This week I want to share with you some of the biggest mistakes I’ve made in ministry. After 4 years as a church planter, I’ve made plenty of them. But God’s grace is greater than my mistakes. And if we maintain a proper attitude in the face of our flub ups in life, we can learn and grow into spiritual maturity.
1.The Enemy of Excellence
The old adage rings true, “The jack of all trades is a master of none.” I went to a liberal arts college where the curriculum focused on building well rounded students in academics, arts, literature and the sciences. However, I’ve since learned that being well rounded isn’t necessarily a good thing when it comes to excellence.
You see, when you commit yourself to doing too many things you end up excelling at nothing.
When I try and do things that I’m not good at, here’s what happens:
*mediocre results
*stress and fatigue
*frustration and failure
Early on at PCC, I did just about everything including: counseling, vision casting, preaching, weddings, funerals, hospital visitation, setup and teardown, hiring, administration, teaching, graphic design, web design – you name it. Here’s the problem: I’m only gifted in about two, maybe three of those areas. I can remember being so busy, yet not ever feeling like I could ever get anything done.
However, as our church has grown, God has brought others who are strong in the areas where I am weak. I am now at the point where I can begin to focus on the areas in which I’m truly gifted. I’ve narrowed it down to three:
*Preaching and prayer
*Vision casting
*Leadership development
Sure, there are times when we all have to pitch in and do whatever it takes to get the job done. But in order to truly be effective and do ministry in excellence, one must choose what to focus on and then make a commitment to develop those gifts for the glory of God.
