MY COUNSEL TO SOMEONE THAT IS ABOUT TO START MINISTRY ESPECIALLY IF HE IS BETWEEN 20-30 YEARS OF AGE
By Mfon Udoema
Recently, someone met me and told me that he wants to start ministry and I gave him the following words of counsel, especially having been in ministry for up to 2 decades:
1. Be very sure that God called you. If you are not appointed, you will be disappointed.
2. Have integrity, sincerity and avoid scandals. People generally look at young people in ministry with eyes of suspicion, don't prove their suspicion right. If you miss it at the beginning, it may be difficult to bounce back.
3. Be hungry and thirsty for the Anointing and the Supernatural. Since people naturally despise young people, they will only believe in you and follow you when the Supernatural is vivid, visible and palpable in your ministry, because in the days of His power, the people shall be willing.
4. Ensure you leave your former ministry properly. Avoid breakaway. Don't talk ill about the minister or ministry you left. Even if you were treated badly, don't talk about it, leave everything to God. Don't have a bad start, so that you don't end up as a bastard.
5. Have a father or mentor you can access, who will guide you along the path of ministry and also rebuke you where and when necessary. Stop running around people that don't want you around them.
6. Preach and teach to bless and transform lives. Avoid controversial issues and contentious doctrines. You are too young to have people avoid you.
7. Have self discipline and self control. As a young single preacher, especially if you are anointed, charismatic and can dress well, ladies will flock around you and your ministry in multitudes. If you don't have self control, you will self destruct your self and ministry.
8. Learn everything you can about money, ranging from fund raising, to savings, Prudence, frugality, book keeping, budgeting, etc.
A minister without money will be a burden to his ministry and a ministry without money will be a burden to the minister.
He that writes a vision must learn to underwrite the vision, else the vision will be a mere illusion.
9. Don't ordain people in a hurry.
If possible, let the ministry run for at least 3 years before any ordination. Those you ordain in a hurry will also disdain you in a hurry.
10. Honour those that have laboured in the land before you. Don't disrespect or fight them.
11. Don't host too many people in the beginning of the ministry. After the inaugural service where a guest minister may minister, at least for the next 6 months, don't host anybody.
Let your 'sheep hear your voice'. Give your members 'exclusive breastfeeding'.
12. Be focused, dedicated and addicted to your ministry. Don't join associations and networks in your early ministry days. A lot of associations are distractions in disguise.
13. Don't rent a very big hall to start. Start small and grow big and when you are big, you can now be launching large as you engage in branches and foreign missions.
A large hall may discourage one at the beginning when it is not quickly filled. For instance 30 people in a small hall that can seat 20 people is said to be a full Church with overflow but 50 people in a 500 seater auditorium is a great discouragement, if not properly handled.
14. Avoid unnecessary and unhealthy competition. Don't do ministry to prove a point. Don't put yourself under pressure.
15. Be friendly with your immediate neighbours. It is lack of wisdom to be at loggerheads with your neighbours. Handle spiritual wickedness spiritually. Don't constitute a nuisance in the neighborhood. Don't allow the Church to make the neighborhood dirty and periodically, have an interface with the neighbors. Give to the community, especially during festive periods.
Just my 10 Kobo advice that I gave to someone
Mfon Udoema
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