Paul's Secret to Joyful Ministry

Unlock the secret to finding true contentment and joy in ministry, just like the Apostle Paul did amidst his trials. Join Todd Rhoades, co-founder of chemistrystaffing.com, on the Healthy Church Staff Podcast, as we unpack Paul's teachings from Philippians 4.11. Discover how to cultivate contentment that transcends circumstances by focusing on perspective and the eternal significance of your work. Learn practical strategies to shift your mindset, including starting a "ministry win journal" and curating a positive social media experience. By implementing these steps, you’ll be well on your way to fostering gratitude and positivity in your daily life as a church leader.

In this episode, we also emphasize the importance of self-care and maintaining spiritual and emotional well-being. Todd shares insights on how scheduling regular "soul care" appointments can help you recharge and stay grounded in your calling. Through anecdotes and practical advice, we address the challenges of dwindling attendance and the pressure to do more with less, encouraging you to find purpose and joy in your ministry. Whether you're a seasoned leader or just starting out, these lessons from the Apostle Paul can transform how you approach your work and find contentment in any situation.

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Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:07

Hello there, welcome to the Healthy Church Staff Podcast. I'm Todd Rhodes, one of the co-founders over at chemistrystaffingcom, and today we're continuing our journey through some powerful lessons from the Apostle Paul. Today we're diving into a topic that's close to my heart. It's contentment. And when we think of Paul we often kind of picture him as kind of this towering figure of faith boldly proclaiming the gospel across the Roman Empire. And he was all of that. But let's not forget the backdrop of his ministry. We discussed this a lot here in the past few episodes when we've been doing this series.

Speaker 1: 0:42

Paul experienced beatings and imprisonments and shipwrecks. The guy really faced some serious adversity. Yet in Philippians 4.11, he tells us that he's learned to be content in any and every situation. What are you talking about, paul? How is that even possible? Let's be real. Ministry can really throw us some curveballs. That volunteer that bailed on you the last minute, at the last minute, dwindling attendance numbers, the constant pressure to do more with less. It can be tough to stay joyful when you're feeling constantly like you're putting out fires.

Speaker 1: 1:24

But Paul's secret and I think this is important Paul's secret wasn't in his circumstances. Paul's secret was in his perspective. He had this incredible ability, an incredible ability to find joy and purpose even in the midst of suffering. In 2 Corinthians he talks about being perplexed but not in despair, being persecuted but not abandoned, about being struck down but not destroyed. He understood that true contentment wasn't about, I don't know, having the perfect church or the ideal budget or a flawlessly executed church program. True contentment is about having the right attitude. He found joy in his relationship with Christ. He found joy in fulfilling his calling and he found joy in focusing on the internal impact that he and his work was having, not those temporary setbacks. Todd, how in the world I hear you talking to me. I can hear you, I've got my headphones on. You're saying Todd, how in the world can I cultivate this kind of contentment in my own life? I think Paul gives us some practical advice in Philippians 4, but I want to try and make it super practical for you as a church leader, and some of this might sound a little weird, okay, but bear with me here.

Speaker 1: 2:54

The first is start a ministry wind journal. Rejoice in the Lord always. You've heard that right. It's easy to get bogged down in the negatives. So grab a notebook or start a note on your phone, I don't care how you do it, but intentionally write down at least one ministry win every day. Just do that for a couple weeks. It will change your perspective. That conversation that encouraged someone, that volunteer who stepped up, that small act of service that made a difference. Actively recalling these wins will shift your focus and it will cultivate gratitude.

Speaker 1: 3:38

Here's another idea Filter your social media feed. Okay. Filter your social media feed, okay. Whatever's true, whatever's noble, whatever's right, whatever's pure, whatever's lovely, whatever's admirable, if anything is excellent or praiseworthy, think about such things Now. Does that sound like your social media feed?

Speaker 1: 4:05

Social media can be a breeding ground for comparison and for discontentment, and you may need to just unfollow some accounts that trigger some feelings of inadequacy or envy or just are not positive right. Instead, follow ministries and people that inspire you, leaders who encourage you, organizations that are hand-in-hand, doing good work in the world. Curate your online experience to be a source of positivity and encouragement, and then I would encourage you, schedule a soul care appointment with yourself, and the peace of God, which transcends all understandings, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Ministry can be draining and it's easy to neglect our own spiritual and emotional well-being. Block out some time in your calendar for some soul care. I think I mentioned on here one time two of my sons actually work in churches across the country and one of my son's churches actually gives them a day every quarter and they say go do soul care. We don't care what you do, we don't care where you go, but don't be in the office, don't do ministry stuff, don't talk shop. Get out and do something you enjoy and re-energize yourself. It might look like spending some time in prayer and scripture, it might mean going for a walk in nature, it might be listening to some good music or engaging in a hobby that brings you joy. But prioritize your relationship with God and sometimes to do that you just need to take some time to recharge. Bottom line man contentment isn't about ignoring the challenges. It's about facing them with hope and faith and a heart full of gratitude. And it's about finding joy in the journey, even when the road gets bumpy and believe me, believe me, it gets bumpy.

Speaker 1: 5:53

If there's any way I can help you or your church, I've got a whole team of people at Chemistry Staffing that can help you with finding a new church job. Or if you work at a church and you're looking for new staff. We can help you find some new staff. If you need help with your church culture or anything staff-related in particular, or church health-related, I'd love to be able to reach out and help you as much as we can. And if you would like to reach out to me, you can do that anytime. Just send me an email at podcast at chemistrystaffingcom. All right, tomorrow we're finishing our series. This will be number 10 in our series on the Apostle Paul and I hope you'll join us and if you missed any episodes, go back and re-listen. I think you'll enjoy some of the things that we've been learning together about the life and ministry of Paul and how it can help us in our present days. Have a great day. We'll talk to you tomorrow.