Ministry is More Than a Job, it’s a Calling

Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. You are serving the Lord Christ. - Colossians 3:23

We take serious the calling we’ve been entrusted with, therefore we do all that we do as though we are doing it for Jesus Himself.

Therefore, brothers, be all the more diligent to confirm your calling and election, for if you practice these qualities you will never fall - 2 Peter 1:10

Our calling is to Christ and to His mission, the fact that we get paid to do it is a blessing and a bonus.

We refuse to view this as a job that we clock-in for. This is a call from God that we are devoting our lives to, therefore we will bring our whole heart to God in our work, every single day.

So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, - Ephesians 2:19

We care for one-another and for this house as though it were our very own...because it is.

When we see a need, we meet that need. When we see a problem, we fix that problem, because we own the vision of this house and we are commited to the people of this house.

And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them inthe name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” - Ma!hew 28:18-20

What we are going to do is not up for debate. This Church and this calling belongs to Jesus.

He has already made it crystal clear what His Church will be about.

We are called by God to do everything in our power to see lost people saved, saved people pastored, pastored people trained, and trained people mobilized into God’s mission.

The mission and vision will never change. The process and systems must always be changing.

“Awake, O sword, against my shepherd, against the man who stands next to me,” declares the Lord of hosts. “Strike the shepherd, and the sheep will be scattered; I will turn my hand against the little ones. Zechariah 13:7

The enemy of your soul knows that in order to scatter the sheep, all he has to do is strike the shepherd.

When you step up to lead there is a target put on your back by your spiritual enemy, which is why prayer and purity are critical for spiritual leaders.

As leaders, we are called by God to fiercely guard our integrity and purity before the Lord and with others.

Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working. - James 5:16

Because confession is our path to healing and restoration, we keep short accounts by being quick to confess and cultivate an environment of grace where it is OK to be not ok.

This begins by modeling it in our own lives, and creating environments for it in the teams we lead.

See to it that no one fails to obtain the grace of God; that no “root of bi!erness” springs up and causes trouble, and by it many become defiled - Hebrews 12:15

If you see something you don’t like, that’s okay. But we don’t send the negatives to the wrong place.

Gossip is when you share something with someone who a) isn’t involved and/or b) has no power to change the situation. When you do this, you create a toxic culture and divide the body of Christ.

A dishonest man spreads strife, and a whisperer separates close friends. - Proverbs 16:28

We have a zero-tolerance policy for gossip.

As leaders in this house we are committed to sharing ALL the good news we hear with everyone we can, and to share our concerns who are in leadership over us.

And they were astonished beyond measure, saying, “He has done all things well...” - Mark 7:37

Then this Daniel became distinguished above all the other high officials and satraps, because an excellent spirit was in him. - Daniel 6:3

Excellence honors God and inspires people. Excellent leadership and environments build trust and open hearts to the gospel.

They key to excellence is in the simplicity – we don’t do everything, but we find the few things that are important and we do them with excellence.

So those who received his word were baptized, and there were added that day about three thousand souls. - Acts 2:41

You always count what matters. Your car dashboard tells you if your engine is good or bad based on a set of numbers it displays on the dash. A paramedic will immediately check a variety of numbers (heart rate, blood pressure, etc.) not because they care about the numbers, but because the numbers tell a narrative.

“If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, ‘Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.’” -John 7:37-38

I can only give what I have. If you aren’t receiving from Christ, you can’t give people Christ.

It’s critical that each one of us steward the grace of God in our own lives through adequate care of our heart, body, mind and soul.

Secondly, as a staff we commit to care for and love one another. As we do, the world will see Christ through us (John 13:34-35)

Therefore welcome one another as Christ has welcomed you, for the glory of God. - Romans 15:7

Above all, keep loving one another earnestly, since love covers a multitude of sins. Show hospitality to one another without grumbling. As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God’s varied grace: - 1 Peter 4:8-10

Hospitality is the single most important strategy we have.

You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore. - Psalm 16:11

Then he said to them, “Go your way. Eat the fat and drink sweet wine and send portions to anyone who has nothing ready, for this day is holy to our Lord. And do not be grieved, for the joy of the Lord is your strength.” - Nehemiah 8:10

This is the day that the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it. - Psalm 118:24

Because God has given breath to my lungs we refuse grumpy, negative attitudes and choose to put on a garment of praise, the oil of gladness, and to make a choice to rejoice!

We are always creating culture, therefore we intentionally create a culture of joy and laughter, and we set aside time to enjoy God, one-another, and have some fun.

We will model serving the Lord with gladness as a team, and replicate this culture in the teams that we lead.

Honor the Lord with your wealth and with the first fruits of all your produce; then your barns will be filled with plenty, and your vats will be bursting with wine. - Proverbs 3:9-10

“One who is faithful in a very li!le is also faithful in much, and one who is dishonest in a very little is also dishonest in much. 11If then you have not been faithful in the unrighteous wealth, who will entrust to you the true riches? And if you have not been faithful in that which is another’s, who will give you that which is your own? No servant can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money.” - Luke 16:10-13

You can’t have a healthy culture and get anything related to money wrong.

As stewards, we faithfully manage every dollar entrusted to us with integrity and frugality (we actively look for ways to spend less to free resources up for kingdom impact).

We know that every dollar we save is another dollar we can invest in kingdom impact (i.e. turning lights off, se!ing the AC to appropriate temperatures, etc.)

As leaders, we recognize that we set the pace and example of generosity. We cannot expect others to do what we have not first done as leaders.

Therefore, as a staff team member, the tithe (10%) of our total gross income is our minimum commitment of returning to the Lord what belongs to Him and bringing our first and our best to God. We will give above/beyond this as the Lord leads us.

Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me. I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing. - John 15:4-5

Unless God shows up, we are wasting our time. God can do in 1 moment what we couldn’t do in a lifetime.

Therefore, we steward our lives and His presence by being leaders who seek first the kingdom, spend time in prayer, live holy and pure lives, and always give Him the glory for the fruit.