Tell us about yourself and your ministry. 

I have served in pastoral ministry for nearly 30 years and am presently serving as the executive pastor at The Pentecostals of Katy, located in Katy, Texas. I also write and travel speaking, focusing mainly on leadership training and development, and serve as an adjunct professor. I have a Doctorate of Strategic Leadership from Regent University, and am the founder of Equipping Leaders, a nonprofit coaching and consulting organization.

 

You speak of “busyness” as being something negative. What exactly do you mean by this, and why is it dangerous for those in the ministry? 

As you can see in my answer to the previous question, I am busy. And yet it is true that I maintain busyness, and it can be quite dangerous. Like rodents running on a wheel, we can become addicted to busyness, but we aren’t obtaining anything, at least with regards to fulfilling our God-called purpose. That is really the point I am attempting to make—busyness is not the same thing as purposefulness. Unfortunately, many of us struggle to differentiate between the two.

 

Share an example or two to illustrate the problems of allowing ourselves to become too busy. 

King Solomon offers a great example. In reflecting on all he had accomplished, he states in Ecclesiastes 2:11, “Then I looked on all the works that my hands had wrought, and on the labour that I had laboured to do: and, behold, all was vanity and vexation of spirit, and there was no profit under the sun.” According to Solomon, despite all that he had done, his busyness held no value. Such is the life of a man who isn’t aligned with his purpose. Just because a person is busy doesn’t mean he is living a purpose-filled life.

 

What is commonly lost or hurt by this condition? 

One of the biggest problems with busyness is that it is deceptive—our busyness makes us think we are involved in worthwhile projects. For those who are busy with church work, it is easy to equate busyness with spirituality. It is possible, however, to be actively working with church-related things and not be spiritual. The story of Mary and Martha illustrates this point.

Several years ago, I was approached by a young married couple who were seeking advice as to how to manage their busy lives. The husband stated that while he was less spiritual than he had been a year or two previous, his participation in ministry-related activities had never been higher. I learned a lesson that day—activity does not equal spirituality. It is possible to be busy and not be aligned with one’s God-given purpose.

I believe most people want to live a purpose-driven life, and yet most people struggle with doing so, and one of the main reasons why is because we are too busy with other things to center on what we should be doing.

 

What can a pastor or minister do to help prevent this from occurring? 

Perhaps another way of asking the same question is—why do people fill their lives up with busyness as opposed to aligning with their purpose? Here are two possibilities: one, we often find our validation in our accomplishments as opposed to the call of God on our lives. And two, some of us have a wrong idea of what servant leadership entails. We think it is about serving people. Paul said he was a servant of God, not of people (I Cor. 3:5; Gal. 1:10). In Ephesians 6:7, he states, “With good will doing service, as to the Lord, and not to men.”

We get our assignment from God, not from people. Some of us are so busy serving people we can’t focus on our God-called purpose. When faced with similar circumstances, the apostles, in Acts 6, remarked they did not do well. They acknowledge things had to change.

What can a pastor or minister do to help prevent busyness from dominating his life? Change his philosophies or mindset. In other words, align himself with God’s purpose and free himself from the expectations of others. Interestingly, when we align with our God-given assignments, it will involve our serving. So the point is not to cease from serving, but rather alignment with our God-given purpose.

 

Where should a pastor or minister place his or her priorities with their time to further the Kingdom of God? 

According to Ephesians 4:11-12, the purpose of the fivefold is to equip saints for the work of ministry. Our priorities should be centered on growing people. One element, among many, is a need for us to move beyond merely delegating things to others and begin empowering others. In doing so, we help participators to become leaders. It’s all about equipping people for the work of ministry.

 

Tell us about your book.  What motived you to write it, and what topics do you cover? 

I have a deep desire to help people live a purpose-driven life. I know the joy of connecting with God’s purpose, having walked the journey myself, and so desire to see others do so as well.

 

How to order and cost?

Rodentivity, as well as other books I have written, can be purchased through the Pentecostal Publishing House. Also, eBook versions can be found on Amazon.

 

If our readers have a question, can they contact you and if so, how?

Absolutely. I can be best reached by email at info@equippingleaders.net.