“For though I am free from all, I made myself a slave to all in order that I might gain more of them. I became as a Jew in order that the Jews might be gained. To those under the law, as one under the law (though I am not under the law), that those under the law might be gained. To those without law, as one without law (though not being without the law of God but being in accordance with the law of Christ) in order that those without law might be gained. I became weak for the weak in order that the weak might be gained. I have become all things to all in order that in all things individuals might be saved. All this I do for the sake of the Gospel in order that I might jointly share in it with them.”

(1 Corinthians 9:19-23)

“If the whole body were an eye, where would the hearing be? If the whole were an ear, where would the seeing be? But now, God put into order each part, every one in the body just as He willed. If all were a single member, where would the body be? But now there are many parts but one body.”

(1 Corinthians 12:17-20)

The first of these two passages, without the tempering of the second, has led many men into pastoral burnout. The first is the Apostle Paul’s testimony: I will be all things to all people in the hopes of winning some to Christ. Everything the Apostle is — from his head to his feet to his time and his skills — is devoted to one end: the furtherance of the Gospel. As young men in seminary, we were awed by this model; we celebrated the idea of being consumed by one task, and we went forward into ministry. And, sadly, in doing so, we often neglected the tempering found in our second passage. In fact, in my first call out of seminary, I remember finding myself exhausted by the first until I was reminded of the second.

As I look back over 20 years of ordained ministry, it strikes me as to just how important Paul’s instruction about body parts happens to be. Again, for me, as a young minister, it became a lifeline because I cannot be all things to all people. Like the membership, ministers are part of the body, and body parts are designed to do certain things but not others. If the whole body were made up of eyes or mouths or hands, it would not function — frankly, it would not even be able to be alive. Does that mean that ministers ought to be excused from some duties in the church? Not at all. Yet, it does mean that we ought not to expect one organ to be overly efficient when it needs to function as something it is not.

I have spent many years in the trades, both before my years in ministry and as a bivocational minister; thus the analogy of tools is one to which I can easily relate. A screwdriver is designed to do one thing: turn screws. Yet, a flat screwdriver is often used as a makeshift prybar, scraper, or hammer. Will a screwdriver work in such a way? Yes, it will. Will a screwdriver be effective for these other tasks? Sometimes yes and sometimes no. Will a screwdriver last the test of time if you use it for something it is not designed to do? The answer is probably not.

As a minister, I am a teacher at heart. There is nothing in this world that I would rather do than teach people how to understand God’s Word and apply it to their lives. This is what I was built to do, whether in the pulpit, the classroom, or on a keyboard, writing about such things. Yet, for some people, where they thrive is in a different context. Some people thrive as they sit with the sick and dying, ministering to the saints in their last days. Some people thrive when it comes to working with youth and pointing them to Christ. Some people thrive when it comes to the work of organizing the business of the church and keeping its financial affairs in place. Others thrive when doing street ministry, evangelizing the lost. All of these are essential parts of the ministry, and every pastor should be engaged in such tasks, but not every minister is designed by God to thrive in each of those contexts.

I am often in awe of those who have giftings that I do not share. I have spent many a day sitting with and praying with the dying, but if that were my primary call, I would be drained and spent very quickly. At the same time, I can spend all day parsing Hebrew verbs and digging into books to discern the meaning of a text and be left energized when the day is through; others would find themselves drained and distracted.

In the end, God has seen fit to place us together into one body of Christ. Everything must be done, and we will often find ourselves stretched to do the calling that God has laid before us. Nevertheless, we can be grateful that we are not alone. There are others that God calls to walk alongside us to do the work of ministry: most notably Elders and Deacons, but often other pastors in the community, like those who serve as hospice chaplains or prison chaplains.

In the end, the body has parts, and the parts are designed to complement one another. As a side note, I think that it is likely an homage to Paul’s friend, Luke the Physician, that he uses the analogy of body parts in 1 Corinthians 12. Further, if you are a mouth, or hands, or tear ducts, or feet, don’t apologize for how God has made you. Serve Him to the best of your ability, majoring in the majors and recognizing that there are others who can come alongside you and assist you in those areas where you are weak.

The Gospel is for all people, and if you are a minister, we have a task to reach them. Yet, we are parts of a body. Use God’s design in your life for His glory.