(This is an excellent article for Pastors to share with anyone involved in leadership or ministry in their church.)

Sometimes you just have to say it like it is.  This is one of those times.  I offer this to you in a gentle spirit and pray that if you share it with others on your team, that you would do so in a spirit of gentleness and meekness. 

John Maxwell says “Only do what only you can do.”  This is important in the various areas of ministry of the local church.  One thing that stops the momentum of a church is various leaders trying to run someone else’s ministry.  When God has placed you in an area of ministry within the church, he did not put you there so you could judge other lay ministers of the church.  Do your job and let others do theirs.

Focus on your own ministry.  What can you do to cause your own ministry to make a greater impact in your church and community?  Anytime you spend even a few minutes judging the way another person is running their own department or area of ministry within the church, you are wasting valuable time, energy and emotion that if better used, could be applied perfecting your own.

Too often people criticize the work of others in order to make their own ministry look good.  Lazy people usually find time to do this.  These people are jealous of other people’s success and try to destroy them in order to preserve their rank or position in a church.  This is not a Godly spirit and should be stopped immediately.  There is no room in any church for division.  If you do not like what other people are doing, mind your own business and do your own job and trust God to take care of the rest.  It is His church and not yours after all.

Momentum is only created after enough pressure is placed on an object for a long enough period of time.  You cannot get a car rolling from a standstill with 5 pounds of pressure for 2 seconds.  But if you push hard enough for a long enough period of time, it will start to roll.  If you are someone who jumps from one project or area of ministry in the church to another without staying long enough to see results, you need to get focused.  Work hard enough and stay long enough to see the results God has envisioned you with.

About Pastor James Smith

Pastor James Smith, Valparaiso, Indiana – Founder of PreachIt.org, OpportunityHope.org, and PastoralHelps.com.

He equips pastors worldwide with sermons, leadership tools, and encouragement, while also caring for orphaned and at-risk children in West Bengal, India through OpportunityHope. Beyond the orphanage and school, OpportunityHope provides clean water wells, livestock, and other humanitarian helps to families and villages in need. Additional books, leadership training, and mentoring resources are available through PastoralHelps.com.