How was your energy level after serving at church on Sunday?
Every volunteer, staff member, and pastor walks through passionless seasons of ministry. We feel frustrated, burned out, under-appreciated and we spiritually disengage months (maybe years) before we actually transition out of our role.
Every volunteer, staff member, and pastor walks through passionless seasons of ministry.
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If you are experiencing a passionless season of ministry the cause may reside with you more than your organization or leadership. Granted, I do not know your situation. I have served in incredible organizations and some that had extreme cultural issues. But I know that our initial reaction is to blame everyone else when we are dissatisfied.
Yes, there may be sizable changes that your organization may need to make, but if you are leading from a place of spiritual passion (the zeal mentioned in Romans 12:11) you can be a spark God uses to usher in a new wave of ministry within your church.
3 Signs You Are Losing Your Passion For Serving Your Church
You Are Avoiding Relationships
Are you late showing up to serve? Are you looking to travel the quickest route to and from your car to avoid extra conversations? Without relationships, ministry fails. Avoiding others is one of the first signs that you are losing your passion for serving others.
You Are Avoiding Spiritual Disciplines
How are your spiritual disciplines going? Personal study, worship, prayer, confession and solitude are key pillars of your spiritual life. These disciplines align our heart and mind to do passionate ministry in the first place.
You Are Cynical of The Leadership
Do you find yourself questioning every decision the leadership team makes for your specific area of service? It is one thing to ask questions, seek clarity and present potential pitfalls, but it is another to reject their leadership or, even worse, undermine their authority. Having a cynical view of the leadership is a sign that your service is more obligatory instead of an overflow of your passion.
Now What?
Questions to wrestle with and pray through:
Is there a broken family, work or church relationship that you need to mend? Humans are relational people. Ministry is based on our relationship with Jesus and others. Unvoiced frustrations, emotional pains and rejection will cause us to withdraw from the people we are called to serve.
How is your personal, family and corporate worship? Are you walking with Jesus each day? Do the truths that you teach on Sunday transform your Monday? If you fail to be invested in God’s Word, prayer and in a small group of others your energy, passion, knowledge and creativity will run dry. It is impossible to point others to Jesus if you are not orienting your life toward Him.
Has your passion for the specific areas you are serving in shifted toward another group, phase or area? Seasons of life often shift our desires to serve. It’s easy to confuse frustration with our current role and frustration with the organization as a whole. Perhaps you need to meet with your church’s leadership and discuss how you are gifted and see what other areas you can get involved in.
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CHASE SNYDER is the founder of MINISTRYBUBBLE.COM and serves as a Family Pastor in Knoxville, Tenn. He seeks to live a life that glorifies God and disciples others through their day-to-day lives, and his passion is equipping those in the church to seek those who are outside of it. Check out his writing at MINISTRY BUBBLE or connect with him on FACEBOOK, TWITTER, or INSTAGRAM.
This post was previously published by ministrybubble.com.
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