"Go Fish” – Part 2
I’m thankful for my current pastor, my spiritual father who is pastor of my home church in LA, and my district pastor out there, who learned from our spiritual father. They are all well-known pastors in Christendom worldwide. I’ve studied how they operate and I’ve sat at their feet and listened to their wisdom on how to build a successful ministry, which is why I can share with others when I am not a minister myself.
Many pastors look at them with contempt and disdain (Side note: The energy you spend hating on other ministers could be spent building your own ministry.). I realized the people who talk about them, the haters, are sitting at home hating, instead of getting out there. You all have the same Word, but you each have your own ministry. There’s enough souls out there for everyone to reach.
What are you doing to build your ministry? One of the biggest things you’ve got to do to is to change your mindset. I had a well-known business coach tell me on a conference call that the number one thing you need is an abundance mindset. What does that mean for you as a minister? It means you should see every person as a soul and you should have the attitude of no one left behind. I’m taking everyone I see with me! Nobody left behind!
I always say that the harvest is ripe for the picking – in your vineyard, your community. Go out there and start harvesting!
When you have an abundance mindset in ministry, no church can get too big. You want to see everybody saved, so you’re standing at the church door (figuratively and literally) waving people in.
Look around you, look around this world, look at the events of the past few days. People need Jesus! You need to bring Jesus to them, bring them into the fold. One of Bishop Blake’s most-popular sermons is “Testing the Limits.” Stretch beyond the usual and the ordinary and reach another level in your ministry. Then Bishop Noel Jones came to our church that very evening and preached “Take the Limits Off God.” Flat out! You can find both sermons online. You’ve got to take the limits off God in regards to ministry because you’re missing people in the process.
The second biggest mistake I see ministers make is not taking the profession of being a minister professionally. Whether you are in full-time ministry or working a day job, you still need to pursue your avocation with the same professionalism that you do in your career. You act professional on your secular job – you manage the business affairs, tend to your career growth, attend trainings and seminars – but for some reason, when you’re called you leave all of that behind. A ministry is a kingdom business! The Bible says to do everything in decency and in order. So run your ministry the way you would run your secular career.
The key to all of this is networking! Again, going back to the well-known pastors. They didn’t start out that way. They networked. They started in their own towns, preaching at little churches until the big ones called.
And still, they go out. Most of the week, they’re on the road. If they’re not preaching at churches or speaking at conferences, they’re in attendance. But they get to know people, people get to know them, they exchange contact info, whether it’s business cards or their number on a napkin or their Facebook page info. That’s how you build your ministry. God doesn’t want you to sit on your talent. Remember that story! It’s not enough to say you’re a minister. You’ve got to activate it and walk in it.
My other challenge to you is to take that one step further. Between now and Pentecost Sunday, go to three different church events outside of your church, whether they’re concerts, conferences, study groups, special services, outreach events or just church. Cast your net! Remember the two-edged sword – it cuts both ways. So when you extend your hand to give something, make sure something comes back in your hand. Give, get. Do that hand expression with me – extend out, draw back! If it’s a good person to follow up with, by all means do so. See how that works for you and let me know! You can IM me on Facebook or email me at [email protected].