6 Vital Questions to Discover Reasonable Expectations for Your Ministry

Written by Claude Cone

As a pastor, you live under constant pressure from self-imposed expectations as well as expectations demanded by others. To enjoy a healthy, joyful, satisfying, and productive ministry you must answer the following six questions:

1. What Does God Expect from Me?

According to Micah 6:8 you must do right to all and wrong to none, be kind to all that we meet, and humble ourselves in daily obedience to our Lord.
You are called to practice the Golden Rule (Matt. 7:12)
When James says to “Humble yourselves before the Lord, and He will exalt you” (Jas. 4:10, HCSB), we are reminded that bowing, submitting, and yielding ourselves before the Lord acknowledges our desperate need of His help.

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God delights in helping you, so position yourself before Him so He can lift you up.

2. What Does My Family Expect?
Your family wants quality time with you. This requires planning, scheduling, and commitment.

Schedule a weekly or monthly date night with your wife and stick to it.
Be aware and involved with your children’s activities and special events.
Quality time with you as husband and father is a realistic expectation of the family.
To “be there” for your children or grandchildren will require that you to say “no” sometimes.

3. What Does My Church Family Expect?
In many instances all of your time, energy, and attention. Comedian Bill Cosby said, “I don’t know the key to success, but the key to failure is trying to please everybody. ("The Quotations Page," 29 October 2002).

You care what other people think, long to be liked, and enjoy compliments and words of praise but “people-pleasing” is a dangerous disease.
It is often insecurity which longs for applause. The following scriptures will give you biblical insight: Gal. 1:10 and 1 Peter 5:2-3.
It is not your job as pastor to keep everyone happy - some will never be happy.
Do not surrender your ministry to the opinions and judgments of others but rather seek the approval of God.

4. What Do I Expect from Myself? What are My Goals?
Ambition can be a friend or a foe. Goals are good if they are of God and reachable. Paul set an honorable goal, “I pursue as my goal the prize promised by God’s heavenly call in Christ Jesus” (Phil. 3:13-14, HCSB). Consider the following Spirit-led and God-honoring goals:

There should be goals for education as long as education is a tool to be used to further God’s kingdom and not something to flaunt.
Consider goals for personal spiritual growth including memorizing scripture, listening to tapes on leadership, or reading books on prayer.
Make financial goals that seek protection, care of the family, and an adequate retirement (1 Tim. 5:8). See 8 Key Questions for Minister's Finances

Goals are good if they originate with God. Goals can motivate us to godly accomplishments if the goals are God sent.

5. What Should I Not Expect?

Don’t expect to accomplish what you are not gifted to do.
Avoid envying gifts, abilities, or talents you see in others.
Thank God for what He has gifted and equipped you to do.

6. How Can I Know What Matters?

Ask God for wisdom (Jas. 1:5). Wisdom is the ability to see through the eyes of God. Wisdom is to know the will of God.
Someone has said that knowledge is the ability to take things apart, while wisdom is the ability to put them together.

There are realistic expectations we must all face, and by God’s wisdom we can know and do what matters to God (which is all that matters).

Claude Cone is Executive Director of the Baptist Convention of New Mexico, Albuquerque, New Mexico. Adapted by Craig Webb from a previously published article, used by permission.

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