5 Lies That Ministry Leaders Believe

You want results in your ministry that are fruitful and glorifying to God.  Yet, somewhere along the way you might have up certain ideas and behaviors that seem OK, but in reality they're not.  They're lies we believe that are detrimental to the ministry.

Here are 5 common lies that we believe:

1. You can do it without others.

Jesus needed disciples; Paul needed an entourage; and Billy Graham needed an entire evangelistic association.  You need others, too.  The temptation to be a "lone ranger" in the ministry is very real and present within many of us; but it leaves us missing out on fellowship, partnership, sharpening, and kingdom-mindedness.

2. You can do it without God.

For visionaries, great ideas are a dime a dozen.  However, just because you have a great idea doesn't mean it's God-given.  And just because you have a God-given idea doesn't mean it's a do-it-right-now idea.  We can't build this house without God's help.  It's His church and His ministry--stepping ahead of God is stepping outside of His power.

3. You can do it without prayer.

Try going a week with food and water--good luck.  The same thing applies to your prayer life and ministry leadership.  It's easy to run on the fumes of last week's (or last month's) prayer time in the ministry, but you really won't be producing much fruit.  You need the presence of God and the leading of the Holy Spirit--fostered by prayer--in your daily ministry decisions.

4. You can do it without evangelism.

Bottom line: you want people to be saved and your ministry to grow.  The Lord adding saved people to the church is how your ministry will grow.  Yet, how are people to be saved without a preacher?  Evangelism is the front line of ministry, and if you're not telling people about Jesus on a regular basis you're just going through the motions.

5. You can do it without money.

Even Jesus and the disciples had a treasury.  It's naive to think that you're going to do great, fruitful work for the Lord without financial resources.  Though it may somehow feel noble to lead a ministry that "doesn't ask for money," consider all the necessities of your ministry that demand it.  Without asking for money (from people and from God) you're asking your ministry to be drastically undercut--and perhaps, cease.

Be wise and strategic in your ministry and a leader.  Don't let these lies that ministry leaders tend to believe characterize your service for the Lord.