Proclaimer Blog
Introducing the 2016 Evangelical Ministry Assembly
Statistically speaking, many of us in ministry will give up. Some of us will suffer moral failure and have to step down. Some of us will burn out and have to step away. Some of us will keep going in body, but not in spirit. Those are the statistical realities.
Not me, of course. I will keep going! Won’t I?
Possibly not.
If we are going to love God and love our people, we MUST think about ministry for the long haul. We MUST think about how we cultivate and nurture these loves. We MUST build in patterns and structures that enable us to flourish in our own walk with Christ and our ministry to others.
The trouble is, such proactive management is well down our list of priorities. If we’re near the finishing line, we think we will be able to limp over, even if we do so in neutral, coasting to the tape. If we’re just starting out, we feel we’re invincible and don’t need to worry too much about perseverance; that’s for the oldies. If we’re in the middle stages – well, we’ve made it this far, haven’t we?
The pastoral epistles are full of perseverance language, applied equally to the young pastor Timothy and the old apostle Paul. Put it another way, the man or woman in ministry who gives no thought to this important topic is already walking along the cliff edge and neither the gospel, our people nor, ultimately, the glory of Christ, deserves such lazy and thoughtless attention. We can’t afford NOT to persevere.
We must be leaders who last.
The EMA booking is now officially open. The 2016 EMA, Leaders who last, is at the Barbican Conference Centre in London from Tuesday 21 – Thursday 23 June. There are standard rates, student and apprentice rates and buddy rates.
Details are here, booking is here.