MASTER’S COLLEGE OF THEOLOGY

VISAKHAPATNAM
Topic: Demand and Difficulties in Ministerial Vocation
Subject: Introduction to Christian ministry.
Submitted by: K. Deepthi Evangelin Class: B.D.O
Submitted to: Mr. Lalboi Hansing Submission Date: 19-09-2022
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DEMAND AND DIFFICULTIES IN MINISTERIAL VOCATION

Introduction:
The world is also a very confusing place, with recent developments in science and culture calling
almost everything into question that we once believed. An increasing number of thinkers are
declaring this a “postmodern world”- one in which no consensus is possible because reality is
however we perceive it, and one in which neither the Christian worldview nor the modern humanist
worldview can any longer command assent.

Meaning of Demand:
Demand means “estimation or a prediction focusing on future ministry outcome”. It predicts demand
for the ministry or the services how are we going to engage, for example, ministry and place
changes, strategy or changes in people whom we ministered. Once armed with this information,
management can then begin to make strategic ministerial decisions ranging from reviewing
demanding strategies.

Demands and Difficulties in Ministerial Vocation:

1. Family and Ministry:

A minister is demanded to learn the importance of balancing time and attention between their
families and religious career. In the initial stage one is able to balance between home and work.
However, the difficulties began when the ministry grows and the church required more of the
minister’s time and attention.

2. Self Denial/sacrifice:
Self-denial is one of the grand and great character traits of a minister. The mission life is not easy. It
requires self-denial, mental, and physical exertion, maturity, self-mastery, spirituality, and a very
strong, positive mental attitude. It also requires resiliency and total commitment. Self-denial may take
its form in many different ways. It may be delaying an education or marriage. It requires usually a
commitment.

3. Time:
The minister is in a very personal, service-oriented job. He or she must meet the needs of the people.
Often these needs are urgent, desperate, and cannot delayed. Furthermore, the needs are diverse and
complex, ranging from the growing-up pains of teenagers, to marital disturbances, to the alcoholism
of a lonely senior citizen. In order, the minister to be effective in the work it is essential to develop
good time management.

4. Skills:
In ministry, as character is crucial so as the skill. Sometimes, there is a struggle between the demand
and overemphasizing skill and other time character. Many times, if a person possesses good

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character qualities, their skill can be overlooked. But God has called us to bear fruit (John 15:8; 1
Cor. 3:8-15). Though there are many reasons why a church or Christian business does not grow, one
common is that the skill of the head or a member of staff has significant deficiency and over time,
these deficiencies or “skills” have not been develop enough.

In Exodus 31, God clearly gave specific skill to people so they could build the tent of meeting: “The
Lord said to Moses, “see I have called by name Bezalel the son of Uri, son of Hur, of the tribe of
Judah, and I have filled him with the spirit of God, with ability and intelligence, with knowledge and
all craftsmanship, to devise artistic designs, to work in gold, silver, an in bronze and so on.” From
this point, we understand that skill is very important and each one has given with different skills.

5. Right Ambitions:
The desire to serve and not manipulate or control (Matt. 20:25-28) is very demanding and difficult, yet
important. The leader or minister must serve the community or congregation out of a need.

6. Right Involvement:
In the ministry everyone has a part (Eph. 4:16) yet there are times we are to bear one another’s
burdens for which a minister must not get too far ahead and interrupt people by pushing them too
hard. A minister must figure out when to do what or how to do how and why. Therefore, discerning
the right involvement is demanding and difficult.

7. Social Media and the Church:

God has called us, like the apostle Paul, to contextualize the gospel and bring Christ to our culture.
That culture today is Twitter, blogging, Facebook and the worldwide web. At the same time we learn
from the great cloud of witnesses who have preceded us. We learn from church history and the early
church fathers (e.g. Ignatius of Antioch, Athanasius, Cyril of Alexandria, Basil, Gregory the Great,
Augustine) who were leaders of local churches, theologians, and monks who prayed their theology.
Today, the ministers are called to contextualize and ancient/future minister as well.

8. A Minister deals with the eternal and spiritual nature of things:

Medical doctors have a stressful job of being guardians of life. Their decisions can mean life or death
in some cases. A pastor, however, has the awesome responsibility of dealing with the immortal soul of
man. His leadership and decisions have the potential of affecting eternity, and that is an infinitely
greater burden.

9. The Minister’s role is prophetic in nature:

In other words, he has to look people in the eye and confront them with the uneasy subject of their
sinful actions and attitudes–and no one likes that. Though he finds himself a great sinner in need of
God’s grace, God holds him no less responsible to deal with the sin of others. Furthermore, the people
he usually confronts are the very ones whose offerings pay his salary.

Conclusion:

This paper discusses about the demands and the difficulties that are expected to be in the Christian
ministry. Always a Minister will be demanded to show many things, and if that demands are not
reached, the minister will be on difficulties. So, a minister should balance each and every aspect of his
life. In this paper, I tried to explain about the demands and difficulties in Ministerial vocation.