Dr. Jimmy Draper is the finest Christian statesman and denominational leader I have ever known. Reflecting on 50 years of ministry on September 3, AD 2000, Brother Jimmy shared 21 lessons he had learned. It’s amazing that I have learned the very same lessons to a “T”. I , therefore, pass them on to every former and present intern or mentoree, pleading with you to be sure to read and heed.
- “Don’t neglect your personal walk with the Lord. No one will make time for you to stay fresh and growing in your relationship with the Lord if you don’t. If you neglect this you’ll be doing the work of God, but not the will of God.
- Make time for your family. I put my wife and children on my appointment calendar and hold those dates as faithfully as any other. Don’t care for everyone else and lose your family.
- Practice the ministry of encouragement. My dad always reminded me to be kind to everybody, because everybody is having a hard time. Kindness and sensitivity to those you serve is vital.
- Never make a decision when you are discouraged or depressed. If you do, you will seldom make the right decision.
- When your heart is right with God and you are confident in that relationship, understand that doubt never means yes. It always means no or wait. God doesn’t lead us through doubt.
- Be open and honest. Be the same person in public as you are in private. It’s worth the risk to be transparent. Some people will take advantage of that, but for most, it will be the key to effective ministry.
- Always return your phone calls and answer your mail. This is a small thing that will bring great rewards as it sharpens your discipline and enhances your relationships. No one is important enough to be unresponsive to others.
- Don’t let anger be a pattern of your behavior. Treat people with courtesy, especially those who disagree with you. Firmness needs not be brutal.
- Be quick to forgive mistakes, and work with people to help avoid repeating them. I don’t know anyone who makes mistakes on purpose. Don’t be hostile to those who make mistakes. You will need forgiveness and correction yourself.
- Let your preaching flow from the Bible. Don’t pick topics, then hunt for Scripture to substantiate your message. Start with Scripture. Careful, regular Bible study will always keep you on the cutting edge of both Scripture and contemporary needs.
- Always be prepared to preach. Most people will see you only in the pulpit, so always be ready to give a word from God. You will have to fight for that time, and you must. It took me twenty-five to thirty hours of preparation every week to prepare the messages I preached during thirty-five years as a pastor.
- Don’t flirt with temptation. Determine now that you will not allow yourself to do things that will discredit you or the Lord. Don’t wait until you are tempted to take a stand against temptation.
- Cooperate with your fellow believers. None of us can fulfill the Great Commission by ourselves. The year after I was president of the SBC I served as vice chairman of the Tarrant Baptist Association, and the chairman was a pastor who had once been my intern. I didn’t feel I’d taken a step down, but I was simply exercising the privilege of cooperation with fellow believers.
- Be a steward of your position and influence. Whatever God has brought into your life and ministry, whatever He has allowed you to do, whatever success you have had, whatever disappointments and failures you have endured, all form a tapestry of experience you are to share. Many pastors think they’re too busy to go to pastors conferences or mentor those just getting started. We’re stewards of our influence as well as our physical possessions.
- Pour your life into a few people. Invest in them to develop real leaders in the church and the kingdom at large.
- Cherish and protect friendships.
- Give credit to other people. Recognize your staff and coworkers. Give them praise and applause as worthy partners in ministry, always giving glory to God.
- Keep confidences. Do not share with anyone what has been committed to you in privacy and confidentiality.
- Lead by example. “Do as I say and not as I do” has never worked and never will.
- Practice servant leadership. There are no prima donnas in God’s service. We earn the right to lead as we serve God through those He places with us.
- When you’re wrong, admit it. “Forgive me” is a wonderful expression for pastors when necessary. I have had to apologize on more than one occasion for words and actions that were inappropriate in their spirit and content. Most people will readily accept such an acknowledgment when it is genuinely and freely given.”[1]
The following are 9 additional points that I would add to Dr. Draper’s 21:
- “ Be filled constantly with the Holy Spirit and depend upon Him at all times.”(D. L. Moody.)
- Be soul minded. Teach yourself to look at everyone you meet as a soul for whom Jesus died and share the good news if possible with the intent of winning to Christ.
- Keep the lost world in your thoughts, prayers, giving and actions.
- Build the Kingdom of God. Not just your local church.
- Never think of getting but of giving yourself to others. Remember whatever you give to Jesus or others will come back to you many times over, both in this world and the world to come.
- Seek the anointing of the Holy Spirit upon your ministry, no matter the cost.
- Never criticize any brother openly. If you feel the need to reprimand or correct, go to him personally.
- Keep learning by reading, listening and being open to the teaching of the Holy Spirit. Remember you can’t preach out of the fullness of your heart and the emptiness of your head.
- Share the blessings God has bestowed upon you freely. “Freely ye have received, freely give..” (Matthew 10:8).
[1]Perry, John. Walking God’s Path The Life and Ministry of Jimmy Draper, Broadman &Holman Publishers, 2005, pp 230-233.