One of the great struggles in ministry is survival. Stats say that hundreds of pastors or ministers quit each month. And the numbers for volunteers quitting is staggering as well.
A number of years ago, when I was a youth pastor, I saw every other youth leader in town, paid or volunteer quit over the course of 18 months. In their wake was left dozens of teens and junior highs with no youth ministries and no leaders caring for them. Thankfully some of the leaders were replaced fairly quickly but not all. So many ministries were led by one youth leader or a married couple that when people left there was only a void of leadership.
Some changes in ministry leadership is bound to happen as jobs change and people move. But often people quit in frustration or over leadership issues or burn out.
You have great leaders working with you. YOU are a great leader. God is using you — bet you don’t hear that often enough! But stats say you’re likely to quit and not necessarily because God has called you out of ministry. Losing good God-loving leaders can be prevented if we minister to one another and encourage each other in ministry. I want to help.
This website, holyimagination.com is meant to encourage you, your peers and those you lead in ministry. I want to encourage you in your giftedness, your calling from God and the ways you can minster. We all need encouragement . We need to nurture and care for our disciplemakers.
I remember my first youth ministry experience. I served as youth leader and Sunday school teacher of the senior high youth for one year. At the year end Christian Education Committee
meeting, the leaders thanked me warmly for my ministry. I was confused.
“Wait, am I being fired?”
No, but they told me, ‘“everyone quits after one year’”. No one had ever done the youth ministry at that church for more than one year. So they figured I was done!
But I wasn’t. I thought I was just getting started and I wanted to continue. They were delighted and accepted my offer to stay on. And the funny thing is that after another year, I was burnt out and quit. It just took me longer.
That was a great church. I love that church and I have warm memories of those people, many of whom I still see occasionally. But they didn’t know how to care for their leaders. Youth leaders, Sunday school teachers, committee members were all doing ministry until they got fed up, burnt out or exhausted and quit. Oh, some were called by God to other ministries. But some just quit.
We need to care for our leaders, our volunteers, our disciples who make disciples of Jesus. We are missing a great opportunity to build the kingdom, help people become who God wants them to be and to grow in their relationship with Jesus.
Help me in my mission to encourage the people of God in their mission of making disciples who make disciples of Jesus. Pass along word to your ministry peers, staff and friends about Holy Imagination. Let me encourage you and them.
