Putting the MINI Back in Ministry

It is no coincidence that the first four letters of ministry spell mini. In the words of John the Baptist, “He [Christ] must increase, but I must decrease” (John 3:30). That is what ministry is all about—making more of Jesus and less of myself. Unfortunately, many have used the ministry for self-promotion. While the apostles’ testimony was “For we preach not ourselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord” (2 Corinthians 4:5), the opposite seems to prevail today.

Everything we do stands the possibility of being tainted with selfish and impure motives. We struggle to preach of the holiness of God without somehow speaking of our own. We speak of God’s power but all to quickly turn the hearers to contemplate our own. To further complicate the problem, God’s people have grown an appetite for such preaching and teaching. Like in the days of Jeremiah, “The prophets prophesy falsely, and the priests bear rule by their means; and my people love to have it so” (Jeremiah 5:31).