Self-supporting Ministry

Nothing stings quite like the phrase “Don’t quit the day job”. Whether after a joke, a self-penned song, an attempt at painting or novel writing, being told to give up hurts. It’s something we have all been told at some point or other and can stay with you like a chorus-line of doubt. But, what if, instead of a rebuttal at your attempts to follow a calling, “Don’t quit the day job” is actually the means by which you can grow something remarkable, something meaningful?

As belts tighten, resources dry up and personal energy wanes, running a Church or ministry can feel a lot like trying to hold water in your hands. Where one leak is closed up, another one forms, and you end up just letting it all go in frustration.

When this happens to ministries, for more reasons that I could possibly count, there are people who see it as a sign that the ministry wasn’t meant to be. But there are ways to ensure a ministry is sustainable and able to grow and continue onwards. A great many of these ways can be found in John Lees’ new book: Self-supporting Ministry: A Practical Guide.

Himself a self-supporting minister, John Lees shares the ways in which is able to keep working in ministry, including heeding the before-mentioned phrase: “Don’t quit the day job”.

When not serving his local Anglican Mission Community (made of four parishes and five churches), John Lees is a career coach, helping people who want to make a change in their lives; whether that is leaving a difficult job, or finding a completely new path in life. He also writes and discusses his career work in a broadcast setting, helping a wide number of people looking for direction. Self-dubbed as a ‘minister in secular employment’, John Lees is uniquely placed in aiding self-sustaining ministries. He has the career coach experience of creating a happy and stable work life, the ministry experience that comes with working in an Anglican community, and the experience of balancing the two in a sustainable way.

For anyone attempting to serve in ministry, John Lees is the ideal mentor.

His new book Self-supporting Ministry was written due to a dearth of other writing about the practical aspects of sustaining ministry; a dearth that left many feeling like they had no place to turn to for practical advice.

A nuts-and-bolts guide, Self-supporting Ministry is valuable reading for all levels of Church ministry and clergy. Whether that is to support someone in a self-sustaining ministry, or for guidance in a ministry of your own, the book is an investment in the future. A guide to keeping the wheels of your ministry turning. Especially important as more and more dioceses are becoming reliant on self-supporting ministries in order to better manage tightening incomes.

Made up of case studies, practical tips for sustainability, ideas for looking to the future, as well as a look the theological aspects of being a self-sustaining minister, Self-supporting Ministry has already proven to be a valuable guide for ministers across the country.

Self-supporting Ministry by John Lees is available to order today.