The comfort zone – In this zone, you will tend to lead, do, or participate in ministry that you are know will not upset you or others. Comfort ministries generally do not change much, and they also seem to make you and the majority happy and content. Your comfort ministry is like a warm blanket on a cool autumn evening with your favorite book in front of you.
The passion zone – Ministry passion drives what you do in this zone. If you are serving the Lord in this zone, you are driven to do your best. Even hard work in this zone is fulfilling and empowering. When you are in your passion zone, you can even go without eating and still be fulfilled and satisfied. You want to be around others who have the same ministry passion.
The spiritual gift zone – God has granted spiritual gifts to believers, and leaders may have more than one to use in ministry. Like the passion zone, serving the Lord in the spiritual gift zone empowers you and builds up others that you are leading. In this zone, you also may have a sense of joy and fulfillment. Working out of your spiritual gift zone can easily lead to exhaustion, discouragement, depression, or even burnout. God's design in giving His followers spiritual gifts provides a means of leading and doing the good works He has prepared for us.
The talent zone – Working in your talent zone utilizes the skills and talents God has given you. Like spiritual gifts, natural talents are varied. When in your ministry talent zone, you may feel a sense of achievement. However, your talent zone can also become a liability because of the tendency or even temptation to depend on yourself and your refined skills rather than on God.
The skill zone – If you have had training or education for your ministry, you may use your skills for your ministry in a positive way. However, like human talents, excellence in a skill like preaching or administration can lead to a sense of pride in yourself or even a reliance on your training instead of God.
The default zone – the default zone is the tendency to go back over and over again to the same old, same old. How you do ministry becomes predictable, many times resulting on the loss of creativity and flexibility. This then results in a plateau or decline in personal or church ministry effectiveness. Do you have a default zone?
The self-centered zone – A pastor or church leader who ends up in a self-centered zone turns the focus on himself or herself. The church's ministry becomes "MY" ministry, and he or she is threatened when someone disagrees. The self-centered zone is a ministry trap to be avoided because it leads to idolatry and pride.
Examine your ministry and ask yourself the following question, "What zone of ministry am I currently in and what can I do about it if the zone is not good for me or the church?"
[Photo by David Clarke on Unsplash]