Man, while I intellectually agree that I need to say no to some things so that I can continue to prioritize ministry and God, it can be hard sometimes. the spirit is willing but the flesh is weak...
That message really speaks deeply brother it reminds us that ministry is not a short race but a long journey and many start strong but struggle to continue over time.True ministry is not about speed or excitement but about endurance faithfulness and staying rooted in Christ.Hebrews 12:1 says Let us run with endurance the race that is set before us and that is the heart of sustaining ministry not quitting when it gets hard but continuing with our eyes on Jesus.The reality is many face burnout discouragement and pressure because they try to carry everything on their own or run faster than God has called them to run but even Jesus took time to withdraw and pray showing us the importance of rest and dependence on God.Mark 1:35 shows us that Jesus went to a quiet place to pray reminding us that secret time with God is what sustains public ministry.The message also points out that God’s Word must not just be something we preach but something we live daily because it is our spiritual strength.Matthew 4:4 says Man shall not live by bread alone but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.We cannot pour out if we are not being filled daily in His presence.It also reminds us that we are not meant to do ministry alone we need fellowship accountability and support from other believers because isolation leads to weakness but unity brings strength.Ecclesiastes 4:9 says Two are better than one because they have a good return for their labor.Another powerful truth is that struggles are not against us but are actually shaping us building our character and deepening our faith because without pressure there is no growth and without challenges there is no endurance.James 1:3 says Because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance.We must also learn to depend on God’s strength and not our own because our ability is limited but His grace is sufficient.2 Corinthians 12:9 says My grace is sufficient for you for my power is made perfect in weakness.When we feel weak tired or discouraged that is often where God works the most deeply in us.He renews our strength when we wait on Him.Isaiah 40:31 says Those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength they will soar on wings like eagles.So this message is both encouragement and direction to stay steady stay rooted and stay faithful even when it feels slow unseen or difficult.Galatians 6:9 says Let us not grow weary in doing good for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.Keep going brother your labor is not in vain God sees every sacrifice every prayer and every step of obedience and He is faithful to sustain you till the end
I'm also a believer in the power of co-vocational ministry, but I've also been reflecting on its limitations. I'm curious -- would you actually argue that a covocational-led approach is actually preferable to having full-time ministers?
As someone who has been involved in covocational ministry in a while, I've often felt discouraged by how little bandwidth it feels like I have left over to devote to ministry work. It's not that I can't do ministry at all, but I just find myself always feeling like things could be so much better... If I just had a bit more time to work on sermon content, or a bit more time to be out on campus meeting students, etc. Maybe part of that is my perfectionism talking. But at the same time, why not make ministry as excellent as possible -- why not free up more man hours to get out engaging in relationship-building, etc.? So because of this, I've been feeling more and more like a church should make the financial sacrifices needed to have as many full-time staff as possible on the ground, to pour more into kingdom work; this in addition to co-vocational laborers.
I also wonder how much the industry one works in enables co-vocational leadership. As someone who works in tech, I've often had remote flexibility, which has been really helpful for ministry, and actually a crucial enabler of life-on-life proximity (since I could actually often work on campus, with students, etc) But for some of my friends whose in-person jobs don't enable that kind of flexibility, they have much fewer hours to actually even get engaged in evangelism. Especially once they get married and have kids, their availability can shrink to just a few hours a week.
For context, we do have full-time team members, but their focus is largely on systems, scaling, and operational work -- things that are difficult to sustain purely through evenings and weekends.
That said, I’m not convinced that a vocational minister necessarily has significantly more relational capacity than a co-vocational minister (though I’m open to being challenged on that).
More importantly, if vocational ministry (the ministry of the few) comes at the expense of the ministry of all, then I think it’s a problem. But if vocational roles exist to equip and enable the whole body for ministry, then it’s a win (Ephesians 4:11–16).
At a fundamental level, I’d still take 10 people each ministering to 2 people each over 10 people funding 1 person to minister to 20. The combined gifts of the body will always outweigh the super-gifts of the few.
With respect to families -- fighting to keep families engaged in the mission is certainly a challenge. But, it's a lot easier if everyone else is doing it too!
Man, while I intellectually agree that I need to say no to some things so that I can continue to prioritize ministry and God, it can be hard sometimes. the spirit is willing but the flesh is weak...
That message really speaks deeply brother it reminds us that ministry is not a short race but a long journey and many start strong but struggle to continue over time.True ministry is not about speed or excitement but about endurance faithfulness and staying rooted in Christ.Hebrews 12:1 says Let us run with endurance the race that is set before us and that is the heart of sustaining ministry not quitting when it gets hard but continuing with our eyes on Jesus.The reality is many face burnout discouragement and pressure because they try to carry everything on their own or run faster than God has called them to run but even Jesus took time to withdraw and pray showing us the importance of rest and dependence on God.Mark 1:35 shows us that Jesus went to a quiet place to pray reminding us that secret time with God is what sustains public ministry.The message also points out that God’s Word must not just be something we preach but something we live daily because it is our spiritual strength.Matthew 4:4 says Man shall not live by bread alone but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.We cannot pour out if we are not being filled daily in His presence.It also reminds us that we are not meant to do ministry alone we need fellowship accountability and support from other believers because isolation leads to weakness but unity brings strength.Ecclesiastes 4:9 says Two are better than one because they have a good return for their labor.Another powerful truth is that struggles are not against us but are actually shaping us building our character and deepening our faith because without pressure there is no growth and without challenges there is no endurance.James 1:3 says Because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance.We must also learn to depend on God’s strength and not our own because our ability is limited but His grace is sufficient.2 Corinthians 12:9 says My grace is sufficient for you for my power is made perfect in weakness.When we feel weak tired or discouraged that is often where God works the most deeply in us.He renews our strength when we wait on Him.Isaiah 40:31 says Those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength they will soar on wings like eagles.So this message is both encouragement and direction to stay steady stay rooted and stay faithful even when it feels slow unseen or difficult.Galatians 6:9 says Let us not grow weary in doing good for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.Keep going brother your labor is not in vain God sees every sacrifice every prayer and every step of obedience and He is faithful to sustain you till the end
Hey Robin, thanks for the thought-provoking post!
I'm also a believer in the power of co-vocational ministry, but I've also been reflecting on its limitations. I'm curious -- would you actually argue that a covocational-led approach is actually preferable to having full-time ministers?
As someone who has been involved in covocational ministry in a while, I've often felt discouraged by how little bandwidth it feels like I have left over to devote to ministry work. It's not that I can't do ministry at all, but I just find myself always feeling like things could be so much better... If I just had a bit more time to work on sermon content, or a bit more time to be out on campus meeting students, etc. Maybe part of that is my perfectionism talking. But at the same time, why not make ministry as excellent as possible -- why not free up more man hours to get out engaging in relationship-building, etc.? So because of this, I've been feeling more and more like a church should make the financial sacrifices needed to have as many full-time staff as possible on the ground, to pour more into kingdom work; this in addition to co-vocational laborers.
I also wonder how much the industry one works in enables co-vocational leadership. As someone who works in tech, I've often had remote flexibility, which has been really helpful for ministry, and actually a crucial enabler of life-on-life proximity (since I could actually often work on campus, with students, etc) But for some of my friends whose in-person jobs don't enable that kind of flexibility, they have much fewer hours to actually even get engaged in evangelism. Especially once they get married and have kids, their availability can shrink to just a few hours a week.
Thanks, Noah, this is a really fair question!
For context, we do have full-time team members, but their focus is largely on systems, scaling, and operational work -- things that are difficult to sustain purely through evenings and weekends.
That said, I’m not convinced that a vocational minister necessarily has significantly more relational capacity than a co-vocational minister (though I’m open to being challenged on that).
More importantly, if vocational ministry (the ministry of the few) comes at the expense of the ministry of all, then I think it’s a problem. But if vocational roles exist to equip and enable the whole body for ministry, then it’s a win (Ephesians 4:11–16).
At a fundamental level, I’d still take 10 people each ministering to 2 people each over 10 people funding 1 person to minister to 20. The combined gifts of the body will always outweigh the super-gifts of the few.
With respect to families -- fighting to keep families engaged in the mission is certainly a challenge. But, it's a lot easier if everyone else is doing it too!