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"If I Had My Ministry to Live Over
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Dr. Tom Ward, senior pastor at Olivet Wesleyan Church, polled the ministers on the Atlantic District of the Wesleyan Church who were ordained in 1970 or earlier. He asked them to respond to the statement: "If I had my ministry to live over again I would..." The general idea behind the endeavor was to provide insights for younger pastors on the journey. Eight of the twenty eight elders who were contacted participated in the project as did our District Superintendent and our General Superintendent. There is a wealth of information here from many years of ministry and each brings their unique perspective to this forum. Enjoy!
Rev. Roosevelt Benson
SPIRIT FILLED MINISTRY If I had my ministry to live over again I would...try to find out if there were any possibilities of my having continued my education beyond the three year Bible course I had at Bethany Bible College. I would have done this in the immediate years following my graduation in 1949. In Jeremiah 10:23 we read, “...the way of man is not in himself: it is not in man that walketh to direct his steps.” With this in mind, if I had my ministry to live over, I believe I should have known in earlier years, in a more personal and explicit way, what the Word means when it says, “Be filled with the Spirit.” Also, “If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.” For if it is not in man that walketh to direct his steps, then how very much we need the Holy Spirit in all our lives, in everything. What did this mean? What should it have meant? Or, what should it mean today. In the life of the college student or young minister who is expecting to spend his life in God’s service? For instance, when seeking a “help meet”. I personally was in pastoral ministry for nearly ten years before I was married. I expect, where I pastored, how long I pastored there and how I pastored was affected by this. To be filled with the Spirit, to walk in the Spirit makes a difference in everything. Proverbs 3:5-6 “Trust in the Lord with all thine heart: and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct thy paths.” If I had my ministry to live over again I would have a more systematic study of the Word of God—more daily devotional readings and sermon preparation. I would also have a more concentrated prayer effort such as is suggested in the following two Scriptural references: 1 Tim 2:1 - “I exhort therefore, that first of all supplications, prayers, intercessions and giving of thanks be made for all men.” Phil 4:6 NIV - “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.” I believe it is to be noted here in these two scriptures that “thanksgiving” is an important part of our praying and in our ministry.
CORNERSTONES FOR FREEDOM If I had my ministry to live over again, I would find someone who had been
extremely productive with a balanced ministry and great leadership skills. I
would ask them the question, “If you had ministry to live over again, what would
you do?”
ROLE MODELS, FAMILY AND SOUL WINNING If I had my ministry to live over again...I would recall my worst errors and try to make corrections. Recently a pastor asked me who I thought was the best model pastor of my younger years. Immediately an elder who “stood tall” in my memory came to mind. During his retirement I heard him preach from the text “This Same Jesus” Acts 1:11. There was a dignity and maturity about this elder. He and his father reminded me of the prophets. Jesus resembles John the Baptist so much that some people confused Jesus with John the Baptist. Both were well known for their loving obedience to God the Father. The elder which I would try to imitate was known for his love, integrity, wisdom and successful ministry. He was kind and helped me in my preparation for ministry and the follow-up after. He encouraged others and showed interest in them. I remember his kindness more than his sermons. What we are speaks louder and more important than what we say or do. What we say and do make balance. If I had my ministerial life to live over, I would plan more loving attention to my spouse and my growing family. Sometimes the Lord allows a loved one or spouse to be taken away. College, marriage, workplace and war take our children. It is after they are gone that we recognize how blind, selfish and immature we have been. I would press for more intimate communication with God, Bible study and one another in the family altar. Whatever it takes, I would build more bridges of friendship beyond the walls of the church. God being my helper, I would work more diligently in reaching out to others for Jesus and the Kingdom of God. John the Baptist did what he was instructed to do. Jesus did exactly what the Father asked Him to do including His cross. I would do my utmost to follow their principles in ministry. Both were meek men but not weak men. John preached: “do those things that will show that you have turned from your sins”. I would try to use every usable method to bring people to repentance toward God and faith in the Lord Jesus. Goals are important. I would set apart a certain night each week in which I would focus on at least one with whom I could share my faith. My purpose would be to lead him to Jesus as Savior and Lord. I would encourage young converts to listen carefully and walk closely to God in case a call to full time ministry of the word should come to them. I would encourage “short term” missions for all ages. To support the missionary challenge of global missions for our generation, I would promote an annual rally with cash offering and faith pledges. I would aim for a minimum missionary budget of at least 10% of the church budget.
DEVOTIONS, TIME MANAGEMENT AND RETIREMENT “If I had my ministry to live over again I would...” endeavor to make changes (for the better) in the following areas. Education/Preparation The ministry has changed considerably in the last 50 years, demanding a better trained and well educated minister! While basic Bible preaching is still the highest priority, there is more and more pastoral counseling, church administration, community involvement, inter-church relations, and a variety of needs and demands from our modern society. I remember well the desire to “get into the pastoral ministry” as soon as possible, to respond to the call of God upon my heart and life. Others sought further education and obtained recognized degrees that have qualified them to become better preachers and to serve as teachers in our training institutions. While I do not regret my decisions made back then, I can see where a few more years in college or seminary would have enhanced and perhaps extended, my personal years of service! Our Lord Himself took 30 years of His short life on earth to prepare for only 3 years of public ministry! Devotional Life In my retirement, I miss the required discipline of Bible study and prayer! Sermon preparation involves both, but those “means of grace” ought not to be limited to preparing messages for the pulpit! I can see better now that the ‘closet” is of greater importance. How much more of the power of the Holy Spirit would have been evident if I had taken more time on my knees in private! Personal relationships and pastoral visitation doubtless would have been more effective and greatly enriched by seeking God to a greater degree. Fortunately, even in “retirement” one can still be involved in ministry and continue to develop a deeper devotional life! Schedule Ministers need a schedule...but they must not become a slave to it! It must serve them, and enable them to better allocate time and energy. Of prime importance is one’s own family! I admire younger pastors who will make more time for their wife and children, without neglecting their pastoral responsibilities. I have allowed the demands and calls of the congregation to encroach upon family time, and sincerely regret it! This was especially true in missionary work, when more Saturdays should have been reserved for the children, rather than board or committee meetings. The problems were compounded by geography and a language barrier in the Sunday services! I don’t think that the Lord wants us so busy trying to save the world at the expense of losing our own children! Surely a balance can be found that will help us meet the needs of both church and family. A word to any who may be contemplating missionary service...make yourself really study hard and get the language of the people to whom you minister! Without it, is much like trying to cut logs with a dull axe! That part of your daily schedule ought not to be neglected, though it is easy to do so. Retirement Not too many young ministers are thinking about their retirement years...they are so far down the road! It is fortunate that the Church, through the Wesleyan Pension Fund, and the Government, through the Canada Pension Plan, (or it’s U.S. equivalent) makes some provision for the elderly. However, these plans, together with the normal Old Age Security for seniors, are hardly sufficient to meet the rising cost of living in the 21st century! I would advise younger pastors to sacrifice some things in order to save a little more for the future! However, don’t rob God by skimping on the tithe! Your retirement will require housing, as well as an income, and long before old age, one ought to be considering that fact, especially if it is necessary to obtain a mortgage to purchase your retirement home. Again, it seems like a good plan for churches to pay a rental or housing allowance, if an adequate parsonage is not already available, so the individual can invest in a home! Retirement is more than the above. It does not mean the complete cessation of ministry! I personally thank the Lord for a local church and pastor that gives opportunity for continued service in some capacity. It may be limited by health or other circumstances, but we must remember that God has called us, and God will enable us, and God will provide for us the grace required to serve Him effectively in the closing years of our lives!
PROACTIVE MINISTRY If I had my ministry to live over again I would…… Be more proactive about getting to know community leaders, of all kinds; school, civic, store owners/managers, law enforcement, politicians, educators. I would routinely schedule a lunch with different ones and...
It is amazing to realize the insights that can be gained from such interviews. It also builds bridges that you will walk over later, and begins to help you develop a congregation within the community……in addition to the one with the walls of our churches. Begin doing sermon series a lot sooner than I did. So much wasted time and agony trying to decide which passage and topic every week. Series preaching provides a path of direction for the people, gives continuity, makes you face the passage at hand, is a great discipline, a better use of time and usually helps you keep ““studied ahead””, so you can contemplate all week what is coming. Develop a ““MINISTRY MODEL”” to give direction to all planning and activities. A model should be visible, clear and easily remembered and repeatable by the people. Then, everybody knows what we are up to. It becomes a means of focus and sifting and direction, so staff meetings, board meetings and our daily planning has a focus. Share the work and leadership of the ministry right from the get-go. Develop a sense of teamwork, and place value on laypeople and other staff if they are on hand. My ego was too weak, at times, to do enough of that. Exercise even more discipline in planning time and group-think and creativity in preparation for the worship experience. Not give a lot of airtime to negativity. Focus stronger and harder on community impact in needful and creative ways. Build up strong children’’s ministries even before teen stuff. Kids become teens. Max out the sports-ministry thing. Quit trying to re-create everything. Sit down, think, pray and identify the basics, the irreducible essence of the calling for a congregation, and then work the rest of my life to do it……better and better. But, maybe my favorite response to your lead line is: If I had my ministry to live over again……I would!””
PREACHING, RELATIONSHIPS AND FAMILY Most of my years in the ministry ,I have served as an evangelist. From 1956-58 (part time) and from1958-66 in a full time capacity. During that period of time from Nov.59-June 60,I served as interim pastor of the Free Will Baptist church in Linneus ,Maine. My evangelistic work was with various denominations throughout Eastern Canada , the New England area and New York State. From 1966-74,my evangelistic work was part time, since I took further education and then worked as a faculty member of a Christian College in Ohio. In 1974,I married and for 24 years didn’t serve in the capacity as a Minister but served as a lay leader in my home church. In 1983, I began speaking in women’s Ministries. One day, a year after my husband’s death, a call came from Bethany Bible College to be Interim Dean Of Discipleship, where I served from 1999-2001. During that time I was asked to preach at some churches on special occasions and since leaving the college have served as an evangelist and preached some in my home church. There are some things which I would change, if I had an opportunity to live my past ministry days again. I will divide this short essay into various categories. First of all with regards to sermon preparation: there would be more expository preaching than simply topical or textual. More illustrations would be given and the use of quotes from reputable scholars or evangelists would be cited. When it comes to preaching about issues, I would adhere to those scripturally based and would also deal with principles rather than naming things i.e - people having T.V.’s in their home or eating in restaurants on Sunday. There would be more wisdom exercised in how I approached various issues. I would still emphasize the judgement of God and the consequences. I would be more balanced in emphasizing the love of God and the great blessings of becoming a disciple of Christ. This might assist people in making a decision to follow Christ because of His love for them rather than to escape eternal punishment. When an appeal was given to invite people to the altar, I would not prolong it so that people would respond merely from pressure or on the basis of emotion. It seems at this present time that I give more respect to the congregation’s personhood. Whenever I left a place as an evangelist, often I would carry some of the people in my heart and correspond with them . Today, I probably would not do that but rather leave the followup to their pastor. Secondly, with regards to interpersonal relationships: there would be more openness to listen to people’s opinions, without taking it personally. Of course, this improved as I became more secure and less threatened by others. I would also be more accepting of the fact that not everyone likes me and not try to keep working on them so that I might win their approval. Although I didn’t do this a lot, I would never use the pulpit as a means of speaking to people about issues between either them and myself or others in the congregation, but rather seek to talk with them personally or not at all. When individuals approached me about my apparel as a woman minister, I would exercise more care in being teachable but not being manipulated by them. When older ministers tried to help me because they had my best interest at heart ,I would not be so defensive or overly sensitive but take their advice, sift through it and benefit from it when possible. Thirdly, with regard to my family, I would spend more time with my parents .When single or married, my parents didn’t have enough of my time .They were incredible people and I would not only give them more of myself but utilize their expertise as lay people to make me a better person and minister. It is very easy to put the ministry and the people to whom we minister ahead of our family. I would try not to do this again.
GET MORE TRAINING If I had my ministry to live over again, I would certainly go for much more training than what was acceptable in my day. With the explosion of knowledge especially, the last four and five decades, it would seem to me and imperative, to be well trained in the Bible, theology, the humanities, counselling, oratory, communication, administration, leadership and of course social skills. In addition I would seek to find a Bible College and/or Seminary whose faculty had experiences in pastoring churches and others in the area of missions. I feel it is important to have men and women who had experience in cross cultural ministries. A great amount of knowledge may be gained from books, videos, the internet and from learned scholars, but in my opinion, these should not be a substitute for someone who can, through personal experience, supplement the theoretical with the practical because he/she has been there and done that. If we believe our task is to train men and women for pastoral ministries and/or missions, then let's have pastors and missionaries be much involved in these all important training ministries.
FIVE THINGS I MIGHT HAVE DONE I must confess that my first reaction to your request regarding my pastoral days left me somewhat unsettled. I refer specifically to the nine years Vesta and I were at Woodstock (1957-1966). In those days the church was just beginning to renew itself following many years of near death. It was H.R. Ingersoll, my predecessor, who initiated a turnaround and it became my responsibility to keep the momentum alive. Those were very different days from the present. One of our first challenges was to meet the eight dollars per month payment on the oil burner at the parsonage. An office at the church with a telephone was an unnecessary and impractical dream! During those nine years Vesta and I did all we knew to build a healthy church. Both of us were involved in community life and we worked conscientiously within the church to minister effectively. Now, after a bit of introspection and reflection, I have come up with five areas that, had I addressed them, would have improved my ministry. There are other spheres, I am sure, that I have not mentioned, but this is a start. Things I Might Have Done to Improve my Ministry:
BEING THOUGHTFUL OF OTHERS If I had my ministry to live over again I would be more consistently kind in my preaching. Rebuking the congregation is one of the responsibilities of the preacher according to the Apostle Paul. (See 1 Timothy 5:12 and 2 Timothy 4:2) But Paul puts safeguards in his admonition. “Do not rebuke an older man harshly, but exhort him as if he were your father. Treat younger men as brothers, older women as mothers and younger women as sisters...” (1 Tim. 5:1-2 NIV) In 2 Timothy 4:2 Paul admonishes the preacher: “Preach the Word...correct, rebuke and encourage–with great patience and careful instruction.” I would be wiser in my treatment of seniors and working family members. When I was a pastor in my thirties I ignorantly expected too much of these two groups. I recall holding twelve-day evangelistic services and expecting them to be present at every service. Also, I would not require my congregation to stand during prolonged choruses and hymn singing, plus a pastoral prayer. In such cases the people could be on their feet for approximately half an hour. Clearly, some of my views have changed since I have gotten into my seventies...I might be quite a pastor if I could have a second run!
TEN THINGS I WISH I HAD KNOWN For more than 30 years I have been privileged to serve in Kingdom ministry through The Wesleyan Church. Of those years, 9 were spent in pastoral ministry and the remainder have been in the administrative/leadership arm of the church. The following items, listed in random order, represent a scratching of the surface of lessons learned and observations made during these three decades of ministry. Please read, heed and check out Proverbs 1:5. Ten Things I Wish I Had Clearly Understood When Entering the Ministry:
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