The statistics are bad about leaders falling away in ministry. It is estimated that only one out of ten ministers that started ministry together will still be around 30 to 40 years later.
Furthermore, many young people now rush into ministry and rush out too when the going gets tough. There is a story of an arrested armed robber who was once a Pastor but veered into crime when things became tough in the ministry. Many are in ministry for short-term before they quit and find something else to do. Ministry is not a 100 meter dash, but a marathon and cross-country race. It takes grit, determination and staying power than speed and fastness. Amazing changes that were unheard of before in ministry are happening right before us. Unfortunately, many are allowing these changes to change them from good to bad and from right to wrong.
A. HOW MINISTRY HAVE CHANGED IN THE LAST 30 YEARS-Ps 102:25-27; Acts 5
Most vocations have changed in the last 30 years or thereabout photography, film making, lithography, printing, pitman have all undergone tremendous change. Pastoring and ministry is not left out too. In fact, within the last 30 years, pasturing has changed in ways we likely would never have predicted or imagined. In 1986, 1 began as a young minister, serving as an associate in five churches and a Senior Pastor in one. In 1994, I began teaching and consulting with Pastors and leaders of various churches. But today, so much have changed.
- 30 years ago, the Pastor is highly respected in the community. Today, many Pastors have lost their respect as most people backbite about Pastors.
- 30 years ago, most people in the congregation held the Pastor in high esteem. Today, church members no longer view Pastors with the same high esteem.
- 30 years ago, Pastors go only for Bible College and Theological training only. Today most Pastors have never stepped Bible Schools. Self-study and short time training is now the in-thing.
- The work is sacred and demands for God’s calling and years of training. Today, people call themselves and do not undergo training or at best engage in little preparation.
- The dressing of the Pastor doesn’t matter 30 years ago. Today, he must dress well and be fashion-conscious.
- Leadership skills are required more today than 30 years ago because various kinds of people have come to the church.
- People migrate and transfer their membership more often today than 30 years ago. Mobility is the key today.
- 30 years ago, not too many Pastors were University degree holders. Today, highly educated graduates, lawyers, doctors and company executives are in the ministry.
- The internet and social media have made pasturing much more challenging than it was 30 years ago.
- Discipline, decorum, sobriety and moral rectitude was prevalent among Pastors then. Today, sexual predators, ungodly men, hypocrites and money mongers are in the majority.
- Break away and disloyalty was not common. It is difficult to go and start your own church 30 years ago. But today, people start churches with reckless abandon through disloyalty.
- In those days, Pastors are contented and lived simple life. But today, Pastors are living like kings, buying the latest of everything and are stinkingly rich.
While some of these changes are positive, many are negative and have turned many Pastors’ ministry into ‘candle in the wind’ which was quenched prematurely. These changes have been wrongly embraced and many have not finished well – II Timothy 4:10.
Of course, some things never changed, such as, Pastors must still be men and women of integrity, pray, intercede for people, preach the word of God in truth and be responsible.
B. MINISTRY HAS CHANGED PEOPLE, LEADERS ARE CHANGING IN MINISTRY
Too sad that many once spiritual and dynamic leaders have changed for the worse in the ministry. Lots of ministers have allowed the changes in the society to change them for the worse in ministry:-
- Many have changed their messages.
- Many have changed their values.
- Many changed their emphasis and focus.
- Many changed their style and Bible standards.
Some have changed from humility to pride; honesty to crookedness, prayerfulness to prayerlessness; Bible preaching to secular talk, seeker of God to seeker of money and from holiness to tolerating evil.
C. BIBLICAL AND CONTEMPORARY EXAMPLES
Why do so few leaders in the Bible finished well? More than two third of biblical leaders finished poorly. Let us consider three examples.
(1) Gideon: -Judges 6:11; 7:25; 8: 1-32
Early Career Later Career
*Chosen by God *Rejected by God
*Hated idols *Made an idol.
*Had an angelic vision *Caused Israel to sin
*Destroyed idols *Became a stumbling stone.
*Great deliverer *His good ruined by his evil
(2) Samson: Judges 14:1-16, 19; 16:20-27
Early Career Later Career
*Dedicated to God *Lost dedication to God
*Great Warrior *Deceived by a woman
*Exceedingly strong *Had his eyes burned out.
*Killed thousands of soldiers *Imprisoned; hair shaved.
*Man of faith *Broke his Nazarite Vow
*Killed a lion *Left by God
*Broke strong bands *Mocked and ridiculed
*Carried off the gates of Gaza *Never fulfilled potential
*Lost his anointing.
(3) Solomon: -1 Kings 8; 9-10; 11:1-4
Early Career Later Career
*Loved by the Lord. *Married many strange women
*Chosen to be king *Cold heart toward God
*Had great dream *Worshipped idols
*Possessed great wisdom *Nurse grudges and animosity
*Built a great temple *Made covenant with God’s enemies
*Prayed down God’s presence *He attracted adversaries.
*Sacrificed and worshipped God *Self-centered and self-adulation
*Enjoyed prosperity and peace *Sacrificed all on the altar of pleasure.
- One out of ten contemporary ministers usually finished well.
- Many who started the ministry at age 21 have fallen by the way side at age 65.
- Ministerial casualty and apostasy are becoming an alarming trend.
Recommended Reading
AMAZING CHANGES IN MINISTRY TODAY (II)
FUNDAMENTALS BIBLE DOCTRINES: WATER BAPTISM
Ten Principles of Spiritual Discipline
Serving God In These Last Days:OBSTACLES TO SERVICE
D. HOW MINISTERS USUALLY FINISH
There are four different ways that ministers usually finish the ministry. Consider the following:
- Sunset at Noon Those who died and fall, midway into their ministry.
- Finished Permissively – They failed to do what they should do and finished regretfully.
- Finished Poorly – Those who are going down spiritually at the tail end of their lives.
- Finished Well – They hold steadfastly to the Lord and their calling till the end.
To finish well doesn’t mean to live a long and useless life. It means to maintain a personal and vibrant relationship with God till the end. It means not deviating from God’s vision, call, purpose and holding steadfastly to the faith till the end. It is an awareness of daily living with the end in view. It is not how you start that really matters, but how you finish. (Eccl. 7:8).
Ε. WHY MINISTERS DON’T FINISH WELL
There are many reasons why two-third of ministers don’t usually finish well. Only the most important ones will be addressed here:
- Distraction And Deviating From Original Vision: Many have forsaken their call for other things. They get distracted and deceived by other interests.
- Comfortability and Satisfaction: The feeling of “I have arrived” has led to the ruin of many. Once we are drunk and distracted by our seeming success, downward spiral is the way.
- The Unaddressed Weaknesses: weakness that is not properly and seriously addressed will destroy.
- Secret and Unconquered Sins(s): Too many ministers don’t finish well because they habour sins in their lives. They dine and wine with some sins, hoping that God will overlook them or that they have received special grace to live in such sin(s).
- Lack of Principled Stand: Ministers that are ‘yoyo’ men or ‘dan-so-so’ on matters of principle will always find it hard to finish well. If you don’t stand for something you will fall for anything.
- Loss of Teachable And Learning Spirit: When pride of position, status, achievement and class will not allow a minister to maintain a humble, teachable and learning spirit, then shame and regret has come.
- Lack of Accountability: To finish well, a minister must be accountable to someone. A minister must have a minister as leader, mentor, father and model. He must subject and submit to the counsel, warning, rebuke and chastisement of such mentor. Without such accountability, falling from grace to grass is very easy.
- Females, Fame and Finance: One time or the other, every minister will have to face each of these three peculiar temptations how you handle them will determine whether you will finish well or not. One could also talk about discouragement, calamities, lack of perseverance, discouraging results, deception, costly mistakes and many others as other reasons why many don’t finish well.