Most pastors, church staff members, missionaries, and planters get into vocational ministry, not because some career aptitude test in high school points them in that direction, but because God calls them to it. Moses wasn’t eloquent, yet he led thousands out of slavery in Egypt. David was a pipsqueak of a shepherd boy who became King of Israel. That Peter was a fisherman meant he had likely been rejected to become a local rabbi’s disciple before he heard a carpenter from Nazareth say, “Follow me.”
“Not many of you were wise according to worldly standards,” Paul said, “but God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong…so that no human being might boast in the presence of God” (I Corinthians 1:26-29). In other words, the statement God doesn’t call the equipped, but he equips the called is trite but true!
And while it’s true, it also brings temptation. In the same letter, Paul said “let anyone who thinks that he stands take heed lest he fall” (I Corinthians 10:12).
In other words, the path of faithfulness is full of pitfalls.
Moses struck the rock because he let his temper get the best of him. David committed adultery with Bathsheba because he stayed home from battle — possibly a sign of burnout. Peter denied Jesus because he was embarrassed to be identified as one of his disciples.
Consider these pitfalls to look out for when ministry is your profession:
IDOLATRY
Speaking of Moses, the first of the Ten Commandments God gave him not long after the Exodus was, “You shall have no other gods before me” (Exodus 20:3). Implicit is that the root of all sin is idolatry — putting anything or anyone before God.
Ironically, though, what is done in the name of God can take the place of God. Yes, ministry can become an idol. Results, stories, and impact are not bad in and of themselves. But like anything good, they can become God if we let them.
INFIDELITY
I don’t necessarily mean what David did with Uriah’s wife — although that’s no doubt something to guard yourself against — I mean what I told the church I once pastored the Sunday morning I announced my resignation: “The church is Jesus’ bride, not mine.” Not only had I experienced what felt like an insurmountable amount of burnout, but for nearly two years that began with a pandemic, I had gradually given my wife and children more and more of my leftovers.
If you’re married and in ministry, be it full-time, part-time, or volunteer, your first ministry is at home.
ISOLATION
This largely applies to those working in a church. Because your role is to equip the saints for the work of ministry (Ephesians 4:11-12), most of your time is naturally spent with those who follow Jesus. While that is far from sinful, it often requires more intentionality to be in settings where you can be light in darkness.
INDIFFERENCE
This is the most dangerous pitfall because in one way or another, it always precedes the others. Gospel-centered ministry leads to familiarity with the gospel; the pitfall is the indifference that familiarity can breed.
The night before Jesus was crucified, he told his disciples, “Abide in me…that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full” (John 15:1-11). Abide in usually follows with a place, not a person. So how do we abide in Jesus? We make our home in the good news of what he did in our place less than 24 hours later. And the more we make our home in that, the less inclined we are to find our deepest joy in something or someone else.
Take heed by preaching the gospel to yourself, lest you fall.
-Travis Suits (Missions Director at Mercy Hill Church)