Servant leaders who encourage and equip others to share in ministry multiply their impact, and they multiply the effectiveness of the ministry itself.
Actually, this is what discipleship is all about.
And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ:—Ephesians 4:11–12
How do you do it?
Model ministry.
People do what people see, and your actions speak much louder than your words. It’s no good to tell you church, Sunday school class, or youth group that they need to serve if they never see you personally involved.
Recently, I tweeted that I was about to spend some time door knocking because people need the Lord. My tweets go directly to facebook, and a layman commented to the effect that he was surprised to see a busy pastor out knocking on doors himself. Frankly, this should be the norm for pastors and spiritual leaders.
Mentor in ministry.
Aside from administrative duties and personal study and prayer, there are very few ministry activities that you should do alone. Invite someone to go with you, and use the time to mentor and disciple them. “And the things that thou hast heard of me among many witnesses, the same commit thou to faithful men, who shall be able to teach others also” (2 Timothy 2:2).
Who in your Sunday school class would like to go out with you to make class follow up visits for guests? Who in your church would respond to you personally asking them to be involved in ministry and coaching them through the process?
Of course, mentoring in ministry includes spending “ministry-time” with your children as well. Some of the sweetest memories I have with my children involve making visits with one of them and then getting an ice cream treat together afterward.
Motivate in ministry.
Learn to be an encourager, and strive to express appreciation and praise. Share with others the blessings you’ve experienced through ministry. Express joy in ministry, and remind those who you are mentoring of the benefits we receive by serving the Lord.
Serving the Lord and His people as a servant leader is a wonderful calling. But it gets even better when we invite others to share the ministry with us. It is amazing the impact we can have when we are “striving together for the faith of the gospel” (Philippians 1:27) with those we lead.
