Travis Kolder

Step 1- Surrender your life to Jesus and ask Him to fill you with His Spirit.

Step 2- Acquire a holy discontent that will not let you rest until your life reflects the life of Jesus.

Step 3- Practice regular time alone with Jesus and His word.

Step 4- Join a local, Bible-believing church with messed up people who are pursuing Jesus with all their heart, just like you.

Step 5*- If you are called to marriage (note an implied step 3.1 that you’ve asked the question “Am I called to marriage” as a subset of questions 1, 2, & 3), pick a spouse that practices steps 1, 2, & 3.

Step 5.1- Pursue a healthy marriage. Sacrifice for one another. Make time for one another. Learn to trust one another and communicate openly. Practice biblical marriage roles.

Step 5.2- If you somehow find yourself in the awkward spot of having completed steps 1-4 but have married an individual who is not described in Step 5 or your marriage doesn’t reflect the realities of Step 5.1, stop everything and work on these issues. A wise Christian counselor may be necessary. Fixing the issue is crucial. A broken marriage is a landmine that will destroy your family, not to mention your ministry.

Working on these issues means working on you. Pray for your spouse. Work to communicate and trust. Sacrifice. Nothing will change with this situation until you change you.

Step 6- Assuming you have them, give appropriate time to your family and specifically your kids. You literally have the choice of letting your ministry steal you from your children or you giving them the appropriate amount of attention and them wanting to follow in your example. Don’t give them the opportunity to make the wrong choice. Raise arrows that will go farther than you.

Step 7- Listen to the Holy Spirit. When He speaks, obey.

Step 8- Serve people (especially by sharing the Gospel with them and helping them share it with others, whether they are already believers or not). Also, never forget the poor or those on the margins.

My guess is some of you who read all the way to the bottom you were hoping for something more “practical.” This is as practical as it gets. Ministry is service. Your platform is your life, nothing more, nothing less.

The word translated ministry throughout much of the New Testament means “to serve.” The problem with how we talk about “ministry platforms” today is that we usually are speaking about how to get more eyeballs looking at us or the things we say/write/sing/produce.  Instead, we should be talking about how to surrender more to Jesus, encounter Him, be more whole and healthy human beings, and lay down our lives for others.  This may not be the “how to” list you were looking for, but it may be the most important one you’ve ever read.

Further Reading: If you’ve read this list and are looking for more practical things to work on, you should consult the following resources: 1 Timothy 3, Titus 1

*(Steps 5 & 6 may come other places in this list, depending on if you’re married or not. Regardless, they are important to keep in the forefront of your mind.)