Authentic Ministry

Serving from the Heart

Michael Reeves

• Publisher: Union Publishing
• Year: 2022
• Print ISBN: 9781916899506
• eBook ISBN: 9781916899506
• Topic: Theology & Religion
• Subtopic: Religion

In Acts 20, Paul spoke to the elders of the church at Ephe- sus, charging them: "Pay careful attention to yourselves and to all the flock, in which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to care for the church of God, which he obtained with his own blood" (v. 28).When thinking about Christian ministry, or preparing students for it, it is all too easy to think only about Paul's second command here: to pay attention to the flock and how we might best serve others. This is an easy shortcut, one that allows us to focus on growing our pastoral skills and our biblical knowledge, all the while leaving our own hearts unsearched. It leaves the door open to hypocrisy and hollow professionalism. It ushers in a horde of troubles, from burnout to bullying, from anxiety to isolation.But Paul's second exhortation builds upon the foundation of the first: "Pay careful attention to yourselves." Only when we first do that can we have an authentic ministry that is able—from a position of health—to care rightly for all the flock of God. The simple aim of this little book is to help you pay attention to yourself and so cultivate the inner fitness necessary for outward service of the church.