Maintaining Focus as a Young Minister of the Gospel

From the alluring pings of social media apps, to other forms of readily accessible entertainment, young people battle with distractions on a daily basis. 

As a young minister, it has become even more important than ever to either maintain focus in ministry, or stand the risk of depriving many of the Gospel. 

In a recent interview with Pastor Emmanuel Iren, the Lead Pastor of  Celebration Church International (CCI), he shared some advice concerning the subject matter.  At the age of 22, he founded CCI and has not looked back till date. Today, the church has seven branches and counting, and will be 10 years strong this year.

“I believe every minister, young or old, is called to a life of focus.  We know that everyone’s work will be made manifest so there’s a sense of accountability that every minister, young or old, must have,” he said when asked about the importance of maintaining focus as a young minister of the Gospel.

In the light of this, he mentioned the habits young ministers can imbibe to help stay on course. They include the basic responsibility of a Christian to read their Bible and pray everyday, as well as having as role models ministers who have stayed the course in ministry for a long time. 

He also added that on a general basis, every Christian is expected to have a fervent devotional life, not to mention a minister of the Gospel. Therefore, as a young minister, you should already be winning the battle against distraction in your devotional life before you take up spiritual responsibility.   

Speaking on the perception of society about young ministers and how it affects their focus, he said that everyone who is a minister must have crucified the flesh, that is, they understand that they are to prioritize what God really thinks about them above the opinions of  society. 

In his opinion, the society’s definition of young ministers is wrong. “Someone will look at me and call me a young minister but Jesus did ministry when He was about my age. His ministry spanned from 30-33 years, so if Jesus is the standard, I’m not young, I’m the proper age,” he said. 

According to him, if society is advocating for young people to rise up and seek positions of leadership, religious or otherwise, they should not be surprised when they actually do so.

He concluded with a profound piece of advice for young ministers just starting out, “Focus is your strategy. Don’t lose it. Develop the habit of staying the course even on the littlest things; it could be a 2-hour prayer session, or a giving pledge you’ve made. Whatever it is, teach yourself to shun distractions and keep your eyes on the ball. Souls depend on your consecration and concentration. Always remember that.”