THE PATHWAY TO PREACHING
Raising up ministers for the Body of Christ is a task shared by God and men. When a young minister is seeking direction on how to start a ministry in their near future they probably need some help. They must realize that The Lord is their primary source of information and remember that when seeking more information about any subject. Yes, the Holy Bible is full of what they should say but establishing the plan and “pathway” takes wisdom, knowledge, understanding and revelation. Many ministers have a vision to preach and teach God’s Holy Word which is good and godly because they can see that before them and it is easy for them to learn the basics of preaching and teaching from those they watch and esteem highly in Christ. Ministry as a lifestyle is always the best plan because then you are taking real life situations and finding verses to overcome the everyday problems of life. Using God’s Word in everyday situations is His intent for the whole world so that all the children of God can live victoriously upon the earth. There are several ways to help new ministers so we will speak on just three that we personally know about in our (ihlcc) life.
The first way is by being a part of the local church.
This is ideal because typically when ministers are a part of the local church it is easy for their gifts to be seen in the spiritual atmosphere of the Body of Christ. In God’s local church The Lord has set-up various opportunities for ministry, starting small and then growing larger is typically God’s way. Yes, whether in the choir, ushering, greeting, ministering to children or the youth opportunities are plenteous. Helps ministry is always a good start into full-time ministry because God and the leaders can look at faithfulness and attitude when the disciple (aspiring minister) is serving unto the Lord. This means that relationships are being established and training is taking place on two levels. First, one-on-one training is being developed between the disciple and The Lord which will strength their fellowship; secondly the established elders and the young minister are developing their own relationship while the people are being ministered to. This walk of faith will always test the humility of the young minister and it will establish a testimony of their service among many witnesses because the leadership will judge their actions and words. Therefore, when the minister has been faithful before many witnesses a proven track record will be established at the church which will encourage the church leadership to approve/endorse the next promotion into fulltime ministry. Remember this is what happened with Joshua in the Old Testament
Exodus 24:12-14 KJV
12 And the LORD said unto Moses, Come up to me into the mount, and be there: and I will give thee tables of stone, and a law, and commandments which I have written; that thou mayest teach them.
13 And Moses rose up, and his minister Joshua: and Moses went up into the mount of God.
14 And he said unto the elders, Tarry ye here for us, until we come again unto you: and, behold, Aaron and Hur are with you: if any man have any matters to do, let him come unto them.
Notice that Moses and the elders of Israel all knew that Joshua was considered a minister of Moses so that they openly received him as God’s anointed after the departure of Moses.
Deuteronomy 34:9 KJV
And Joshua the son of Nun was full of the spirit of wisdom; for Moses had laid his hands upon him: and the children of Israel hearkened unto him, and did as the LORD commanded Moses.
This truth about serving under the established leaders was also true in the New Testament when Stephen, Philip, Prochorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas and Nicolas were elevated to elders of the local church by the people of the church and then ordained by Apostles.
Acts 6:2-6 KJV
2 Then the twelve called the multitude of the disciples unto them, and said, It is not reason that we should leave the word of God, and serve tables.
3 Wherefore, brethren, look ye out among you seven men of honest report, full of the Holy Ghost and wisdom, whom we may appoint over this business.
4 But we will give ourselves continually to prayer, and to the ministry of the word.
5 And the saying pleased the whole multitude: and they chose Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Ghost, and Philip, and Prochorus, and Nicanor, and Timon, and Parmenas, and Nicolas a proselyte of Antioch:
6 Whom they set before the apostles: and when they had prayed, they laid their hands on them.
Notice they had a reputation with the people of the local church so that all knew the selected leaders demonstrated godly character on a consist basis. In the Body of Christ is it very important to receive feedback from the people you serve with. Although positive feedback is more pleasing to the ears of men, truthful feedback from the faithful elders who can freely critique your actions, words and attitude is more needful. The Lord desires for all His Children to grow and develop in Christ, the Lord Himself will always speak clearly, openly and honestly with all His Children because He loves them so much. So Pastors when you have an aspiring minister in your midst you must first establish the foundation they are on. You must ask the right questions to establish their location (foundation). Is the young minister a part of your local church family as an active member? If no, help them to find a good church home. If the young minister already has a church home you should encourage them to follow the leadership path of their own local church simply because we would not want to teach contrarily to their local pastor lest our counsel be a stumbling block to the individual and/or even worst the young minister uses your words spoken in good conscious to come against the doctrine of his own local pastor. Quite often the wrong example is given if you keep feeding a sheep of another pastor. Many Christians don’t realize that if they belong to another church they should be there for their regular feeding as often as they can, not wandering away from the flock. For example, if my neighbor’s cat is on my lawn and I keep feeding that cat, “would the cat properly understand were his food should come from?” No, he would not. Let’s take this a step further, “Would my neighbor not wonder why we are feeding their cat?” “Would the neighbor wonder what exactly is he feeding our cat?” “Would they not wonder does our neighbor know that the cat belongs to us?” The neighbor would also wonder, “Should I speak to the one feeding the cat?” All these questions could be a stumbling block to our neighbor, so we (ihlcc) hope you can get the point. As spirit-filled believers we should not make the relationships with our neighbors awkward but rather bless them by letting them know we want the best for you, so we try to follow the golden rule, “Do unto others as you would have others do unto you”. We would observe the cat on our property but wouldn’t feed it our food and then at least the cat would know who is providing for it. If the cat wants to visit our property that is OK but we should not let the cat into our home to treat it as our own pet lest we be accused of cat stealing.
Deuteronomy 22:1 KJV
Thou shalt not see thy brother's ox or his sheep go astray, and hide thyself from them: thou shalt in any case bring them again unto thy brother.
It seems rather obvious when we are speaking about a pet but the principle is the same if you are married because who feeds his neighbors wife. The principle is the same if you work for a company because you should get your working instructions from your boss not your competition’s boss. The principle is still the same when you are a member of a certain church your training should be there underneath the close mentoring of a pastor on staff if at all possible. If it is not possible to be personally mentored by your own local pastor you can look at what they recommend for training up young ministers and follow that. We are not trying to make this complicated we are just trying to help Christian’s see swapping training between various churches (pastors) can be problematic on several accounts and it could lead to a rift (break) between fellow pastors. We have seen this in our life so we know it to be true. When we mention to some people that we (ihlcc) never want to be accused of being a sheep thief many pastors understand but many people in the laity look puzzled before us. This means they never heard about pastors trying to get some people to leave their existing church and come over to their church or they just don’t believe in that so they think it should not matter. However, just because it doesn’t matter to you does not mean it shouldn’t matter to the pastors that have that conviction. The Love walk considers others first and then puts their own personal will second. So if only one of my fellow pastors thought that some pastors are sheep thieves I would guard against that around that specific pastor and all pastors just to avoid the appearance of evil. This we do for Christ sake (love and peace), this is not done just for man’s approval. No, rather we do all things unto The Lord because we know when we follow Love (Let Love Lead) we are following God’s Holy Spirit and the Personality of Jesus. Amen! Remember God is not the author of confusion but of peace according to 1 Corinthians 14:33. If the young minister does not have a church then encourage him/her to join one to be a part of larger vision other than their own vision (ministry) for a time and season because who knows exactly what the future holds for each of us. Helping someone else’s vision is always beneficial for establishing your own. If they (the young minister) are a part of your flock (a member of your church) you can enquire of their service and check to see if they are just as faithful financially as they are in their service unto the Lord in your church. Some people think that shouldn’t matter but how can God trust you with speaking His Holy Spiritual Word (His Life) to His People if He cannot trust you to spend your physical money on His Kingdom. Yes, the Kingdom of God consists of people, places and things so those who truly have their heart right with God financially have no problem giving God His due tithes and offerings. Yes, it is important because the Lord rewards His children that are faithful in all things by blessing them in all things and the young minister will need that blessing in all things if they are going to make it in fulltime ministry. People that come-up through their local church should be given an opportunity to minister on some capacity in the local church probably not initially but in due season if proper time, training and place prevails. In smaller churches the recognition is higher and the opportunities may come sooner but size is no guarantee for success because if the senior pastor doesn’t have a heart for your type of ministry he or she has no reason to use you the way you feel you are called to be used by God. Just remember, the Lord calls people into ministry so your ministry must be founded in Christ Jesus and in Him alone. If the Senior Pastor notices you and needs your help it is up to you to serve that pastor and local church in the best capacity you can. However, many small churches need help in several different areas so it would seem likely that one of those areas could be occupied by you and your gifts to benefit the Kingdom of God, the local church and people who attend that local church in the Name of the Lord Jesus. Amen. If you believe your ministry is more important than serving in the helps ministry of your local church you will probably be at odds with the local pastor of that church. Typically, in the larger churches there are more opportunities for service, if the larger church believes in outreaches (and most of them do). So try to find the outreach that is right for you and grow in that assignment unto the Lord. Still even in larger churches faithfulness prevails such that in due season you will learn a lot and you will be given some opportunities for promotion by the grace of God making room for the gifting’s of God operating in your life.
A man's gift maketh room for him, and bringeth him before great men.
The true gifts of God will shine forth when they have more expression so you really don’t need to promote your own gifts and talents. Hopefully when the opportunity comes to minister to others you look for honest and open feedback from your own church elders. Remember God puts people into your life for a reason and those people who are over you in the Lord Jesus should be able to freely speak to you about your ministry. Yes, good sermons can never take the place of having a good heart before the people you minister to. Your reputation will always outlast what you said last week because people will remember your name over your message. Why, because the truly ordained messages from God glorify God while your name typically glorifies you. Since it is right to give God praise for His Word all the minister should hope for is that they did an adequate job of sharing God’s Word so all those who listened can understand and know God better. Remember in Ministry 101 God gets all the praise, glory and honor for all the good things done in His Name while the minister is simply known by his/her lifestyle in their faithfulness to God. For us (ihlcc) we fully support the younger ministers with love and encouragement. However the ones that are a part of our church we support with love, encouragement and counsel because they have given us proper place to speak into their life. Yes, when they preach in our church we listen to the message and add positive and negative critique because we believe the younger minister will be more fruitful with some added wisdom, knowledge or understanding of an elder who has been there before. We (ihlcc) wish all ministries and churches shared openly but not all ministries and churches openly share all things. However, if the church you attend does not share openly all their information it is OK because your faith and confidence should be in Christ Jesus, not a mere man or woman. Amen. We believe humble ministers appreciate both praise and correction when done (exchanged) in the Spirit of Love and tenderness. If we are to mentor the Joshua generation of today we like Moses must strive to be the meekness men and women on the earth to properly be used by God to our full capacity. We (ihlcc) may not always support every ministry (financially or with our time or with our counsel) but we surely do support every true godly minister in our heart. We want to see the Body of Christ succeed because God is all about blessing His beloved children and making those who are not blessed a part of His family. Amen! We may not even support their message if it is outside our interpretation of God’s Word but we still support all men and women that are following God to the best of their knowledge in love and truth. The Lord desires for all His children to be fluid which means they are adaptable and very flexible for peace sake in the Body of Christ. Therefore if we (ihlcc) know certain people in Body of Christ believe somewhat differently than we do we never magnify our differences but we do focus on the portions of scripture we agree on by speaking on those specific verses only when we are in their presence. This makes for a peaceful and harmonious relationship as we fellowship around the goodness of God shown to us in the Person of Jesus Christ. Thus, choosing love over strife always prevails. Amen. We know in a small church and/or a large church it is not only about you and your ministry but rather are you being a blessing to the people of the local church by being a part of their current vision.
The second situation we will discuss is being personally trained by an iterate minster.
The word “iterate” basically means “to repeat, to do over again and again”. Thus all traveling ministries fall into this category, whether the travel is two houses away or across the ocean. Evangelist, some traveling teachers, some prophets and some apostles could all be great candidates for the iterate ministry. This is the reason so many young ministers want to know more about how this is done effectively (profitable as a fulltime ministry) and efficiently (not to waste effort or money). However, the best way is to be an apprentice in a ministry team that serves in the capacity you are thinking you are called to. This gives you a good idea of what it actually takes to go out and minister in this capacity on a routine basis. This also establishes another witness to the validity on your ministry which is basically your heart and passion for following God’s calling upon your life. This will give you a first-hand look at what actually goes on behind the more public scenes of ministry. This will allow you to watch and learned from the elders who have travel this road before you. This will teach you when to speak boldly in the Name of Jesus (preach) and when to keep silent when you are in the presence of a greater one (listen well while serving your leader). Public ministry is not just about speaking God’s Word it is also just as vitally important to act like God would act in certain situations. Remember in ministry you are representing God, so as a servant (or son, or daughter) of God you must be as He Is to gain God’s approval on your works (to have God’s confirming your words as He confirms His Word spoken from your mouth). This was done in the Old Testament with Elijah and Elisha.
1 Kings 19:15-19 KJV
15 And the LORD said unto him, Go, return on thy way to the wilderness of Damascus: and when thou comest, anoint Hazael to be king over Syria:
16 And Jehu the son of Nimshi shalt thou anoint to be king over Israel: and Elisha the son of Shaphat of Abelmeholah shalt thou anoint to be prophet in thy room.
17 And it shall come to pass, that him that escapeth the sword of Hazael shall Jehu slay: and him that escapeth from the sword of Jehu shall Elisha slay.
18 Yet I have left me seven thousand in Israel, all the knees which have not bowed unto Baal, and every mouth which hath not kissed him.
19 So he departed thence, and found Elisha the son of Shaphat, who was plowing with twelve yoke of oxen before him, and he with the twelfth: and Elijah passed by him
Notice that the Lord setup the next prophet with the established prophet because He (The Lord) desired for the new prophet to be trained up in the ways of the Lord by the established prophet. It is always better when someone who has been in ministry for years can help you walk the new pathway of ministry. This was not a twelve week seminar or a two year bible training program but rather a personal mentoring program that lasted for years. Seminars are good, we (ihlcc) believe in good Holy Bible training schools but they will not take the place of one on one contact (interaction) of walking in the full-time ministry with an establish faithful minister of God already in the full-time ministry you want to serve in. The Lord always wants His ministers to have proper preparation (training, teaching, opportunities, good counsel, etc…) but He (The Lord) will not let the lack of available personal mentoring/training in the Body of Christ stop His personal plan for your life. Amen.
2 Kings 3:11-12 KJV
11 But Jehoshaphat said, Is there not here a prophet of the LORD, that we may enquire of the LORD by him? And one of the king of Israel's servants answered and said, Here is Elisha the son of Shaphat, which poured water on the hands of Elijah.
12 And Jehoshaphat said, The word of the LORD is with him. So the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat and the king of Edom went down to him.
Notice the name recognition Elisha had because he was faithful in his ministry to Elijah and God. Yes, it does make a difference who you are partnered with because your associations will sometimes define just who you are or at least your association with a specific type of ministry (or minister). This ministry association will let others know your history so that they will know what to expect from you (and your ministry). It also makes a difference if someone teaches you eighty percent of what you need to know for ministry by personal conversation and coaching as opposed to you reading a book about it. Books and articles and lessons on what to do in ministry are all good but being under someone who is currently doing that particular ministry and gaining their perspective is invaluable. Amen. Book knowledge can excite your thoughts but experience knowledge can excite your heart knowing to bring a better understanding. So if your desire is to be an itinerate minister closely follow the ministries that minister in the fashion (manner) you desire to minister in. Yes, you don’t have to minister exactly how they do but there are many basic practical and spiritual things they do because they have learned over the years what works and what does not work. If the elder minister has a teaching/training heart they will have something setup to allow opportunities for training, look into their training programs (opportunities) to see if you could partake of it. Many ministers of God would rather know the person under them more personally first (their reputation, character, integrity, faithfulness, etc…) before they hear all about the ministry they are called to. As we stated earlier you could try volunteering for their ministry and if things go well maybe you could even work for that ministry to gain further insight into the day-to-day operations of the type of ministry you desire. I know of some large (successful) itinerate ministers who followed closely after some previous large ministers. They learned a lot from being around the elder who walked the path before them and they actual spent some time serving in those ministries to gain a deeper perspective. Ministers usually have a heart to help those who take a part in building their vision. Yes, all ministers are human so we must be wise as serpents and yet harmless as doves. To be wise as a serpent simply means we understand that people favor those who help them reach their goal and to be harmless as doves means that you are not mean or upset (disappointed) with those who don’t offer to help you at all. We (ihlcc) know this because many young ministers think it is all about their ministry vision (their passion) such that they believe larger ministries and even local smaller ministries should be glad to help them because they believe in God but that is just presumptuous thinking by the less experienced. In reality most ministers will take more of an interest in you when they see you faithfully serving in their ministry to help others. Since you reap what you sow many ministers will take an interest in you only after you have taken an interest in helping (fulfilling) their current ministry vision. This is not usual but rather common so don’t be discouraged if no one seems to be interested in full-filling your vision other than you. It is not that we (ihlcc or other ministries) are cold hearted toward people it is just we typically have a passion for what the Lord called us to do over what He (The Lord) called someone else to do. If a minister gets more excited about your ministry rather than his own ministry that The Lord Jesus personally gave to him he is probably in the wrong calling. Yes, we rejoice for all that God is doing but we (ihlcc and other ministries) will be held accountable for what the Lord called us to do, we will not be held responsible for what He called you to do. We remember the Word of God spoken to our heart one day while observing a young minister in which He (The Lord) said, “You may not always support every ministry but for sure you can support every minister of love and truth”. In other words we always have a heart to encourage God’s People (and all people in general) but we have no obligation to help every ministry upon the earth today. This statement makes sense because the Lord Himself is the securer and support for all His ministries that He ordained and usually those who partake of that specific ministry will support that ministry because they are part of it. We don’t need to try to over spiritualize the simple truths of God’s Word because when we keep things simple they are more easily understood. Amen. We have discussed pastors mentoring young pastors in their local church as an ideal situation for growth and development. We have also spoken about established itinerate ministers allowing younger faithful itinerate ministers to travel with them and learn as they go. These two methods can cover all five of the ministry offices in the Body of Christ when done correctly in God’s Love. The Apostle can be thought of as the modern day missionary, therefore more senior missionaries should be open to helping new missionaries that have a heart to help those overseas or in a different country. Established prophets can teach younger prophets how to flow with the spirit of God. However, no prophet can teach another exactly what to say but they can teach them to how to properly listen to God’s Voice as Eli did in 1 Samuel 3:4-11 KJV.
4 That the LORD called Samuel: and he answered, Here am I.
5 And he ran unto Eli, and said, Here am I; for thou calledst me. And he said, I called not; lie down again. And he went and lay down.
6 And the LORD called yet again, Samuel. And Samuel arose and went to Eli, and said, Here am I; for thou didst call me. And he answered, I called not, my son; lie down again.
7 Now Samuel did not yet know the LORD, neither was the word of the LORD yet revealed unto him.
8 And the LORD called Samuel again the third time. And he arose and went to Eli, and said, Here am I; for thou didst call me. And Eli perceived that the LORD had called the child.
9 Therefore Eli said unto Samuel, Go, lie down: and it shall be, if he call thee, that thou shalt say, Speak, LORD; for thy servant heareth. So Samuel went and lay down in his place.
10 And the LORD came, and stood, and called as at other times, Samuel, Samuel. Then Samuel answered, Speak; for thy servant heareth.
11 And the LORD said to Samuel, Behold, I will do a thing in Israel, at which both the ears of every one that heareth it shall tingle.
Just like all the various prophets recorded in the Holy Bible had a different style they all spoke as the Holy Spirit moved them as they heard God’s Voice. Although their ways (ministries) varied they still knew how to listen to God and translate what they heard into speaking for God. Thus, God’s ordination upon His servants will place within them the gifts to be successful when they obey His Word (direction, guidance, instructions, counsel, His Voice). Likewise, any established pastor can show a new pastor what the Lord taught him (or her) when starting a church (which is their ministry with the Lord Jesus). They will not be able to answer all your questions but they will be able to share some basic knowledge and some words of wisdom as it pertains to starting a church. Yes, of course, the experienced evangelist can help the inexperienced soul winner. They can show them how to get to the right place at the right time to see the fruitful results of the salvation of souls. If you serve alongside one of these developed ministers you will learn that soul winning takes a lot more work than just preaching a good sermon. We (ihlcc) believe that what you do after you save a soul to Jesus is just as important as saving the soul itself. All true teachers love to teach so they will delight themselves on teaching a few or multitudes or even just one person. The teaching itinerate ministry is quite a bit more work than just teaching a good lesson. The wise teacher of God must balance their teaching schedule with their commitment to offer signs and wonders in the Name of the Holy Savoir Jesus Christ. Some believe that the evangelist operates in the power ministry of signs and wonders but we (ihlcc) believe that these signs follow the preaching and teaching of the Name of Jesus. Therefore all ministers should preach on the Name of Jesus expecting signs and wonders to manifest in upon those in need. Amen! Our point is that veteran teachers that have a full itinerate of scheduled ministry engagements can help those who desire to teach others in the same spirit. The spirit in which you minister is just as important as what you minister, so make it a priority to find an elder minister with a good honest heart that is willing to help a younger minister grow in the things (ways and teachings) of God. Now is a good time to mention that the majority of your initial training, coaching, counsel, instruction and guidance should come from the person you are committed to when starting out. What we (ihlcc) mean by that is if you are under a certain pastor and you pay tithes to that church you should follow the instructions of that pastor. If you really like a certain itinerate minister and you follow him/her closely such that you esteem their words highly you should support that itinerate minister in prayer and financially (through offerings). It is never right to pay tithes and offerings to a certain church and minister then look for the time and counsel of an outside minister who you don’t support. What man eats the fruit off of his neighbor’s tree without asking permission? If your neighbor offers you an apple one day that is no sign that you can eat his apples whenever you want. Likewise, if you are a part of a church be accountable to that church and pastor. One should never be married to one church in their personal time, prayer, service, tithes and offerings and then date other churches seeking gifts from them (support, pulpit favors, etc…). God’s design is very simple if you feed someone they should pay for their meal. Remember the workman is worthy of his reward according to Matthew 10:10. However, if you have done nothing but offer your services you have not actually done anything to further the vision of that church or itinerate ministry. Many ministers (and their ministries) feed on selfishness which means they put their personal ministry agenda ahead of the ministries around them. Some would say who would do such a thing but dear beloved saint of God you would be surprised at what believers will do if they want something from you. The motives of a minister are not always pure and for that reason we must all guard our heart by seeking God’s Pure Will alone. If the man or woman of God is not motivated by God’s Agape Love (which puts others first) they are probably motivated by their own self. Selfishness should not be found among the elders of the church (God’s ministers) because this is exactly what we strive to remove from the carnal Christians (even babies) in the Body of Christ. Therefore be ye holy for I am holy saith the Lord in 1 Peter 1:15,16. Jesus is our ultimate example of total commitment and total dedication so we should follow His Way and learn from His example. The third category of ministry is God’s lest favorite but it is probably the most common.
This is stepping out into ministry without a physical coach.
Of course we all have the Holy Spirit and for that matter we all (Christians) have Jesus Christ and our Heavenly Father dwelling inside of us. However, having no one to help you physically (practically) does led to some long frustrating days and nights. It is not that a young minister wants help on every step they take but they would like counsel for certain steps they take. We (ihlcc) have found that not every minister (or ministry) delights in helping a young minister get their feet established on solid ground in the ministry. It seems like there is some reservation in openly helping the young minster become a pastor because that same young minister might open a church right down the road. We (ihlcc) have heard of stories where churches have split due to doctrinal division in the church, so we know sometimes bad things can happen when you reach out to help someone in love. However, a couple of bad apples should not spoil the whole bunch. The only time a few bad apples can spoil the whole bunch is when you leave them there with the good bunch to rot. We (ihlcc) remember on one occasion a well-established Pastor personally trained a younger minister as he was serving in his church. After several years of faithful service the younger minister wanted to start his own church. Since this younger minister was given freedom to speak occasion as a minister in the established large church many people of the congregation knew him and by the way it was a large congregation so the many people that knew him were in the thousands. Now you can guess what happened next, the young minister went and started a church in the exact area that the established church wanted to move to. The reason the established pastor wanted to move to that other area is because a large portion of his congregation lived in that area. Yes, the new young pastor instantly pulled some of the regular members away from the established church as the established Pastor bid them farewell with disappointment on his face and disapproval in his voice. If this has happened once it for sure has happened twice or more (several times). The longer your church has been in existence the higher the probability for splits, chips and divisions (fractions) in the church among ministers. Yes, some people have their own personal agenda that puts their ministry in front of the other brethren’s ministry creating strife and division. Please don’t assume that experienced pastors are so dumb that they won’t discern your intention because that is typically not the case. Why, because while they stand in the office of leader, whether Apostle, Pastor, Prophet, Evangelist and/or Teacher God has anointed them to read peoples heart. Quite often a sincere pastor will start thinking about how a younger minister of their congregation could help fulfill the vision of his church in a more visible position, so when the young minister comes to the pastor with their own agenda it may not go over so well. This is why we (ihlcc) believe wisdom is so crucial in ministry because the wisdom that comes from God alone will guide you on how you should approach the senior pastor and for what reasons. There are also things (reasons) and times you should not approach the pastor with a new (or different) idea. If you can’t tell the difference between what you can do to support his vision or pushing your own separate vision unto him you should stay away from presenting your heart to the senior pastor (or itinerate minister). As a general rule of thumb it is always better to find out what the churches (or established itinerate minister/ministry) needs first and think about filling that position to move up gracefully under your mentor/leader. Then if that is done and the leader/pastor sees your heart and knows he or she does have a position available at that time they are more open to help you and/or write a positive letter of recommendation. Therefore don’t ever get upset with an established pastor or apostle or evangelist or preacher or teacher who doesn’t have it in their heart to help you because they are only required to do what is on their heart from God. If your vision or your way is different from their vision or their ways it shouldn’t be a great surprise that they would rather not help you. One well keep secret about ministry is a lot of people are easily offended so the established minister would rather do nothing and keep the peace than get too closely involved in your ministry and risk offending you over a disagreement. In ministry we must watch exactly how we treat God’s People so it is very common for us to keep our opinions to ourselves. Spoken words are like sink water once you let it out of the faucet it is very difficult (almost impossible) to get the same water to come through that same faucet again if you realize you made a mistake in turning it on. We must choose our words wisely before speaking to others. Therefore if you say the wrong thing at the wrong time to the wrong person you may not be able to undo the damage that was done unto them by your words, thus silence is golden. I know one young minister that we (ihlcc) thought we could help with a little guidance here and there but since they are not a part of our church, but are under the care of another pastor, we can say nothing. Some would think you can say whatever you want to say in the Name of Jesus but that is not true because the word of God teaches us not to cast a stumbling block in front of another brethren. Why should our liberty in Christ be a stumbling block for another brethren?-Refer to 1 Corinthians 8:9 Many Christians don’t think about how the words you say while ministering to a person can impact their thinking. If you don’t realize that all words spoken from you are seeds being planted into the heart and soul of another you really need to examine the Holy Bible on that subject. Therefore, if our teaching is different from their regular pastor’s thinking we could cause the young minister who hears us to stumble due to conflicting doctrine. Oh yes, some would say but every Christian should be able to know what is good counsel and what is not but that my faith friend would be a foolish assumption because many Christians simply don’t know when they are given bad counsel and still others don’t know when they are receiving bad counsel. So the wise minister ministers faithfully to those under him but he/she is a bit more caution when ministering to those who are not of his fold. His own sheep he knows but all other sheep are probably unknown to him so the risk of offense is much higher. Since the Lord told us not to offend His little ones we must be cautious to keep a clear conscious in the sight of God. – Refer to Matthew 18:5,6 Yes, opportunities to minister will come when you are faithful unto the Lord. We just recommend always cutting people some slack (having mercy) when it comes to other people not wanting to help you achieve certain things (goals, task, ministry objectives, etc…). If you believe you can’t help everyone in the Body of Christ please be understanding when you realize that not every minister can help everyone that comes to them. We purpose in heart to do what we can to help others but in reality we are very limited on what we can actual do to help another brethren and please realize that no mere man is your Savoir and Provider, only Jesus Christ both now and forever. Amen. Our Heavenly Father and Lord Jesus have a will and their will shall be expressed in your heart if you are open, so know that they already have plans to bring their will to pass in your life if you trust them to do it through you. Yes, man has a small part but the much greater part is God’s, so keep your faith in Him to start, sustain and complete you ministry in Christ Jesus. We (ihlcc) can think of another young minister who we served under and had insight into a situation they were dealing with but because they looked upon us in a lesser light we could never get a word in edgewise about the situation they were praying about. We have found this to be true the Lord will answer your prayers when you seek Him sincerely but the answer may not be what you wanted to here and the vessel the Lord chooses to give you your answer may not be to your liking but if you will faithfully stay with God He will give you exactly what you need to get over. It’s very funny how many young ministers (all Christians included) will say I am open to whatever the Lord would say to me but those same people are close minded to certain key words coming from people close to them. The Lord does try to always speak softly to your heart but if you are not in a soft (humble) position to hear Him, He must start using people around you to share His information with you. The Lord delights in direct communication but we must all agree there have been times when the Lord spoke to us indirectly from the mouth of another. This is part of the reason the Lord put prophecy in the church to help His beloved children hear from God via various methods. The point is after experiencing various degrees of trouble when trying to help people you care for many established ministers resort to just being friendly and keeping quiet in an effort to avoid all strife. This is not a sin, nor is it a lack of faith it is just a Christian reality in the Body of Christ. If you cannot except the simple true of everyday situations why should you be surprised if certain leaders cannot except you on your terms as opposed to their terms (which is being a part of their ministry). Of course there is always hope because on the contrary when good hearted ministers walk in simple love and obedience to God our Father and our Precious Lord Jesus there is no ill will toward any young minister nor is there a big split in the church because the young ministers are not offend by the established ministers. It seems like some ministers don’t mind helping other ministers as long as they do things a certain way but even those ministries probably prefer for you to enroll in their ministry training school to get the book knowledge first. Thank God that He always has a remnant of good honest children (established ministers and young ministers) that are faithful to get the work done in the Name of Jesus no matter what. Amen! In fairness to those ministries that have started a training school it is expected that all interested people should attend their school to gain their perspective on ministry. We (ihlcc) say God bless all those training school, the Lord knows we need them. Yes, training schools we completely believe are ordained of God. Their effort and time in producing a quality program to train-up and teach potential ministers is right in the sight of God. Those ministries are rewarded right now while here on earth and shall be further rewarded when they see the great harvest of souls and manifold spiritual blessings in Heaven. We do include these types of training programs with learning on your own simply because many people attend these various ministry school but receive minimal personal interaction with the leader or founders of those schools. If the student graduates from a training institution with a degree in “Ministry 101” that does not make them an effective minister of God. Most training/ministry schools are geared toward learning but actual ministries are more geared toward fruit (production, results). In other words a school on pastoring is very different than an actual church run by a pastor. Just like speaking about how something is done is very different from doing it yourself. Our dear faith friend without a true calling from God placing you into the ministry as His assignment (not man’s) you can do some good works. However no one will ever successfully be something (a pastor, a teacher, an evangelist, etc…) that is contrary to God’s Will for their life. We have been involved with large churches and small church and this one thing is consistent, “It takes God’s genuine grace and favor to open the right doors (or windows) of opportunity.” Since all wise ministers know this they firmly believe that your success in ministry is solely between you and God. Many ministers will help you openly if you will commit yourself unto them and their ministry. However, there was probably several young ministers who they have dealt with in the past that only had a heart for their own new ministry, not a heart for the established pastors ministry. Thus, many young ministers are caught in a crossroad as when is the right time to step out into their own ministry. The question comes to mind, “Do I stay under this elder leader in hopes of his future help in my ministry years later?” Or “Do I go ahead and follow my heart into what I believe the Lord is calling me into right now learning as I go?”. Hundreds choose to stay with an established leader while probably thousands choose to go on their own through faith in Jesus Christ. We know this because we have done both. It is not a matter of which one is right because we all need to follow God’s Will for our life at a specific time and a wait (stay put) answer from God today can very easily be a go tomorrow (in a couple of years or even a few months). The timing of an opportunity can also change an answer from you or the direction of God. This is why we seek the Lord’s rich wisdom before making any large (life changing) decisions. For example, perhaps you were planning on staying around the bible school you just graduated from and attend that local church. Side note: Yes, we do believe it is a good idea to associate with a church that lives out what you have been taught in bible school because this will help your growth and development. Not only that but if you don’t you can possibly lose the knowledge and understanding you gained while at bible school making you a foolish son or daughter of God instead of a wise son or daughter of God that invest (exchange) the talents you received from His Teachers (Ministers). Anyway, while praising God for helping you make it through bible school or your boss promoting you into a higher position in the company. You get a phone call from back home that they need a new pastor for the small church you grew up in. You must consider the situation, “Do I even want to go back to that small town?” and/or “Lord, is this an opportunity from You or is this just an invitation from man?” When you start seriously considering your options your decision could vary depending upon what you are hearing in your heart. Truly, if you are married your spouse must have equal weigh in on all major decisions. Likewise, if you have children you must ask yourself and your spouse, “How will this affect the children?” What could be an easy “yes” for you personally could be a quick “no” from another family member. If that is the case (and sometimes you will be divided against someone living in your own home) the dilemma speaks to your heart consistently, “What are you going to do?”. In that defining moment of time you must stand tall and began to praise God because you know exactly what you need to do. Why, because you always do those things that are right and pleasing in God’s sight.-1 John 3:22 You remember that you know all things in Christ Jesus according to 1 John 2:20. Of course, this is the walk of faith that we preach and teach so get used to this type of lifestyle because you are going to need to navigate your way around many obstacles to get into fulltime ministry. Yes, the anointing of God is in you to help you. The unction of the Holy One is within you to guide you. Yes, the great comfort of the Comforter is inside of you to strengthen you, so do not fear. This is the primarily reason most younger ministers graduate from ministerial school thinking that they can do all things through Christ Jesus because He strengthens them. When they take that scripture literally (and many others like it) they believe they can take on the world but when the reality of exactly how much work is involved and they see that the pathway may take a long time, many faint along the way. Therefore, though the road may not be clear and we know some trouble awaits us, we venture out anyway in the Name of Jesus with faith in our heart and God’s calling compelling us to move forward. It is obvious from our (ihlcc) observations and personal experiences in the Body of Christ that the strong hearted will prevail in due season and the faint hearted will not make it in the long haul. Yes, although God’s Will never changes unless you are sold-out for God with the knowledge, understanding and wisdom of how to start (and endure) in the ministry God called you to you will be tempted to change your mind about entering into the fulltime ministry. Persistence and endurance are key while you are learning what to do in the full-time ministry and it is a process not just one big leap. Please don’t allow the good dream of being in the full-time ministry slip right through your hands because things didn’t happen the way you expected. The only way to guarantee your success is to guarantee your intimacy with God on a consistent regular basis. Then and only then can God lead you and guide you over every hurdle you will face along the way. No one is saying the road will be easy but the goal to be in the fulltime ministry is obtainable through faith and patience.
Hebrews 6:10-12 KJV
10 For God is not unrighteous to forget your work and labour of love, which ye have shewed toward his name, in that ye have ministered to the saints, and do minister.
11 And we desire that every one of you do shew the same diligence to the full assurance of hope unto the end:
12 That ye be not slothful, but followers of them who through faith and patience inherit the promises.
Yes, we do believe the other two types of mentoring programs could be a little easier just because you always have someone you can fall back on and you will probably have the option of staying with that mentoring minister for however long it takes for you to feel comfortable with stepping out on your own. However, all those who choose (remember it is your choice) to go it alone without a mentor/coach/personal guide know with all certainty you do not have that safety net of man but you do have the Safety of God to preserve you on your way. If you invest everything into getting into the full-time ministry you must believe that the Lord God is investing His everything into the success of your ministry (which He shares with you). Therefore, read much (study) about the ministry you believe you are called to because that will encourage your faith. It is generally good to learn from those who have been successful in the ministry you are aspiring to get into. Take notes on how God led them (the various ministers) to see if there are some similarities in how God is now leading you. Watch and pray as the Lord encouraged His disciples to do in the hour of temptation shown in Mark 14:38, then be faithful unto the end.
but still have no fear because Jesus is always here.
As a minister of God relying solely upon the guidance of the Holy Spirit under the Leadership of the Lord Jesus Christ (the Head of the Church) we can only commend you into His Holy, Health, Happy Hands. Knowing the Lord’s Hands are not too short to reach from Heaven down to the Earth to help you whenever and wherever you need it. Amen! Yes, one thing that we would strongly recommend is that you would be filled with the Holy Spirit with outward evidence of speaking in tongues and that you would commit yourself to staying in God’s Word (The Holy Bible) continuously to accurately understand the whole counsel of God. In truth there are many paths to get to where you need to be in Christ Jesus concerning ministry, but the only road you can take is Jesus Christ. We have found that the pathway into God’s perfect will has changed over time in our life but The Way, The Truth and The Life - Jesus Christ never changes He simply adapts Himself to our level of understanding to minister to us personally so that even we (in our simple minded state) can understand what He requires of us. We do encourage all young ministers to know that when you have God you really do have all you need because the programs of man shall fail at times and the wisdom of the elders might lean on tradition rather than bold conquering faith at times but God’s Word and His Holy Spirit remain the same because God is forever faithful unto the end. Amen! Every young minister must learn that they can go to men for help but they should never rely upon men to give them the help they need. We all must rely upon the Lord Jesus Christ and our Heaven Father because they are our rock and sure foundation in Jesus Name. So rejoice and be glad dear young minister because God has called you into the ministry no matter what the size of your ministry just be faithful unto God and be faithful unto the people God has brought before you to minister to in love and peace. Amen! At the end of your journey (ministry) upon this earth when you look directly into the Eyes of Jesus it won’t matter as much who helped you start your ministry but rather how you finished. If you remain faithful unto the Lord Jesus Christ you will you hear the precious words, “Well done thou good and faithful servant?” In ministry we (ihlcc) believe you must walk softly and carry a big stick. The soft walk is your humbleness of prayer in the sight of an Almighty God and the big stick is your large knowledge of God’s Word because you study the Holy Bible from cover to cover to know God’s thoughts and His Ways. If you do this consistently over the long haul we do believe you will be successful in fulfilling your ministry unto the Lord for the love of people in the Name of Jesus. Amen!