Page 85 - BMIN191 Beginnning Internship

The Life of Ministry 85

demonstrates that true spiritual life can be found in daily moments with God
as well. The minister has much spiritual responsibility, and that responsibility
demands deep relationship with God.
Thus is daily time with God critical for the minister. Because such time is
seldom monitored by the congregation, a minister can become careless in this
discipline. But failure to spend time in God’s presence will weaken even the
strongest Christian.

A Minister’s Marriage

LESSON “Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church” (Ephesians 5:25).
4.2 they have been entrusted with the leadership of souls, they feel the compelling
Ministers understand and respond to the challenge to love the church. When

voice of the Savior to care for His little lambs. But many ministers have trouble
maintaining a healthy marriage while giving their all for those God has entrusted
to their care.
4.2.1 Life in the ministry can be hard on a marriage. In fact, while most ministry
OBJECTIVE marriages survive, many are not thriving under the surface. Spouses feel
Identify five hazards the neglected and overlooked. Some even become jealous or resentful of the time
life of ministry can bring and energy other people receive, while they seem to get the leftover energy and
to a marriage. attention—if there are any. Even ministers who dedicate their ministry to helping
others build healthy marriages can have great difficulty maintaining their own.
4.2.2
OBJECTIVE Few things have greater impact on a ministry than the quality of a minister’s
Identify the four steps marriage and family relationships. But having a healthy marriage and
for keeping a ministry maintaining an effective life of ministry often seem to work against one another.
marriage healthy, and It is probably for similar reasons that Paul encourages some of his friends to
establish a strategy for remain single rather than fail at this challenging task. Still, God said it is not good
their implementation. for us to be alone. So somehow we must learn how to build a quality marriage as
we engage in the ministry God has placed before us.
4.2.3
OBJECTIVE Ministry Can Be Hazardous to Your Marriage
Interview two ministry
couples concerning their Ministry can have a heavy impact on marriage life. Ministers must be fully
strategies for keeping their aware of the potential dangers poised against this special union and work with
marriages healthy in the their spouse to develop strategies for avoiding the pitfalls. Otherwise, partners
ministry. suffer wounds from which the marriage has little chance to survive.
We Never Have Time Together
A life of ministry is time-consuming. People have numerous needs, and
they experience those needs at a wide variety of hours each day. Ministers are
expected to respond to crisis situations with emergency room speed, and their
phones are legendary for ringing in the darkest hours of the night.
Discipleship is an endless task. Jesus spent three full years in nearly constant
contact with His disciples to help them become established in the ways of His
kingdom. Though today’s spiritual leader does not have the entire congregation
literally tracking in his or her footsteps, the needs of the people are still
overwhelming. While the minister typically works on weekly deadlines—Sunday
comes every seven days—he or she is also expected to have a chart for the future.
The minister is called on to be an administrator, communicator, counselor, recruiter,