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Lesson #5: To be effective in our ministry, we need to make time for reflection with the Lord.

The most important thing we can do as ministers is to spend time with the Lord.

Full stop.

It’s so easy to get caught up in the ideating and planning, setting up for events and being present to those who show up. We love the satisfaction of checking things off our list; we love the rush of a successful event. We love leading others towards Christ – it’s why we do what we do.

But amid all these important, life-giving things, we cannot forget Life Himself.

We cannot forget that ministry is a participation in the life of Christ. It is our response to His love, His generosity, His invitation to eternal life. 

Spending time with Him, sitting at His feet, making space for Him in our busy lives – this is what allows our ministry to produce fruit that will last. It’s not about trying harder, working longer hours, finding the right program. It’s about Him, always. What may look like an unproductive “waste” of time to the world is, in fact, the best use of our time. 

We were made for relationship with Him. Ministry – no matter how heartfelt or successful – cannot take the place of a relationship with the Lord.

So, if you are a minister who struggles to make space for God in your work, here are some practical ideas for you:

• Pray, pray, pray…
  
  
  • Before every event: First, as you’re planning your yearly calendar, your next event, your week, or your day, invite the Lord to be present. A simple, “Come, Holy Spirit,” or “Jesus, I trust in you,” is a prayer that makes space for the Lord in your decision-making. Ask Him for wisdom, ask Him for guidance, ask Him to bless the work of your hands. Ask Him what he wants to do with this ministry!
    
    Second, pray for all the people who will attend your event. Even if you don’t know them by name, this is a powerful prayer and a way to intercede for those we minister to. Praying for those we serve allows us to remember why we minister and Who we desire our people to encounter at our events.
    
    And third, entrust your event to the Lord. Before any event at Saint Meinrad, I make an act of surrender: “Lord, I surrender [event] to you. Take care of everything.” Let me tell you – this prayer has changed the way I approach events. I no longer stress about little things or try to control people’s experience. I give that over to the Lord, as it’s rightfully His, and my trust has always been rewarded.
    
  • At every event: Even if our event is social in nature, it’s important to make space for prayer and silence. Open with prayer – always. If possible, have a different person lead prayer at the beginning and end of the event. If a priest is present, ask him to offer a blessing over the participants. It’s always a good the best idea to make space for the Lord when we gather.
  • After every event: Once your event is over, make a prayer of thanksgiving to the Lord. Thank Him for showing up and for bringing the people who needed to be there. Ask Him to continue bringing fruit from the seeds that were planted. 
• Examine your motivations: A practice that helps me during any planning process is an “examination of conscience” for ministry. This is simply a time to pause and consider my audience, goals, hopes, and fears before planning an event. Acknowledging these interior motivations allows me to step back, view the event in light of the big picture of ministry, and invite the Lord to purify my intentions and multiply my work. Click here for a sample Examen for Ministers.
• Reflect with your team: One mistake we make in ministry is to treat our job as a checklist of items. Prep for event, host event, move on to next event. Repeat, repeat, repeat. One key element that is missing from this process is time for reflection – specifically, theological reflection, or the process of reflecting on events through the lens of our faith. Click here for a sample Theological Reflection for Ministry.
• Cultivate your own relationship with the Lord: Finally – or really, foundationally – as I said at the start, the most important thing we can do as ministers is spend time with the Lord. Nothing else I’ve suggested will bear lasting fruit if we don’t put time and effort into our relationship with God. For yourself – and for those you walk with – make this a non-negotiable in your life. Just 15 minutes in the chapel, an additional daily Mass, or a consistent morning prayer routine will change you. You will fall more in love with the One who created you, become more open to the Holy Spirit’s promptings, more aware of the people around you, and more on fire with the mission to which you have been called. He wants you, not just what you do. You are His beloved son, His beloved daughter – not His employee clocking in for work.

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This year, we will be diving deeper into our 2025 insights. Each month, we will focus on one lesson our partner parishes learned and offer concrete ways to incorporate these insights into your own ministry. May God bless our work!