Ministry-Not Meant to be Done Alone

Imagine a young couple, just married, excited about life, with lots of dreams and high expectations. They have few worries in life and are optimistic of what their future holds. They are madly in love and truly believe that life will be perfect just because they love one another. Have you seen these types of newlyweds? That was my husband and I five years ago almost to this date. We had only been married for four months when we got a call with a major ministry offer. We were offered to lead a worship institute for young adults in our area. We prayed and ask the Lord for guidance and shortly after decided to take the dive and go into full time ministry. We were excited!

We gave our entire life to the ministry. The ministry became our baby. We gave it our hearts, our time, and all our energy. We were in our element: teaching, leading, and inspiring young people to pursue God relentlessly. Several years passed and we were still on cloud nine, until…adversity hit. We faced major challenges in our ministry that very few couples have to face at such a young age. Unfortunately at that time the relationship with our pastor was distant and therefore we had no one to talk to except for a few friends our own age. We were lost, confused and lonely. According to my husband and I, we had done everything right…or so we had thought.

We learned a very important lesson the hard way: Ministry is not to be done alone. No matter how much energy, passion or innovative ideas you may have, it is impossible for it to be done by yourself. Ministry is a war zone. It is a place where you fight the enemy head on and pour your heart, sweat and tears into other people. It requires much self sacrifice and therefore is not designed be accomplished single-handedly. The importance of having leaders and mentors in your life is essential. It is essential because you need someone pouring into you as much as you pour yourself into others. That is what the apostle Paul did for Timothy:

“… Timothy, my beloved and faithful child in the Lord. He will remind you of how I follow Christ Jesus, just as I teach in all the churches wherever I go.” (I Corinthians 4:17) Paul mentored Timothy and taught him to follow Christ and therefore Timothy’s spiritual walk and ministry thrived because he was able to pour into others what Paul had poured into him.

Currently, my husband and I are taking a short hiatus from ministry. We were led by the Lord to do this in order to rest and prepare for whatever He has planned for us next. We made major decisions that led us to find amazing mentors who have enriched our lives like no one. I’d like to encourage you to do the same. Pray that the Lord will lead you to find your “Paul”. You’ll never be the same, your ministry will rise to the next level, and your perspective of God will be transformed. You will not only survive in ministry, but you will thrive in it, as Timothy did. All of this will happen, as long as you and I understand that ministry was never meant to be done alone.