By Dale Sellers

Are you doing ministry for Jesus or from Jesus? Discover how Spirit-led leadership, Sabbath, and surrender can free pastors from performance-based ministry.

Question: If you honestly evaluated the day-to-day emphasis of your ministry, would you say you are doing ministry for Jesus or from Jesus?

I’ve been thinking lately about what we value in church leadership throughout America. If you’re like most churches, your church probably places a high priority on education and formal ministry training. But I wonder if it’s possible the American church has become a bit too self-reliant.

Don’t misunderstand me. I’m not knocking the value and discipline required to pursue a ministry degree. It’s also obvious to see the impact of practical leadership training that’s available today. However, my question is this: Which focus do you trust the most, formal training or Spirit-led guidance?

Our goal should be to operate with a proper balance between being Spirit-led and relying on the wisdom, experience, and practical application of what we’ve learned through formal training and the day-to-day work of leading our churches.

While achieving balance sounds noble, my concern is that balance isn’t always how we are actually doing things.

It’s easy to slip into the mode of carrying out our ministry objectives by doing ministry for Jesus. This can contribute to a performance-based ministry style that causes us to become self-reliant. Eventually, ministry becomes more about checking off a list of “to-dos” each day, which can rob us of joy and purpose.

I understand this approach because I fell into this trap many years ago. Not seeing the results I wanted led me to become more performance-oriented. I think I did this because I needed something to point to as an example of success. It was a way of controlling the outcome in case I was suddenly exposed.

At some point, though, I allowed my performance to become how I believed Jesus valued me. I knew from a theological stance that salvation was only through grace. Yet, practically, I had fallen into a place where I felt like He was keeping score. This eventually led to ministry being about what I could do for Him.

What Does Your Church Value?

The people you lead may have influenced you more than you realize. Many American churches view their pastors as hirelings instead of leaders. This is often rooted in how the church was founded: Some churches started as a split from another congregation over issues that couldn’t be resolved. Others originally began as house churches, usually led by an influential family. Many churches were planted by another church or a church-planting organization.

It’s important to understand the foundation your church is built upon, no matter how it was started. How it was founded can continue to be the main driver in how it approaches ministry today.

Churches with built-in preferences can handicap any effort to allow the Holy Spirit’s guidance. Over time, our people can begin to rely on what God did through them in the past instead of seeking how He wants to use them today.

Here are a few situations that can lead a church to do ministry for Him rather than from Him.

1. The Congregation Prefers a Degree Over Anointing

When I was younger, serving in different music groups gave me the opportunity to be inside hundreds of churches. I remember being surprised by how much value churches placed on their pastor’s degree.

One of the memories I remember most was the lack of connection some well-educated pastors had with their congregations. Conversely, there were pastors who were great communicators but didn’t have much formal training.

Having a degree certainly doesn’t mean a leader isn’t a good communicator. There are thousands of examples of highly educated, great communicators. And not having a degree doesn’t automatically make someone a great communicator either. There are many examples of this, too.

The point here is asking what the church values most. Do they want leaders who are educated solely for status? Is the education of their pastors something they take pride in? Or does the church place a higher value on leadership that models a strong connection to the Holy Spirit’s guidance and direction?

Formal education, or the lack of it, will not determine a leader’s anointing. But the posture of seeking and following the Holy Spirit should be at the forefront of our leadership priorities.

2. Predictable Programming Assures the Church That Things Will Remain the Same

If you have served in the church for any amount of time, then you know how much most churches hate change. Attempting to usher in change is often the thing that ushers out many leaders. The stories of failed efforts to change things in the church are limitless.

There is a certain stability in maintaining the status quo. It is often accompanied by wonderful memories of thriving life within the church. The illusion eventually materializes and brings comfort in the predictable. Therefore, at the root of it, change becomes a disruptor of comfort.

The justification for continuing to do what we’ve always done is often grounded in the belief that we’re doing it for Jesus. After all, He used the outdated programs of the past back in the day. Surely He will do it again if we can somehow create the same atmosphere we had back then?

Remembering what He did in the “glory days” isn’t the problem. But elevating it as the only way He can do it today becomes a barrier that is difficult to overcome.

3. Past Examples of Abusive and Controlling Leaders Have Left Wounds That Led to Paralysis

I’ve seen firsthand the negative effects of abusive and controlling leadership. The wake left behind is almost impossible to overcome. The division created by controlling leaders usually brings so much hurt that distrust spreads throughout the church.

Therefore, the leadership left in place once the abusive leader is gone often takes the mantle upon themselves to guard against it ever happening again. It becomes difficult for the church to move forward once the dust settles and everyone has chosen a side.

The effect of division leads the church to desire a safe leader who can easily be controlled by the congregation. Although they now feel secure, the desire to step out and trust Jesus to accomplish great things through them in the future is squashed.

4. They Don’t Really Value Sabbath as Much as They Value Busyness

The calling to full-time ministry is 24/7. However, no leader can be “on call” 24/7 and have a sustainable, impactful ministry.

A problem arises when the congregation expects its pastor to be on call 24/7. It’s not that they necessarily believe their pastor can be everywhere, all of the time, for everyone. They just want their pastor to be available when they need them.

If we’re honest with ourselves, we know that busyness doesn’t equal accomplishment. But the culture in which we live today often acts like it doesn’t believe this is true. Our lives are scheduled to the max with work and activity to the point that we only value downtime as a last resort.

Ministries that focus more on doing things for Jesus than from Him exhibit this on a daily basis. Seldom do churches truly understand the scriptural value of observing a weekly Sabbath, especially for their pastor and other leaders. I believe this mostly happens because they do not understand the demands of ministry. They simply aren’t sympathetic to something they aren’t familiar with.

Add to this the lack of commitment many pastors have to protecting the Sabbath, and it’s easy to see why expectations are where they are. The congregation doesn’t value Sabbath, and the pastor doesn’t either. These two factors are the main contributors to a ministry that does things for Jesus.

Many pastors make the mistake of viewing a weekly Sabbath as optional. Somewhere along the line, pastors began to believe that observing Sabbath was a good idea for their congregations but not for them. This has led to many leadership failures over the years.

God never intended for us to be on call 24/7. He actually established Sabbath in creation. If God felt it necessary to observe a Sabbath after working six days, then how much more do we need to observe it?

Any congregation that doesn’t hold its leadership accountable in the arena of Sabbath will eventually become a church that goes through the motions of ministry. They may do things that appear to be for Jesus. But ignoring His instructions to Sabbath will keep them from ever doing ministry from Him.

Observing Sabbath on a weekly basis is one of the greatest ways to ensure that we do ministry from Jesus. It’s during Sabbath that we are reminded, once again, that He is our source and we are not. Self-reliance will always assert that our value in accomplishing His goals is much greater than it actually is.

Q & A

1. What does it mean to do ministry from Jesus instead of for Jesus? Doing ministry from Jesus means your leadership flows from intimacy, obedience, and dependence on the Holy Spirit. Doing ministry for Jesus often places the pressure on your own performance, strategy, and ability to produce results.
2. Is formal ministry training a bad thing? No. Formal training can be incredibly valuable. The issue is not education itself. The issue is whether education replaces dependence on the Holy Spirit as the primary source of leadership wisdom and direction.
3. How can a church tell if it values credentials more than anointing? A church may be valuing credentials more than anointing when it prizes status, degrees, and résumé strength more than humility, spiritual maturity, discernment, and a leader’s willingness to follow the Holy Spirit.
4. Why do predictable programs become a problem? Predictable programs become a problem when they keep a church tied to the past instead of responsive to what God is saying today. Remembering what God did in the past is healthy. Treating the past as the only acceptable model for the future is not.
5. How can past leadership wounds keep a church from moving forward? When a church has been hurt by abusive or controlling leadership, it may respond by trying to control future leaders. That reaction may feel safe, but it can also create paralysis and keep the church from trusting Jesus for the next step.
6. Why is Sabbath so important for pastors and church leaders? Sabbath reminds leaders that Jesus is the source of ministry, not human effort. It helps pastors resist self-reliance, protect their soul, and model healthy rhythms for the congregation.
7. What is one practical step a pastor can take this week? Choose one weekly Sabbath rhythm and protect it. Let the congregation know why it matters, identify who should be contacted in a true emergency, and use that time to remember that ministry flows from Jesus, not from constant availability.

Related 95Network Resources

• Blog: From God, Not For God: Why Effective Ministry Flows Through Connection, Not Performance
• Podcast: Healthy, Holy, and Humble: Soul Care Rhythms for Pastors with Lance Witt — Episode 332
• Podcast: Sabbath, Discipleship, and The Chosen: Rediscovering Jesus’ Forgotten Teachings with Brandon Robbins — Episode 321
• Podcast: Sabbatical and Small-Church Pastors — Episode 84
• 95Network resource hub: Articles and podcasts for small and midsize church leaders

What are you doing that is working well? What is not going so well? Let’s connect and have a conversation about it. At 95Network, we are here to support and serve you in anyway we can. If you feel like you’re in a season where your stalled out and can see the way forward then please reach out to me at [email protected]

• Website: 95Network.org
• 95Network – Soul Care Essentials
• 95Network – Healthy Church Assessment
• Read Stalled: Hope and Help for Pastors Who Thought They’d Be There By Now

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