Page 66 - BMIN191 Beginnning Internship

66 Beginning Ministerial Internship: Student Manual

One of the expectations of family is quality time. While there will be
numerous demands on a minister’s time, the family will require special care
and attention. Most ministers choose one full day each week to devote to
family time. Nothing should infringe on this time! Typically, the minister can
make arrangements even for emergencies to be handled by members of the
congregation or other staff members.

10 What steps can you take While there are many ways for the minister to care for family needs, it is
to protect the quality time essential to develop a plan. Without a clear plan, the other demands slowly
your family requires? encroach and take away precious time and energy from family life.

People and Their Expectations

The business of people is demanding. Because the spiritual leader is seldom
free from someone’s needs, the ministry is a high-risk environment for burnout and
other similar problems. At the same time, the needs that can exhaust a minister are
genuine needs that call for attention. This is perhaps why the snare is so dangerous.
One can do all the right things and find oneself ineffective and drained of strength.
For this reason, it is imperative to learn early how to find the right balance.

A Need for Leadership
By nature, the minister’s role is that of leadership. There are other roles, yet it
is the role of a leader that will dominate. Let us look at a few reasons why.
People need leadership. The pages of Scripture are replete with evidence of
this need. Consider, for instance, Moses’ efforts at the helm of Israel. Over and
over again, he faced the task of motivating the people of Israel to move forward,
to trust in God, and to be obedient to God’s direction.
Leadership has not changed much. A minister will still find it necessary to
motivate the people toward good works. They will need to be encouraged and
cajoled to trust God when circumstances do not meet their expectations. And
it will be necessary to serve as teacher, calling even the eldest of the flock to
obedience to God’s Word. There is also the call to pray for the sick, counsel those
in crisis, perform sacramental functions, and so on. Each is an essential element
of life in the ministry, and the minister must be prepared to give his or her best.

11 What is vision, and why is The call to leadership is the essential component of the minister’s work.
it required of a leader? While there will be additional demands, those need to be viewed as subordinate
responsibilities. Out of this perspective comes a minister’s balance throughout
the years of ministry.

A Need for Relationship
Relationships are essential in the human existence. Our Creator designed us
to be dependent on Him and interdependent on one another. Those who live in
isolation seldom thrive because humans need friends. We need closeness and
deep relationships.
The minister will encounter many people who long for close relationship,
particularly with the spiritual leader. Receiving ministry at a distance is not
sufficient for them. They want their minister to know them, and they want to
spend time with him or her. Of course, the larger the scope of the minister’s
responsibility, the less possible this becomes. Still, many make a close
relationship with the spiritual leader their goal.
This is one aspect of expectation that the minister must guard carefully. As
ministers seek to reach more people for Christ, some people will turn away
because the minister cannot give them the time they desire. Occasionally, key