5 R's to Increase Your Ministry Shelf Life

Shelf life is the length of time certain items are given before they are considered unsuitable for use or consumption. It is the time in which the defined quality remains fresh, acceptable, viable, usable, and effective under normal or expected circumstances.

Ageism has negatively impacted the shelf life of those serving in ministry as churches seem to be looking for a younger presence or fresher image from ministry leaders. Forced termination or demotion of leaders as a result of this trend reminds us that the ministry shelf life where we serve is not always ours to control. What we can still control, however, is that we serve and continue to do what we can to remain viable and usable even if it is no longer here.

So, what can we as leaders do now to increase our shelf life before our freshness or best used-by date expires?

Recalibrate – Plan or devise carefully so as to have a precise use, application, or appeal; Fine-tune; Make corrections or adjust; Revamp; Recast; Refashion; Reform; Remodel; Reconstruct; Renovate; Revise; Rēcreate; Start something new; Refurbish; Reimagine or form a new concept; Reinvest; Refabricate; and Reinvent.

Read – When those of us in ministry stop learning, we stop leading. It is much easier to coast through ministry relying solely on what we once learned, but that’s not what we have been called to do. A lifelong learner is one who understands it is never too soon or too late to learn something new. Eric Hoffer wrote, “In a time of drastic change it is the learners who inherit the future. The learned usually find themselves equipped to live in a world that no longer exists.”

Reboot – Restart; Go back to the beginning and do it better or even differently the second time; Restore life or vigor; Reawaken once again in strength and potency; Reinterpret an older work; Discover something that was weakened can be brought back to full strength with the capability to again be a force with which to contend.

Rĕcreate – Engage in recreational activities other than work; Occupy yourself in a diversion; Play; Relax in order to attain equilibrium; Reinvigorate; Revive; Refresh mentally and physically; Rest; Impart fresh life; Lighten up; Seek contentment; Engage in an activity of leisure; Take discretionary time; Enjoy; Be amused; Value pleasure; and Observe a sabbath.

Rededicate – Be set apart again for a special use; Impart new or fresh life; Yield complete and wholehearted devotion; Recommit to where God has called you; Revive spiritually; Renew your consecration to a life of ministry; Give of yourself entirely; and Go all in again.

Ministry leaders who coast or ignore steps to actively increase their shelf life often find themselves only prepared to lead a church or ministry that no longer exists. What they once learned is not nearly enough to sustain them through their entire ministry.