What Defines a Ministry Leader?

Executive Director, Meagan Butler, Shares Her Experience Stepping Into Ministry

My first taste of serving in church started as a volunteer for a service project ministry in college. I experienced church community in a rewarding way. Not only was I receiving the opportunity to serve people in my town, but I gained a second family. The ministry I served in was intergenerational and I got to see the volunteers and leaders a minimum of three times a week. It felt like a collaborative effort to love people in tangible ways. The director of the ministry showed me the background systems and relationships that took place throughout the week to make service projects happen. The business side of ministry. Later, I would learn even more about the business side when I accepted a position as the girls student ministries director for a youth group.

I assumed most of my time would go towards connecting with the high school girls but quickly learned the job description included tasks like ongoing digital communication, event planning, staff meetings, promotion of events, and pressure for high attendance. I felt like I had accidentally signed on for an event coordinator position with a heavy lean on sales. As a young adult, I wanted to glorify God with my work and daily faced my shortcomings. I lost myself in the process. I had a hard time verbalizing what I was going through and finding the right kind of help. A lesson I have since learned is that we’re not always playing into our strengths. There are elements to every position that stretch our weak points.

While this may be true for any category of life, what makes church culture so important is that it symbolizes and impacts our relationship with God and his character. Spiritual hurt and burnout can happen to the volunteer Sunday School teacher, secretary, children’s ministry director, A/V team, and on and on. From participant, to volunteer, to paid staff in the church, a lot goes into making a Sunday morning happen. The pastor may get center stage, but during the sermon there is a whole village of paid and unpaid people making that moment possible… and they are all leaning into their strengths and weaknesses. They are all putting their spiritual health on the line.

Desert Road Ministries is here for the ministry leader. And, to us, that is anyone who contributes to the life of the church or Christian nonprofit – paid or unpaid. We’re here for you and thank you this Pastor Appreciation Month!