Complexities 4.23.2026

     Ministry is not easy. Some would say that it is among the hardest of all jobs to do well. There are some sectors that do not even like to discuss the nature of professional ministry because they think such terminology creates a division between “clergy” and “laity”. Whatever terms are used, even when some think terms un-scriptural (which they may be, but that doesn’t wholly invalidate them), people still like well-crafted sermons, ably crafted programs, properly considered leadership, and properly prepared ministers. In other words, terminology aside, virtually everyone prefers a professionally credentialed person to help the local church navigate those complexities. 

    Over the next several weeks we are going to try and chart a course in, around, and through those complexities. The reason I am doing so now is that I am approaching a significant anniversary in my located ministry with the Grayville First Christian Church, and such anniversaries an excellent opportunity to consider how to navigate the complexities we face in ministry. 

    First a person needs to note that the complexities exist, whether we consider them such or not, address them or don’t, accept them, or ignore them. The nature of the located preaching ministry revolves around several areas of accountability. I write about these often and some of those I mentor (I know) get sick of hearing them. Yet repeating them often helps keep the complexity of the work in proper focus. Those areas are Preaching, Pastoral Care, Planning/Leading, Programming, and Professional development. Properly aligning ourselves to these areas of responsibility is what keeps ministry exciting, focused, and engaging. 

    The first three areas are those specifically grounded in scripture. They are Word focused, people focused, and leadership focused. Unfortunately, in the Post-Modern world, programming gets far too much attention—generally to the detriment of the more necessary work of preaching. The professional side of things is an odd duck because as the Church’s work has become more specialized, we have erected deeper and denser circles of staffing to do what the members can and perhaps should do for themselves. A lifetime of ministry does require attention to professional growth, collegial relationships, and long-term planning, which are professional tendencies shared by all knowledge workers. You don’t have to like a term for it to be accurately used. 

    If we do not keep clearly focused on our mandate to preach clearly, “cure souls”, and lead effectively then the complexity is often compounded by spending a disproportionate amount of time doing the wrong things. This increases the frustration of the preacher and creates an erroneous expectation within a congregation. To navigate this complexity requires several preliminary decisions to ensure that everyone is on the same page.

Clarity in Expectation.

    “This is what I do.” It is your responsibility to articulate expectations for your congregation. You need to clearly explain to your leaders as well as the congregation what you do, why you do it, and how you intend to do it. If not, there will be an ongoing disconnect between what the congregation expects and what the preacher intends to do. 

    The only responsible path forward is to be clear about what you intend to do. Tell people repeatedly your own expectations, intentions, procedures, and goals in ministry. Link outcomes to expectations rather than just guessing or hoping. Guessing and hoping can easily become gaslighting when the predicted outcomes do not occur. This is a result less of malice than over-promising. Don’t make promises—explain processes. 

Variety in Experimentation.

    I will be wearing my caterpillar inflatable costume one more time his spring. We will have a Caterpillar Club cookout to end the spring programming. Caterpillar Club is our children’s programming—revived after several years of hiatus. When we started, I wrote a theme song; “The preacher found me outside on a shrub, brought me inside to start the caterpillar club…” I don’t intend to wear “the suit” the rest of my life. It’s not for preaching or any other pastoral activity. Wearing it at all was an experiment. And it worked!!

    But…Not everything works everywhere. The church is a copy-cat institution. The prevalence of Mega-Churches and the materials they provide can delude us into thinking that we can implement and execute the same kinds of programs and promotions. It takes a lot of failure to move forward. It takes experimentation that is locally flavored and anchored to the historic place and nature of an individual congregation to find what works. 

    When you do try something new tell people why you are doing it. Explain the process. Define expectations. Locate it on that grid of Preaching, Pastoral, Planning, Programming, or Professional work. If something works, awesome! If not…kill it and move on. 

Integrity in Execution.

    Many years ago, I worked for a company deeply invested in the international standard known as ISO 9000. The standards were to be set by a company to accomplish their business goals, and the mark of excellence was encapsulated in the phrase “Say what you do, do what you say.” An outside organization cannot establish standards for how a company does business. The certification simply determined how closely the company came to doing what they said they were going to do. When the company went through an ISO audit the reviewers looked at the documentation, compared it with practice and scored accordingly. 

    Execution in the Church should not primarily be about outcomes. Primarily it needs to be determined by integrity. Are we doing what we say we will do? Do we set standards and try to meet them? Do we review both the standards and our current activities to bring them in line? This is the heart of honest execution. Simply being accountable to set standards and try to meet them. 

Finally

    You might be thinking, “Wow, ministry is still complex!” You are correct. It is hard, exacting, and immersive. In one moment, we are doing academic level reading and writing, the next moment we are making sure the HVAC guys have full access to the building to service 5 AC units as well as the internal systems. Then we must intervene in a member’s spiritual crisis. No one can make it less complex. I would never try to do that—I wouldn’t even mention the possibility.

    What we can do is manage the chaos, categorize our activities, prioritize our tasks, and move prayerfully ahead into the work. Complex? Yes. Hard? Routinely. Heartbreaking? Regularly. Rewarding? Beyond your wildest expectations.