Longevity in Ministry - of rest and rescue

A few months back I began a series that I'm hoping will be both a challenge and encouragement - it has definitely been a challenge for me. The information I'm discussing is based off of a sermon by the senior pastor at my sending church. My notes started off with these words: "Like longevity in life, some basic things are needed - right genes, right diet, right exercise, and right environment." The same principle applies to longevity in ministry on the mission field.

In the first few posts of the series, I shared the foundation my pastor laid out:t to "start, run and finish well," includes two key components. First, we must trust in the sovereignty and sufficiency of God which includes praying like everything depends on God. At the same time we must be obedient, working daily as though everything depends on us in God's strength and for God's glory.

What does the practical outworking of that look like:

I've identified seven priorities that are absolutely essential - ones that protect me from burnout and the temptation of sin, ones that give me direction and hope for the future, ones that remind me from whence comes any and all measure of progress and success.

Those priorities are:

1. Growing an increasingly intimate relationship with the Lord by consistently, daily and throughout the day, seeking Him; 
2. Praying without ceasing (steadfastly, continuously, patiently, powerfully); 
3. Striving to maintain a good balance between personal growth and service or ministry; 
4. Welcoming accountability; 
5. Committing to marriage and family; 
6. Choosing to be teachable even in difficult circumstances; and 
7. Determining to be a genuine team player.

Today, I'm considering that third priority. 

On the border between Israel, Palestine and Jordan is a body of water called the Dead Sea. Thirty-one miles long and nine miles wide at its widest point, it lies in the Jordan Rift Valley, and its main tributary is the Jordan River.The surface of the sea and its shores are 1,401 feet below sea level which is the Earth's lowest land elevation. It is nearly ten times as salty as the ocean. The hyper-salinity results in a harsh environment meaning neither plants nor animals thrive or proliferate in the environs. The Jordan River is the primary tributary, and because of the low surface level, water only flows in. It never flows out and is lost only by evaporation, hence the high mineral concentration.

My pastor likes to use the Dead Sea as an example of what happens if we focus on priorities one (growing in knowledge) and two (praying) without ever serving and giving back out:  we become like the Dead Sea, rich in mineral content but no place where flourishing and surviving will occur. 

It sounds a bit crazy to think that missionaries, of all people, would struggle with too much spiritual food and not enough spiritual service. Most of us often feel right on the edge of burnout. But I know from my own experience that sometimes, the temptation was great to cocoon within the expat or missionary community, to hole up with my family and hardly interact with people in the local community. Strangely enough, that retreat never helped the exhaustion... depression... anxiety... discontentment. What did help was finding and maintaining that balance between rest while still actively being a part of God's rescue mission.

We need to regularly give out the Word of God: evangelism, discipleship and through meeting practical and physical needs.  We must commit to intentional service while trusting God for those things that don't fit into the daily schedule. We must minister to our family, our neighbors, our community, within our official ministries... and at the same time allow God and others to minister to us. Sometimes that means accepting help - and sometimes missionary types aren't so good at that. We're so busy making God's business our business of rescue that we forget the rest.

Thus, as we look at these priorities, I can't say that one is more important than another. I can say that some more naturally come easily while others I have to work out. Yet they are all important and we must find a balance.

Back to that Dead Sea example... All inflow and no outflow leads to death. All outflow and no inflow leads to nothing left to flow out. 

Neither extreme contributes to longevity or productive ministry.

What are some strategies you use to protect this balance when surrounded by so many needs?

Which tempts you more: retreating within your family/expat community and withdrawing from ministry and rescue... or never taking the time to rest and retreat? Why do you think that is? What can you do about it?

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Series: Longevity in Ministry

1. Just Think About a Horseshoe, 26/07/2014

2. Trusting in the Sufficiency and Sovereignty of God, 09/08/2014

3. If you don't want to shorten your ministry... obediently abide, 23/08/2014

4. The essentials? Or merely superfluous? 13/09/2014

5. Habituate yourself? 27/09/2014

6. One Priority that can Never be in Excess, 11/10/2014

Please note: 

Italicized words are from my notes or from the guided notes in the church bulletin

and are, to the best of my recall, actual content from the sermon.

The rest comes from my continued study and meditation prompted by that sermon.

To listen to the actual sermon "Start, Run and Finish Well," click here.

photo credit: linh.ngan via photopin cc