overcome by the grace of God.

Another method of multiplying self is to establish an “advisory board.” This may help keep a ministry on task and to have additional resources when needed for special ministry projects. Additional help can be found in “task forces” and other groups that can be pulled together for specific challenges.

Learn to value those who are able to help you multiply your ministry. Find several significant ways to thank them. They can easily become the keys to greater success in ministry!

11. DO SOMETHING!

A venerable DOM with whom I work and respect greatly receives a number of resume’s each month from seminarians looking for a place to serve. He commented that the vast majority of young ministers are teachable and become effective servants in the work of the Kingdom. This is great news… we all need a place of service, a place to learn, and someone to teach us. He commented, that over time, he has seen few flaws that could not be overcome. One of those is laziness. There is no place for laziness in the service of the Lord. Ministry is a demanding work, requiring much energy, vision, commitment, and devotion.

Prov. 6:6 points to the ant as an example of diligence to consider. Prov. 26:16 suggests that the sluggard is self-absorbed in his own conceited wisdom. Steer clear of ministry if you expect to slide through without doing any real work! It cannot be done and will bring shame upon yourself and to the ministry.

12. DEVELOP A MINISTRY PLAN

Hit the ground running! Begin learning about your field of service immediately. Become a quick study. Learn the priorities of the ministry or the church. Develop deeper, broader ministry plans over time as the Lord allows and directs. Remember that HIS agenda is the only one that matters.

Identify the needs in the field. Identify the resources that exist. Identify the personnel options connected to the ministry. Identify the challenges that must be overcome. Know that every place you live and serve will have good, bad, and ugly. This is an unavoidable reality which you must accept and then work to improve.

Ministry plan development should include specific studies that enhance the goals and priorities of the field. These may include community assessments, PROBEs, and similar tools. Any effective ministry plan must rely upon God’s wisdom, insight, revelation, and resources. Ministry plans must always be about reaching lost people with the gospel. As long as we carry water, let’s be sure it is the Living Water, and that we carry it to those who are dying of thirst.

This article originally appeared in Tobey Pitman’s The Church Breaking OUT blog, and is copied by permission of the author

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