How easily we stagnate. Whether we are preaching to a vast congregation, leading in worship, or teaching a Sunday School class, there is often a drift toward the humdrum — a here-we-go-again attitude. There’s no need to feel guilty. This is the reality of life in the here-and-now. Thankfully, it doesn’t have to be this way. If you desire the sizzling creativity and intensity of purpose that you once had, this article is for you. If you’ve never experienced a passion for ministry or the burning energy to throw yourself into the task, this article is for you. If you’re simply tired of running, working, laboring, and pressing on, this article is for you. You can have the zeal and fire for God’s work that you desire. You can regain your ministry edge.
This article will explain how you can break out of the doldrums and regain your ministry edge. There are at least four things suggested below that you can do to refresh and possess a sense of excitement, and to engage your ministry with the joy and enthusiasm that you used to have.
1. Meet with an encouraging friend.
Do you have a friend who is always encouraging and upbeat? God has given people like this as gifts to the church. Seek out this encouraging brother or sister, and spend some time fellowshipping with them. Christianity isn’t lone ranger business, and we sometimes need help to get our head screwed on right. If meeting together for a meal or a cup of coffee isn’t possible, at least give this person a call. Confess where you are. Ask for prayer. Seek encouragement.
2. Take a personal retreat.
One of the most valuable things I’ve done for the past years is to take a personal retreat. For me, this is nothing major. I simply camp out Panera for a few hours to think, journal, plan, and pray. Some of my pastor friends prefer to find a cabin in the mountains. They’ll bring some food, a notebook, their Bible, a sleeping bag, and not much else. The time is spent exclusively by themselves, away from distractions, away from Internet, away from their phones — away from everything but God and self. Invariably, these times of solitude and reflection allow them to come back to their ministries brimming with creativity, exuding optimism, and supercharged for a new phase of ministry. If you haven’t given yourself the privilege of a personal retreat, begin planning one now. Looking back, you’ll wonder why you didn’t do it sooner.
3. Fast and pray.
Where has the ancient practice of fasting and praying gone? Most of the “fast” that goes on in our culture is fast food. What about the hours of mountaintop prayer that Jesus modelled? What about abstaining from food for the purpose of devotion to Christ? If you’re yearning for a fresh phase in your spiritual life, perhaps it’s time to fast and pray. If you long for a moving of the Spirit, fast and pray. If you need to break through a ministry barrier or some personal limitation, fast and pray.
4. Go to a conference.
Anyone who has attended a pastor’s conference knows that these events are energizing and inspiring. Something about being with a few hundred or thousand likeminded people gives you with a sense of the grandeur of the ministry that we’re all involved in. You don’t have to be a pastor to go to a conference. Anyone can profit from the solid teaching and practical topics that are taught. It may seem like a lot of money and time to attend one of these events, but the lessons learned make it all worth it. There are just some things you can’t put a price tag on. Look at your calendar and survey the year’s coming conferences. Make your plans now.
As you regain your freshness, don’t neglect times of soaking yourself in Scripture. God’s Word provides the guidance and truth we need. In the pages of Scripture, you’ll find encouragement and guidance.
You don’t have to slog through ministry in a state of constant despair or weariness. We are engaged in a glorious task. We serve an infinite and majestic God. We possess the righteousness of His Son and the presence of His Spirit. Live in the freedom that He has given you, and rejoice in where He has led you.