PEOPLE, PASSION AND PURPOSE: THE PATHWAY TO EFFECTIVE MINISTRY

The purpose of ministry has its origin in people. The center of ministry activities is at the heart of serving people and ensuring their life needs are addressed. People must be equipped to spiritually handle life struggles. Ultimately, people must be better because ministry exist. If soul business is our business, then how's business? God's heart for ministry is reflective in our passionate purpose to serve, aid, comfort, protect and commune with His creation. God is all about people and his church should be as well. 

It is unfortunate that certain ministries have moved from a people focus to a person focus. Digital ministry graphics tend to misrepresent the actuality of ministry not found in cyberspace. We aim to attract people to events, services, ministry launches and celebrations without genuinely inviting them to transforming experiences.  It's disheartening that ministry marketing subliminally highlights the importance of people as a focus only to treat them as menu add-on.

Symptoms of an expired shelf life in ministry is when its focus is on individual investment instead of community benefit.  Any individual, no matter their title, rank or station should not be allowed to alter the purpose for which ministry service is purposed.  God's crowning achievement of creation is humanity.  He wasn't satisfied with Adam being alone, He created Eve.  Adam and Eve created family.  Families create societies and global communities. God places a sovereign premium on people. The world for which He planted in His son in death and resurrection boast of a cornucopia of hues, shapes, sizes and uniqueness of over six billion people!  God loves people and His church must prioritize God's heart for people at the center of its ministry mission.  

People who serve with passion purposefully are the pathway to effective ministry. The goal of ministry is about people. People in worship, people in service, people in community so these people, become the people, that turn the world upside down! 

Leaders who love people are passionate. Passion means suffering. Suffering love,  is a distinction that links us to the heart of God for the people of God.  The lack of suffering in leadership is evident in diminishing ministries.  Habakkuk was a suffering leader with authentic passion for people. He unlike most leaders today lived in the suffering of those he been selected to serve.  Contemporary leaders are challenged with emotional deficits so that they need to be more grand than great.

Dispassionate leadership is displayed by those who live with emotional deficits. Those who are detached from people and their living space emote servitude out of their personal need for therapy more than their need for ministry.  Moses, a passionate leader who was intrinsically connected to the pain of those suffering in Egypt.

Distinctively thinking, people may be better served by leaders who are intentionally connected to congregational and community pain. Being passionately real, relevant and relational is a necessity for today's ministry.  Passionate leadership is derived from suffering not energy.  Jesus showed himself alive after his passion (suffering), thus making him the model passionate leader who is touched with the feelings of our infirmities.  We then are called to serve people with passion by understanding their suffering. 

Leaders who need to be seen, served and needed will turn off contemporary young adults who demand servant-leadership and not self-centered leadership.  Our distinctive challenges are to overcome conflict while building communication and developing  consistency in order to eliminate individualism, territorialism and factionalism. Isolated and insulated leaders propagate fiefdoms and not kingdoms. 

Today's leadership team is selected for the sole support of the Senior Leader, and, not for the people. We're misguided in ministry because we have forgotten our ministry purpose, therefore we make ministry petty. The speed of the leader will set the pace for the speed of the team in visioning and strategy. The leader is charged with enriching the team and creating clear communication channels. When the leader and leadership establish process syncopation with people, passion and purpose the end result is sustainable vision around big ideas which have people as its focus! 

The pathway to effective ministry begins with people who are served by distinctive excellence. Ironically, effective ministry is defined by and concludes with people concentrated focus who positively respond to passionate leaders who creatively live out their ministry purpose consistently.  The building blocks of ministry is primarily the approach, reception, development and acknowledgement of the people who live in the ministry space we create. Passionate demonstration of ministry is the energy-work necessary to build momentum and establish purposeful continuum of the stated ministry goal and vision.

Distinctively thinking, our rapid return to a people first ministry approach will align the leadership model,  sharpen the organizational focus, direct corporate resources and create a ministry experience that cannot be replicated. Distinctive thinking ministries are committed to elevating people's expectation, passionately pursuing purposeful leaders who will intentionally implement the visionary plan effectively.  Remember, people are more important than projects and ministry more important than money.