Never Doubt Your Ministry’s Significance

When it comes to churches, bigger isn’t better. Healthy is better.

Your ministry matters to God, no matter the size or location. Never confuse prominence with significance. My nose is prominent. (I have a big nose!) But my nose is not significant. My nose could get cut off, but I could still live happily

Even though I’ve never seen my liver, heart, or lungs, they’re all significant. If I lost any of them, I’d drop dead. 

Your ministry is significant, even if it’s not prominent. As you head into 2024, it’s easy to lose sight of what matters most. You may never go viral on social media. You might not get a book contract or grace the cover of a magazine. You might feel as if no one sees your ministry.

But God does. One day, you’ll stand before your loving Creator so he can say to you, “Well done, good and faithful servant. You’ve been faithful in little things. Now be faithful in much.” Your church’s size won’t matter then, and it doesn’t matter now. Every church matters to God. 

Imagine you have two pilots. One will fly a 747 today with 400 people. Another will fly a regional plane that holds 14 people. The pilot of the 747 doesn’t have a more important job. Both are still responsible for the safety of people created in the image of God. The pilot with 14 can’t afford to be less careful or less skilled. 

As a church leader, you’re in a life-or-death ministry. Souls hang in the balance. They’ll either go to heaven or hell. It doesn’t matter if it’s two souls, 20 souls, or 200 souls. They all matter to God. In fact, if you ever wonder how much the souls of the people you shepherd matter, just look at the cross. Jesus gave his life for the souls of every person in your congregation, regardless of its size.

Your kingdom assignment matters to God. 

Shepherding the flock of God is the single greatest privilege and stewardship in life. If Jesus doesn’t return first, we don’t know what will be around in a thousand years. There likely won’t be a United States of America, an Amazon, or a Whole Foods. Nothing man-made lasts forever. 

But the church will last for eternity. In a thousand years, we know there will be a church. God created the church to last forever. And God has long-range plans for the souls you shepherd. If God has put you in charge of feeding and leading a church, there isn’t another job on the planet whose effects will last that long. 

Your ministry matters more than you can imagine.