Essentials of Ministry Paper
CHMN 201-D02
Kenneth G. Palmer
Part I
In ministry, there are several essentials that one must abide by in order to become not
only an effective minister, but a reliable one as well. People will often rely on ministers for a
variety of reasons and issues they consistently face throughout their lives. Yet, even in the most
balanced situations, a minister can lose sight of their calling and retreat into a myriad of setbacks.
David Early and Ben Gutierrez, in Everyday Ministry, outline a set of essentials that predicate a
life of ministry, so that those who have heard the calling, will have a foundation which they can
build it on.
Before any minister takes on the thought of becoming a minister, like all those who have
entered the faith throughout the course of history, “coming clean” about our anthropological
depravity is the first and foremost essential. David Early says, “When Isaiah cried, “Woe is me,”
he was acknowledging his sin. The Hebrew rendering of this term is intense. He is literally
saying, “I am damned, guilty, and condemned to hell.”1 If a Christian is going to devote a
substantial part of their life to ministry, their first act of humility in coming before God through
His Son Jesus Christ and acknowledging their sin is paramount. To offer oneself to God’s
ministry like Isaiah’s, “Here I am, send me,” is an act of complete surrender, as he was
“responding to the call of God.” This calling isn’t to be taken lightly, and dedicating one’s life to
the “compelling invitation to cooperate with God in advancing his kingdom and building his
church as vocational pursuit”2 will most certainly have its difficulties. Yet, if a minister’s calling
is undeniably from God, then it is clear they “are able to teach effectively” and have “received
the God given-ability to serve him with God-honoring impact and results.”3
1 David Early and Ben Gutierrez, Everyday Ministry, (Nashville, B&H Publishing Group, 2010),
929, accessed, November 2017, https://www.mywsb.com/reader
2 Ibid., 1025.
3 Ibid., 1060.
4 Ibid., 1148.
5 Ibid., 1231.
6 Ibid., 1248.
7 Ibid., 1251.
8 Ibid., 1278.
9 Ibid., 1306.
10 Ibid., 1385.
Ministry can be daunting, exhausting every last line of defense one can humanly take.
Having a strong relationship with God through prayer is essential for an effective ministry leader
to take on their role in the church. “Prayer is certainly not the only act of leadership, but it is the
indisputable common denominator of spiritual difference-makers in every generation and in any
setting.”4 Leaders placing prayer as one of their primary tasks will likewise encourage them in
maintaining an eternal perspective. “Paul maintained his perspective and endured in ministry
because he refused to play games.”5 By staying positive, keeping things authentic, and being
grateful, with our perspective focused on our lives in Christ “through the lens of eternity,”6
ministry leaders are “making investments”7 in people that are everlasting.
Complacency is a human condition, and if this seeps into a ministry professional, it can
be detrimental to the overall mission. Refusing to coast through the work and seeking out new
opportunities to share the faith so that “we can become all God wants us to be.”8 Training
ourselves to become stronger in the faith and more effective is essential in a ministry leader’s
spiritual walk, which will allow God to grow the ministry to its fullest potential.9 As one
becomes stronger in the faith, the love and compassion for one another grows as well. As the
relationship grows stronger with Jesus, people become better at with bonding and maintaining
one, allowing the ministry leader’s life to be blessed and their ministry multiplied.10 Loving
people is a choice and action, and with practice, it can become as easy as Jesus made it seem to
be. By loving others, people will see that Christians are authentic in their behavior, living a life
11 Ibid., 1504.
12 Ibid., 1556.
13 Ibid., 1689.
14 Ibid., 1742.
15 Jim Cymbala, with Dean Merrill, Fresh Wind, Fresh Fire: What Happens when God’s Spirit
invades the Hearts of His People, (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2003), 177.
of integrity, godly character, and without compromise. The ministry leaders “must make the
uncompromising choices today in order to be a person of unwavering character tomorrow.”11
Staying true to Jesus and His Word amidst the plethora of ideologies, philosophies and
religions can also be taxing on the ministry leaders. Winning converts may be predicated on a
syncretic altruism that could have a profound effect on the Gospel message. Ministry leaders
must remain loyal to the truth “in order to counteract the cultural tendency to ignore, discredit,
and diminish biblical truth.”12 Because the character of the ministry leader is so important, living
up to their name will always be the first impression anyone they come in contact with will have.
It will carry over into their ministry with qualities that maintain “unity, faithfulness, dependence,
support and purity” “within their own portion of the body of Christ.”13 The ministry leader’s
obedience to the Triune God is exemplified in how they live their lives. By doing so, “God will
provide all the spiritual resources”14 one needs to live at a higher standard than everyone else.
David Early and Ben Gutierrez have carefully outlined the necessary essentials in being a
successful minster. It takes more than an overwhelming feeling to take on any type of ministry.
It takes another type of Christian to endure the setbacks and pitfalls of ministry. Jim Cymbala
calls them warriors “who press forward the kingdom of God. They lay aside the distractions of
life to do exploits in the spiritual realm. Whether or not they become famous on earth is beside
the point. They are heroes and heroines nonetheless.”15 The ministry profession is demanding,
but likewise, it is eternally rewarding.
16 Heb. 10:14.
17 1 Jn. 3:2.
18 Job 31:1.
19 David Early and David Wheeler, Evangelism Is…How to Share Jesus with Passion and
Confidence, (Nashville: B&H Academic, 2010), 46.
Part II
The two areas that I can use the most work in is living a life without compromise and
living up to Christ’s name. Although I think the two are very similar, nonetheless I fall short of
these areas consistently. Granted I understand I am a sinner, and life is a process of
sanctification,16 which will result in my glorification in Christ,17 so even though I need not be too
hard on myself, I should continue to strive for practical righteousness. I have found that what we
allow ourselves to see, look at, watch, take part in, or even listen to things that aren’t necessarily
righteous. When I interact with influences such as these, I notice I am affected by it.
Part III
Like Job, in order to filter what the world persistently refuses to abate from showing us
what is good, right, appealing, just, and loving, I must “make a covenant with my eyes.”18 David
Early says the world “is rotten and tasteless. It has no thirst for God. It is dark. It is in great
need.”19 My plan in this area is to keep my eyes guarded from anything that is unholy or
unrighteous in any way, and likewise when I am around people who are behaving or talking in a
way that is unrighteous, I will (and have been) tune out of the conversation politely or excuse
myself. On top of my prayer life, I have also been inconsistent in praying first thing in the
morning before my feet hit the floor. This perhaps is the most important area I am seeking to do
on a consistent basis. Prayer and action are two things which are paramount in overcoming our
weaknesses, and removing, as Jim Cymblala says, the “dross” in our life, is something that God
will remove as He walk us through each step. “We have to face the fact that in order to be what
Bibliography
Cymbala, Jim, with Merrill, Dean, Fresh Faith: What Happens When Real Faith Ignites God’s
People, (Grand Rapids, Zondervan, 1999).
Cymbala, Jim, with Merrill, Dean, Fresh Wind, Fresh Fire: What Happens when God’s Spirit
invades the Hearts of His People, (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2003).
20 Jim Cymbala and Dean Merrill, Fresh Faith: What Happens When Real Faith Ignites God’s
People, (Grand Rapids, Zondervan, 1999), 184.
God wants us to be, he will have to take away things in our life that don’t belong.”20 I welcome
the removal of anything He see fit tin order to mold me into the way He intends me to be.
Early, David and Gutierrez, Ben, Everyday Ministry, (Nashville, B&H Publishing Group, 2010),
929, accessed November 2017, https://www.mywsb.com/reader
Early, David and Wheeler, David, Evangelism Is…How to Share Jesus with Passion and
Confidence, (Nashville: B&H Academic, 2010).
