Pain Points: Stop Doing Everything

“Stop doing everything!”

These words pierced my heart during my first year of ministry and immediately exposed so many pain points that I had to navigate through that season of life. As a young minister right out of seminary, I wanted to do as much as possible for God’s glory. I may have had a good motivation, but I definitely had the wrong method. In my pursuit of wanting to serve God with every fiber of my being, I erroneously thought I had to pile more and more on my plate. I tried to do everything I possibly could in my first ministry. As you can imagine, it didn’t take long for me to feel exhaustion and burnout. Without healthy boundaries, I was becoming a workaholic.

Have you ever felt that pain point? Have you ever wrestled with doing everything on your own?

Being a workaholic may not be your reason for striving to do all the ministry. I’ve spoken with other pastors who have openly admitted that their motivation for hoarding all the ministry responsibility stemmed from pride. Others mentioned it provided them a sense of job security. There are several reasons for why leaders choose to do everything on their own.

I finally recognized that I needed help. So I reached out to other pastors and seminary professors for wisdom and insight. I praise the Lord for the godly men who spoke truth into my life. A consistent theme emerged from my conversations with these men—I had to stop doing everything. My desire to be effective in ministry was going to require me to make some strategic shifts in my understanding of my role as a pastor. Read More