Ministry outside church

Books

Reset: Living a Grace Paced Life in a Burnout Culture – David Murray

This is a practical look at the problem of stress associated with juggling the demands of work and other responsibilities. It is easy to read and shares stories from his own life and the lives of friends and offering gospel-centred advice and practical strategies for reducing the impact of life overload and preventing or dealing with burnout in life ministry.  

Boundaries - Henry Cloud and John Townsend

This book addresses the struggle between being freely open and available for loving, generous and sacrificial service and the limitations we all have in terms of time, resources and capacity. This struggle can lead to guilt, overwork and doubt about our own generosity. The book offers Biblically-based ways to increase the sustainability of your ministry by setting healthy boundaries.

Quotes

"The original Greek word for “ministry” is simply “service.” Ministry is all the ways we serve God and others, ways about which God says, “it is good” (Gen. 1:31).

from “Aging Matters: Finding Your Calling for the Rest of Your Life" by R. Paul Stevens

"When did you last think of going to work (or looking for work if you are unemployed) as “going into the ministry”? But all good work is a practical way of loving our fellow human beings, something which all of Scripture and Jesus in particular calls us to do."

from "Aging Matters: Finding Your Calling for the Rest of Your Life" by R. Paul Stevens

"In truth, we cannot become anything other than who we already are, if we wish to be fulfilled in our lives and vocation. We must stop trying to “become” something else, or to “develop” or “cultivate” some trait that we fundamentally lack, and instead start being who we already are by identifying our giftedness and living it out."

from "Crafting a Rule of Life: An Invitation to the Well-Ordered Way" by Stephen A. Macchia, Mark Buchanan