A Calvin Theological Seminary Publication by Students & Alumni
Ministry Context, Contribution and Challenges

Ministry Context, Contribution and Challenges

The duties or work of a religious leader can be tagged as a “ministry”. As such, every matured Christian should see him/herself as a leader with a ministry or responsibility for the kingdom. As an individual, I have not been actively involved in any serious ministerial role as such. However, I have been and still in some church leadership roles, and that has not only given me the privilege to serve in my local community, but it has also helped give me a perspective of what is expected of me as a leader. But because I am not fully committed, I sometimes find it difficult to be consistent at keeping to time, and sometimes I am not even there. However, doing ministry has been great, though with some challenges.

Playing out your role as a leader comes with enormous sacrifices and responsibilities, especially from the ministry or organization (church) one works with. You will be expected to do certain things in a certain way, not minding what God is really saying concerning such an issue. Because you as a leader is not allowed to do certain things you are convicted about and you know this is God directing you to do it, the society around you will always expect you to do the usual norms, which may not really be the will of God.

The fact that some people at times tends to be self-directed in regards to learning, this makes it somewhat difficult to ask them to do things you as a leader feels God is leading you to.[2] They also learn from other’s perspective and opinion, because this help gives them a better view of things. But because they stick to what they already know\and believe, they find it difficult to adjust to things like this.

The fact that as a leader, there are always some individuals who believe in you and are always there for you. However, there are those who will never accept you as someone they should listen to, just because they feel they are better off. For such people, I try to bring them closer to me, and even ask for their opinion and suggestions on certain things. This has helped me really well. Another thing is the ability to dialogue and accept criticism. I try to give people a sense of belonging, make them feel part of the bigger picture. This tells people that they can contribute, that they have a voice and that they matter.

The area I need to improve and develop is in the area of being consistent in my role and responsibilities in my chosen ministry. And most importantly, I need to improve on myself, to get some more knowledge, to be better, to have something I can proudly offer. In other words, to work on myself, so I can give a better portion of myself for God’s service in my chosen ministry. In other words, I should be able to work on understanding abstract and complex things and situations.

I’ve learned that for me to be successful in my chosen ministry, I should know that people I work and interact with, want freedom. Freedom to be themselves, freedom to do what they think is right (may not always be right though). The freedom to be themselves will help people bring in different perspectives. Even the Bible says that “in the multitude of counsel, there is safety…”. Now, a variety of such ideologies and opinions will help make one’s ministerial work successful. Because these people have experiences in their respective endeavors, they will all want to contribute their quota to the success of anything they feel responsible to.

 By Martin H. Kamaidan

       Saved by Grace

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