Week 11: Mistakes Ministers Make>>>Trenton Prieshoff

Interviewed Peggy Prieshoff

1. One chronic mistake is to avoid crisis. It is okay to give the two sides some time to work it out themselves (and would even be baby-ing to step in right away without them ever talking it out themselves), but there is a very fine line between giving time to work things out and neglecting the situation entirely. As soon as it is seen that the two sides are not coming to an agreement, the minister needs to step in and bring some level of authority to the situation.
2. Be in constant prayer. In fact, use too much time for prayer. When first starting out, it might seem as if you are caught up in a torrent of tasks to accomplish. Prayer is usually the first thing out the window.
   
3. Remember two things about ministry: first, it is a business and you need to be responsible for resources, for producing results and expecting others to do the same. Second, it is not a business: it is ministry. You need to be able to put the results aside from time to time in order to develop people.
4. Don't expect to work 40 hour weeks. First, being a minister is a title that characterizes you 24/7 so you don't get a chance to "switch off." Second, if you expect your laity to work 40 hours a week and then be involved with other church programs for another 10-20 hours, then you need to do the same.