Working in the Church? Passion isn’t Enough but Here’s What Can Make a Difference.

Part 2 in the Working Church Series: the 3 legged stool

The other day, I introduced a member of my team to a man who has worked as a lay ecclesial minister (in New Jersey) for over 20 years. Day after day, week after week, year after year, he has faithfully served in a number of different parishes.

His fidelity to the mission is inspiring.

And, it’s not just that he’s “done it a long time”. That is impressive for sure but it’s what he’s done along the way. He’s pioneered adult formation programs, facilitated capital campaigns and launched one of the most effective youth ministry efforts in the country.

Underlying this faithfulness is a deep, intimate relationship with Christ. He has a healthy prayer life and a beautiful family.

Many of us started our work/ministry in this same way. We wanted to serve. We were faithful. We stepped into the fray. It was fun.

But, as is often the case, we fade as the journey gets hard. The pushback comes. No one understands what we do. Eventually, we look over the fence to see if the grass is greener on the other side. Have you ever done this?

The story of my friend has five more stories of individuals who left ministry. They just couldn’t do it any more. They were unsupported, under-developed, and compensated poorly.

So they just left.

This saddens me but not for the reasons you might think. It doesn’t make me sad because they left “church” ministry and went into finance, law or software. In those secular spaces, the Church is clear that that’s where most of us are called to be. The vast majority of us are not called to professional ministry in the Church. If we were , how would the world be sanctified and converted?

God needs faithful lawyers, website developers, scientists, politicians, athletes and contractors.

But back to those who left professional ministry and could have stayed…these are the ones that I’m thinking of. And, ultimately, faithfulness and mission-alignment aren’t enough for them to keep going beyond a few years.

The two missing pieces

Personal and organizational productivity are the missing pieces to this crisis in the Church. They complement our zeal for mission and our faithfulness to Christ. If I know how to work efficiently and can work well on my own, I can generate so much more impact through my ministry.

Then, when others around me also learn how to work effectively, the real magic begins to occur.

• Our parish can reach more people in our town.

• Our school can educate more deeply.

• Our diocese can serve more broadly.

I’m obviously passionate about productivity. I learned from an early age the value of faster-simpler-smoother when it comes to work. Then, as I began to serve with bigger areas of responsibility, I recognized that my own productivity needed a community to really propel it forward.

I began to teach my staffs how to work in smarter and more creative ways. It’s a game changer when you’re part of a team that desires to work more impactfully.

Take a step

You’re reading this and relating it to your own life. You’re that youth minister, catechist or teacher thinking about quitting. Please, before you submit your two-week notice, pause. Consider the agency you do have. Commit to being as productive as you can be. Swing for the fences. Get organized. Conquer your email. Solidify your meeting schedule. Tidy up your calendar. Then, once you’ve done these things, pray and pray again. God will show you whether or not you should stay in ministry.

If you’re not someone who works formally for the Church, you too can play a pivotal role in whether someone else stays in ministry or quits. Pray for them. Send them a note of encouragement. I assure you, it’s likely the only note of that type that they’ll get all week (or all month). Tell them how much you appreciate them. Support them in creative and temporal ways as a gesture of gratitude. You’ll be surprised by the difference this makes.

When my wife Cary and I got married, a member of the parish offered us their house in Maine for our honeymoon. I can’t tell you how much this meant and what a difference it made. You don’t have to have an extra home in order to encourage someone in ministry.

The bottom line- ministry that endures relies first on our relationship with Christ, then on our fidelity to mission and third on our ability to practice and perfect our productivity. It’s a three legged stool and one that can support the weight that God provides.