Or did we come into the ministry to run a big group and have everyone like us and want to be around us all the time?
Planting, at least at first, will not give you affirmation. Heck, people don’t know you from the next cult leader at first. You won’t get your sense of security from anyone else but Jesus and His call to follow Him to new ground.
So we hate this job many days. We wouldn’t wish it on anyone.
But We Love This Job, Too.
For as many disappointments there are, we see as many thrilling surprises. We love it because we get a front-row seat to watch God move in ways most people have never seen before and will never see in their lifetime. We get to see the first fruits. We get to see the ministry birthed. We get to be continually surprised and thrilled.
We get to be the servants in John 2 who see the water turn into wine, to sit in the owner’s box and watch God in action. We pay a high price for those seats, but the view and experience are fully worth it.
A person unexpectedly having a God moment submits her life to Jesus. ?A late night text from a new believer says, “I am so excited we have started this group!” ?The night when more people come than you have printed hand-outs for.
We love being on the adventure with Jesus. We love doing something that hasn’t been done before. We love that we get to taste a little bit of Jesus by displacing ourselves into a totally new area and making way for God’s kingdom to grow there.
Few moments happen that are better than seeing someone come to Christ through a ministry that didn’t exist before. In our best moments, we grasp that this calling is a privilege. Jesus has called us to do this work. We actually get to partner with God to help Him start new ministry in new places with people not currently being reached or cared about. WOW!
The call of the planter is to lay foundations, to start ministry where it’s not happening. To crack the door, so that others can kick it open. Others will come behind you and build it bigger. Your job is to get the work started.
And this, my friend, takes incredible energy, resolve and perspective.
Starting a ministry will mean facing many disappointments and enduring lonely moments. We have to become experts at embracing the challenge and turning to God in prayer to watch Him crack the door and lay the foundation.
Keep going, my friend. You are doing an important work!
This post first appeared on Beau Crosetto’s blog.
