Lasting in Ministry - Part 3

If you want to have lasting impact, you need to last in ministry a long time. By lasting I don’t just mean quantity of time but quality, bringing your full self to the work. In my previous two blogs, I shared the first six practices that have helped me last in ministry for 27+ years. In this one I’ll share the final four. If you missed the first six practices, check out the last two Tom’s Takes. (Part 1 + Part 2)

Practice Seven: Recognize there are seasons to ministry

Sometimes people quit ministry because they are in a season that is difficult or challenging. That season can be a literal season. Lent is going to be more difficult than June. You are probably going to feel more pressure in December than July. Knowing that some seasons will be more difficult than others can help you put your head down and go to work during the busy times. That’s a better strategy in a busy season than simply feeling angst that you are busy. There is a rhythm to the church year. We want to learn to work in rhythm with the year and be aware of the times when we are busier and then take advantage of down times. People burn out in Church work when they don’t work in tune with these rhythms.

There are also going to be seasons of trial and testing. Something is going to blow up on you. A key staff member or volunteer will quit at just the wrong time. You will experience seasons of conflict where some members of the church cause trouble. Operationally you might experience drastic building issues – the heater or air conditioning unit stops working, your data system crashes or gets hacked. When these issues happen they can become all consuming. They definitely take a lot out of us. When you are tempted to quit or give up, remember, this too shall pass. As St. Theresa of Avila said, “Let nothing disturb thee, let nothing affright thee, all things are passing. Only God remains.”

Practice Eight: Don’t give into desolation

This action is related to St. Ignatius Loyola’s rules when it comes to the discernment of spirits. St. Ignatius called desolation a “darkness of soul” as well as a “disquiet from various agitations and temptations, moving from lack of confidence, hopelessness, finding oneself totally slothful, tepid, sad, and as if separated from one’s Creator and Lord.” Desolation has taken many church workers out of ministry.

As Dan Burke notes in his book Spiritual Warfare and the Discernment of Spirits, it is often when we choose to fight desolations and the evil spirits that oppress us, that God begins to give us strength and ability to break out of that darkness. He further reiterates a rule of St. Ignatius, “In times of desolation never make a change, but be firm and constant in the proposals and determinations in which one was the day preceding such desolation, or in the determination in which one was in the preceding consolation.”

For purposes of ministry, never quit in a time of desolation. God may be calling you out of a situation but if you had decided in a time of clear headedness to serve in a parish in a certain capacity then don’t decide to leave in desolation. That decision is being driven by the Enemy. That leads us to number nine.

Practice Nine: Remember you are in a spiritual battle

There is an Enemy. There are demons that want to take you out and limit your effectiveness in building God’s kingdom. If we forget that, we make ourselves vulnerable to attacks from the enemy. Some people get scared when reminded of spiritual battle. There is no reason to be scared. Fear is a tactic of the enemy. Greater is he that is in you than he that is in the world. (1 John 4:4) As Psalm 18 says, “God trains your hands for war.”

We recognize the enemy’s existence because when he acts, when he punches us in the face or tries to cause us trouble, we can remain calm. However, if we forget about the enemy, those moments will completely disrupt our spirit. I know because I have fallen for it many times; but I’m learning to expect the punches and to counter punch. This past January, I put together a retreat for my family. Right away it was attacked. The car got stuck in the snow, one of my sons started pounding on the car ticked off as we pushed it out. My daughter didn’t put her bags in the car, my son said his bag was with my daughter’s bag. We hadn’t even started yet and there was already chaos and confusion. It was totally predictable – a move from the enemy to throw us off. But in that moment I stayed mostly calm and worked through it.

St. Paul said this, “I find this principle to be at work, whenever I try to do good, evil is right there along with it.” (Romans 7:21) The presence of evil trying to distract and mess you up is evidence you and your parish are doing good work. The enemy tries to mess that up. Don’t let him confuse you and burn you out. Remember you are in a battle.

Practice Ten: Find the inspiration that helps you remember your calling

This comes back to where we started. I am repeating it but with a slight nuance. God calls us into his work and so out of obedience we don’t quit. At the same time, there was something inspiring that called you into the work. Somewhere along the way, the work of ministry grabbed you and your heart. Remember that moment and call upon it for inspiration to fuel you.

For me it was a message from Andy Stanley at the Drive 2006 conference. It wasn’t even the whole message, just the last few minutes. Every once in a while I’ll go back and listen to it because after hearing him I said, “I’m in. I’ll give the rest of my life to making Catholic parishes relevant so that more people can know the good news of God’s love.” Remember what inspired you to serve in Christ’s Church.

Rooting for you,
Tom