{"id":1978,"date":"2015-08-31T13:33:12","date_gmt":"2015-08-31T19:33:12","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.theawakenministry.com\/?p=1978"},"modified":"2015-09-01T15:14:16","modified_gmt":"2015-09-01T21:14:16","slug":"the-most-important-word-in-ministry-and-why-its-crucial-to-get-clear-on-your-calling","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.theawakenministry.com\/?p=1978","title":{"rendered":"The Most Important Word In Ministry (and why it’s crucial to get clear on your calling)"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"The<\/a><\/p>\n

If you have a hard time using the word, \u201cno,\u201d it makes all your, \u201cyeses,\u201d meaningless.\u00a0 In order to see the word, \u201cno,\u201d as a freedom word that leverages the best in you, it is important to first start with getting clear on what you should be saying, \u201cyes,\u201d to.\u00a0 Once you do, you will find saying, \u201cno,\u201d is not only beneficial to you personally, but it’s also beneficial to the community\u00a0you serve.<\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Saying, “No,” In Times Of Crisis<\/b><\/h2>\n

When people ask you to do something important, the requests are usually born out of crisis.\u00a0 There aren\u2019t enough volunteers for the Children\u2019s Ministry, so you are asked to recruit people to fill the holes because people will listen to you.\u00a0 A leader just stepped down from serving in the Youth Group, so you are asked to start serving the youth because you will bring stability to the kids (and their parents).\u00a0 Your expenses are ahead of your giving, so the elders ask you to preach on stewardship in order to increase giving.\u00a0 Some of the mature members of your church are disgruntled and they want to start a midweek Bible study because they want to go deeper in their study of Scripture. \u00a0So, they ask you to lead it because you are the person they learn the most from.\u00a0 A couple comes to you because their marriage is in trouble, and they ask you to meet with them to save their marriage.\u00a0 These are some of the typical requests that members ask from their pastors.<\/p>\n

The temptation is to say, \u201cyes,\u201d to all of these requests because they are important and you most likely can help them in each situation.<\/p>\n

I faced this temptation plenty of times, and I also yielded to it plenty of times.\u00a0 In wanting to help the people I loved in my church, I said, \u201cyes,\u201d to their requests.\u00a0 However, here’s what I learned from that experience: in saying, \u201cyes,\u201d to all their requests, I ended up overloaded.\u00a0 As a result, I wasn\u2019t very helpful to those whom I loved because I was stretched too thin.<\/p>\n

If you face the\u00a0temptation to say, “yes,” to solving crises in ministry, you are not alone.\u00a0 The apostles also faced the temptation to solve crises in the church. \u00a0However, if the church was going to grow, they were going to have to\u00a0learn to use the word, \u201cno,\u201d in their ministry as well.<\/p>\n

The apostles’ example of saying, “No,”\u00a0in times\u00a0of crisis<\/strong><\/h2>\n

In Acts chapter 6, there was a request that was born out of a true ministry crisis.\u00a0 Racism was taking root in the church.\u00a0 Greek widows were being overlooked, while Hebraic widows were being well taken care of in the daily distribution of food.\u00a0 The Greek speaking Jews brought the issue to the Apostles and asked them to step in and solve the crisis because racism had to be expunged from the church.\u00a0 Yet the Apostles did something truly remarkable. \u00a0They said, \u201cno,\u201d to the Greek\u2019s request to solve the issue.\u00a0 Instead, they appointed seven godly men who would solve the issue.\u00a0 The Apostles didn\u2019t skirt the issue.\u00a0 They took it seriously.\u00a0 However, they said, \u201cno,\u201d to being the solution to it.\u00a0 They delegated the solution of the issue to seven godly men who would see that justice was served.<\/p>\n

THE APOSTLES’ COMMITMENT TO THEIR\u00a0CALLING<\/strong><\/h2>\n

The reason they were able to say, \u201cno,\u201d to this request born out of crisis was due to their commitment to their calling.\u00a0 It\u2019s not that serving widows was unimportant.\u00a0 This ministry to the widows was critical to the life of the church in order to rid themselves of racism. \u00a0 It\u2019s not that they were physically unable to do it.\u00a0 They probably could have served the widows as well as anyone else in the church. \u00a0 However, the Apostles knew that if they said, \u201cyes,\u201d to serving the widows in the church, they would be neglecting the work that God had specifically called them to do. \u00a0 They were called to pray and teach the word.\u00a0 If they jumped in to care for the widows, they would be distracted from fulfilling their calling.\u00a0 So out of love for the church, they said, \u201cno,\u201d to this urgent and important request because they were clear on their calling.\u00a0 Instead, they delegated that ministry to others who were trustworthy to solve the issue.<\/p>\n

I wonder if one of the reasons why pastors and ministry leaders burn out in ministry (or are unnecessarily burdened in their work) is because we are not crystal clear about what we are called to do in ministry. \u00a0In order to see the word, \u201cno,\u201d as a freedom word that gives you energy for the things God has called you to do, you have to first start with getting clear about what God is calling you to do.<\/p>\n

how to Get clear on your calling: 4 Crucial Questions<\/b><\/h2>\n

Here are four questions to ask yourself (and your leadership team) that will help you clarify the work God has called you to do:<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. What things are you doing now that you wish you didn\u2019t have to do?\u00a0<\/strong> Ask this question to find out, “What drains you?” \u00a0Chances are good that those things that drain you are not the primary things that God is calling you to do.\u00a0 Make a list, and begin to stop doing one at a time.<\/li>\n
  2. What things do you do in a given week that give you the most life?<\/strong>\u00a0 Ask this question to find out, “What fills you up?” \u00a0These things that fill you up are most likely the things that God has called you to do. \u00a0Find ways to do more of the things that fill you up.<\/li>\n
  3. What ways does God use you most in other people\u2019s lives?<\/strong> Ask this question of others to get confirmation on how God is indeed using you to your maximum potential.\u00a0 You might know that you have the gift of teaching, but it\u2019s most effectively practiced in a one-on-one context not in a group context.\u00a0 Asking this question will help you zero in on how God is using your gifts, skills and passions to serve him most effectively.<\/li>\n
  4. What specific things do you do that are invaluable to your organization?<\/strong>\u00a0 It\u2019s not prideful to know that you are essential to an organization\u2019s health.\u00a0 It\u2019s prideful to think that you are the only one who is essential to your organization\u2019s health.\u00a0 It\u2019s important to know what specific things you do that are the most important for the life of your community.\u00a0 This helps you prioritize\u00a0and clarify what it is you should say, \u201cno,\u201d to and what it is you should say, “yes,” to.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    BONUS: <\/strong><\/h1>\n

    Don\u2019t ask these questions alone.\u00a0 Get a couple of trusted friends together, and ask them to help you answer them.\u00a0 After you model this for them, you might offer to lead them through the same process in order to help them clarify their calling in life.<\/p>\n

    Don’t be surprised when people come to you and ask you to solve a crisis. \u00a0You are their leader. \u00a0It is appropriate for them to come to you. \u00a0Yet if\u00a0you say, \u201cyes,\u201d to all of their requests, you aren\u2019t going to help anyone. \u00a0Learn to say, “no,” by clarifying your calling.<\/p>\n

    Next week, I will write about how to say, “no,” graciously and in a way that expands your ministry.<\/p>\n

    What ways has being clear on your calling helped you to say, “no?”<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    If you have a hard time using the word, \u201cno,\u201d it makes all your, \u201cyeses,\u201d meaningless.\u00a0 In order to see the word, \u201cno,\u201d as a freedom word that leverages the best in you, it is important to first start with getting clear on what you should be saying, \u201cyes,\u201d to.\u00a0 Once you do, you will […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":1979,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"nf_dc_page":"","_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[23],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1978","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-blog"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.theawakenministry.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/08\/The-Most-Important-Word-In-Ministry-Pt.-3.001.jpg?fit=1920%2C1080&ssl=1","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.theawakenministry.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1978","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.theawakenministry.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.theawakenministry.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.theawakenministry.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.theawakenministry.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1978"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/www.theawakenministry.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1978\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1986,"href":"https:\/\/www.theawakenministry.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1978\/revisions\/1986"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.theawakenministry.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/1979"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.theawakenministry.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1978"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.theawakenministry.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1978"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.theawakenministry.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1978"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}