Joyful Perseverance: Staying Fresh through the Ups and Downs of Ministry

Joyful Perseverance offers practical ways to find joy and energy to serve well despite the inevitable disappointments of ministry—embrace God’s grace, guard one’s integrity, groan with God, adopt a life of thanksgiving, and more. How to Remain Joyful about Ministry Despite Inevitable Challenges Life in ministry is not detached from disappointment. Threats to one’s integrity, harmful expectations from celebrity culture, and the tendency toward loneliness, insecurity, and pain can put a strain on ministry leaders. How can they remain faithful to their work for Christ’s kingdom without letting bitterness seep in? Joyful Perseverance encourages ministry leaders to rely on God’s grace to find joy, energy, and the freshness to serve well, despite inevitable disappointments. It offers practical ways to combat the negative effects of ministry such as embracing God’s joy-giving presence, guarding one’s integrity, leaning into one’s God-given identity, groaning with God, settling sin issues through repentance and forgiveness, cultivating friends, and more. By adopting a life of thanksgiving, readers will experience abundant joy, resulting in an ongoing passion for ministry. Written to Pastors, Elders, and Ministry Leaders: Intended to help people joyfully stay in their ministry role despite discouragement and struggle Empathetic: Written by veteran ministry leader Ajith Fernando, this book addresses the inevitable difficulties presented to ministry leaders Concise: This short format makes this book practical and accessible for busy leaders Foreword by Thomas R. Schreiner