Motivation for Ministry

Carolyn Taketa

This post is the first in a weekly series by guest authors who embrace the value of “thinking small.” You can read the author’s bio at the end of the post.

Growing up, I never watched sports, played sports (unless suffering through P.E. counts), or owned any sporting equipment. My husband Donn, however, is a typical sports fan, fiercely committed to his alma mater, the UCLA Bruins. In the first year of our relationship, it became abundantly clear that if I wanted to know Donn and be with him, I would have to enter the world of Bruin basketball.

So I dove in. I asked Donn lots of questions, learned the fundamentals, watched games, mastered the Bruin eight-clap, wore UCLA gear, and maligned arch-rival, USC. I even scheduled social activities to not interfere with game times. So what would lead me to make such drastic changes? Love. It was love that compelled me to invest fully into something that was important to my husband.

So what compels us to be in ministry? I recently wondered about this as we were considering how to recruit new small group leaders for the fall. If your church is like mine, we often have more people wanting to get into groups than we have leaders. It is so tempting to just plug people into leadership roles to meet our needs without regard to whether it is the best place for them. To guard against this, we ask an important question of all our potential new leaders: “Why do you wish to serve?” Is it out of guilt, obligation, pride (nobody cops to pride but it usually leaks out), love or joy?

During seasons in my life, I have served out of obligation or duty — to earn gold stars from God (I confess I am a recovering gold-star addict). I thank God that in His grace, He has used even those meager poorly motivated efforts for His purposes. Duty is not a bad start to ministry but it is a terrible place to stop. Leaders who serve out of a misplaced sense of duty tend to have groups that do not thrive over time and they themselves often become resentful or burnt-out.

Instead, we look for leaders who are “compelled” by God’s love and respond to that love by serving others. 2 Corinthians 5:14 says,

“Whatever we do, it is because Christ’s love controls us.”

It was love for my husband that caused me to immerse myself in something way beyond my comfort zone. As we engage in what God is doing in people around us, in our small groups, churches, and the global world, we experience more of God in our lives. When we serve out of love with all that we are, we become more fully who God has created us to be.

Why are you in ministry? For me, it is simple. Ministry is the primary laboratory in which God shapes and refines my character to become more like Jesus. It is there that He shows me more fully who He is, who I am, and how He loves me anyway. It is there that He teaches me trust, shows me grace, and changes my heart. Though I wonder at times whether ministry is worth all the heartaches and headaches, God’s love keeps pulling me in. Because it is where I meet Jesus, there’s no place I would rather be.

Carolyn Taketa is the Small Groups Director at Calvary Community Church in Westlake Village, C.A. where she is a passionate advocate for authentic community. She is a former attorney and stay-at-home mom who has been leading groups in various ministry settings for over 20 years. Carolyn is a contributor to thinkingsmall.net and the Small Group Exchange.