One of the greatest mistakes you can make in ministry is being far too concerned with works rather than faith. It's as if we've heard Ephesians 2:8 too many times to even care about what it means.
I write this full-heartedly admitting that I am very guilty of doing this and it's something that I daily have to choose to avoid. I am guilty of saying yes to too many things, taking on too many responsibilities and being addicted to being busy. I have attributed productivity to busyness, and this is where I went wrong.
Your success in your ministry does not rely on how many students you have in your youth group chairs, how many parents complaints you've dodged, or how many strategic events you've planned. Don't get me wrong--these things can further success, but this is not what dictates success.
Far too many times I've found myself too busy making our youth group's graphics to plan time to sit down at Panera with a student who needs me.
Too many times have I been guilty of caring about what our head pastor sees and less about what the student who is venting to me hears.
Too many times I've subconsciously said to God, "my devotionals are just going to have to wait, I'm too busy doing exegetical work on my upcoming sermon."
You can get pretty far in ministry with this behavior. You may even find yourself as a lead pastor taking care of congregants, but maybe it's because you're a master of going through the motions. You've heard it all, seen it all, and you know the unofficial Christian "script." But one thing I do know is that this will catch up to you.
Maybe it won't catch up to you now, maybe it won't catch up to you in 10 years, but there comes a point that your success will begin to become apparent based off of your fruit or lack thereof.
The crazy thing about God is that he is omniscient and omnipotent. He knows your heart and your intentions and He loves you far too much to let you stay stagnant. He will challenge you. He will stretch you. If you say the prayer "God, use me as your vesse,l" make sure you're ready to follow through because He will present the opportunity, ready or not.
As I continue through my Bible College degree one thing I'm learning is that knowledge does not equate to ministerial success. Personal time with God, loving others, seeking His will in everything, and discerning the spirit's guidance leads to ministerial success.
God could care less if your youth room has the new LEDs if your youth room doesn't have the broken who are in need of a savior. The LEDs may lead them there (and they look pretty awesome), but it won't keep them there.
Being the Lord's servant means so much more than keeping busy. You could know everything about your soundboard or how the chairs need to be set up. You could even be a master at ProPresenter (please bless us with your knowledge), but if you don't know God, your skill has gone to waste. He wants so much more for you than that.
"For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast" (Ephesians 2:8-9, NIV).
