This series on the five-fold ministry is based off my handwritten notes, which I took as I attended a church conference on this topic in Mar 2025.

4 things that pastors should not lose.

1. Do not lose your purity.

If you lose your wealth, health, you lost something.

But when you lose your character, you lose everything.

Character is very important in God’s service.

Your testimony / character is more expensive, than your ministry, calling, in the sight of God.

Dan 1:8: Daniel decided in his heart, never to defile his body.

Four young men in the Bible, Joseph, Samson, David, Daniel, were all very handsome.

But all of them never defiled his body, as a young men.

Because they have all decided in their hearts never to defile his body.

Except Samson, he had a problem with lust, the lady which destroyed him.

Three things which spoils a man: Glory, Gold, Girl.

Among these three, which is most dangerous?

The Bible says money is root cause of all evil, not women.

We need purity in marriage, maintain purity in values, maintain purity in money matters.

Let’s be careful as pastors, in handling money in the ministry.

Gehazi was in ministry under Elisha, saying my master doesn’t know how to make money out of ministry.

He went out to Naaman, and told lies.

So pastors cannot tell lies to the congregation, to raise a support for money.

Naaman became new cured, and his leprosy came upon Gehazi instead and his entire next generations.

So let’s be careful, not to cheat God, and the money.

Also, be careful in values.

Your powerful sermons are not approved of God, if you are living in sin.

It is not the spirit of God on you, but the spirit of deception.

When you fall into sin, you can go back to God and he will forgive you, but people may not always forgive you.

Pastors let us not lose our purity, in money matters, values, marriage matters.

2. Do not lose people whom you love, and who loves you.

Jesus opened his dress and humbled himself to a doubting disciple Thomas, and say come touch my side and believe.

Because he spent three years, invested into Thomas teaching him.

So pastors, let’s not lose people.

Some pastors say my team left me, my co-pastor left to start another church.

But we shouldn’t lose anyone, in our ministry.

You love your wife, and children, don’t lose them too.

We go out to save the lost at the cost of losing their families, that is not correct.

Unless you take care of your family, you are not worthy to take care of God’s family.

There are pastors who love their members, more than wife.

We love ministry, church, our calling, preaching.

Ministry or family, which is first?

If there is no family, there is no ministry.

God created family first, then followed by ministry.

Pastors we spend more attention at church, building the ministry, but most times we don’t spend time with wife and children.

When you die, a pastor can be replaced in the church, but a father and husband cannot be replaced.

Let us not lose the people who love us and whom we love.

So we don’t lose people, but always add people to the ministry instead.

3. Next, don’t lose patience.

We need faith and we need patience.

Faith is the assurance, patience is the endurance.

Faith is entering into the race, but patience finishing the race.

You got to maintain your patience not in ministry, but first of all with your wife, and second your children.

Children will make mistakes, let them make mistakes, you can do nothing by worrying.

And out of the mistakes, they learn in their life, don’t be worried.

Be patient even when they seem to be drifting away from God.

Also be patient with your wife.

The first test is not in your ministry, but at home.

When God is delaying answering your prayer, be patient he is doing something behind.

When God promise Abraham children, it took 25 years for God to build the faith in Abraham.

Moses took 40 years, for God to take time to mould him.

So when God is taking time to answer your prayers, he is preparing you.

At times we feel God is not answering your prayers, but it’s because he wants to give you the best.

Jacob and Rachel delayed who was born Joseph, Elkanah and Hannah delayed who was born Samuel, Zachariah and Elizabeth delayed who was born John.

So don’t lose patience, in your family, and in God.

4. Finally, don’t lose passion.

Don’t lose passion preaching Christ crucified, and serving God.

Joshua was very old getting ready for his departure, suddenly God comes to him saying there are still many lands that needs to be conquered.

There is nobody apart from you I can share my heart, and do the work.

Thank God you are not as old as Joshua, but we should take the passion with us.

Jesus suffered and was misunderstood, accused, but he still kept preaching the gospel.

So don’t lose your passion.