Summary: Success in ministry is not about what you do. Success is ministry is what happens if you were to never come back. We must adopt a deeper trust in God’s ability. It starts with your heart.
You have heard me say it before and I imagine you will hear me say it again, “Success in ministry is not about what you do. Success is ministry is what happens if you were to never come back.” Things will never be good enough for you to feel comfortable leaving them in the hand of another person.
Jesus left the apostles and ascended into heaven. They didn’t understand. They opposed this idea. If it had been better, Jesus likely would have remained. But Jesus said, “If I do not ascend, I cannot send the Helper, the Holy Spirit.” Jesus left but the Spirit remained.
Paul left every new church he planted. Each and every local church that Paul planted was filled with young and baby Christians. This church was new and it was in need of guidance and Paul provided that for a season. This included training, instruction and modeling. This also included the establishment of an order of operation. Paul did not remain at that first planted church as the super-pastor. Do you hear that? Paul did not stay as the super pastor. SO...Paul left but the Spirit remained.
We must adopt a deeper trust in God’s ability. We need to see that our personal presence is not nearly as important as we might think. We must be committed to give ministry away. Let it out of the nest. Let it learn to walk. GIve it wings. Give it room. Let it breathe.
Can I challenge you to set in motion a process to equip others for getting their hands involved in ministry? Yes, this will take time. Yes, this will not happen overnight. But it requires a heart change. It starts with your heart. It will move to your head. Finally, you will find your hands handing off ministry to others.