A Word of Encouragement for Ministry Families



My hero in ministry is my dad!
We have a very close relationship.



As a preachers kid, and now in the ministry myself; I am often asked what it was that my parents did that resulted in me following in their footsteps.

Before I go any further, let me first say that our ministry is a calling from God and it is not a “genetic” or an “inherited” thing.  We all have a ministry as part of the body of Christ, and it is our responsibility to answer the call of God on our life and to do what He wants us to do.  As parents, my wife and I do not pray that our children will become preachers, teachers, apostles, prophets or evangelists; but our prayer is that they will answer the call of God on their lives, and be involved in their God-ordained ministry.

My parents never put any sort of pressure or expectation on me to be a preacher or pastor.  That pressure was there, but it usually came from “well meaning” people who would say things like “are you going to be a preacher like your daddy one day”.  However, my parents did encourage me to be active in ministry, whether it was assisting in the maintenance of the church grounds, playing musical instruments, or any other activities around the church.

So what did my parents do?  I acknowledge that it is only by the grace of God and the prayers of my parents that I am serving God today.  I know my parents were not perfect, but they loved God, loved each other, and loved their children.  They were Godly examples – they were the same at home as they were at church.  They modelled the importance of having priorities and living by biblical principles.



My family - on a recent ministry trip to a recent trip
to Murray Island in the Torres Strait.



Looking back, I can see that when priorities are “nailed down”, it makes decision making a lot easier.  So many problems were solved by going back to our values and priorities.  I recall a discussion about playing “just one game” of cricket on a Sunday.  It was never going to happen – because Sunday is church.  Cricket is for every other day of the week except Sunday – church is a priority.

Recently I was reading the gripping account of Abraham and Isaac, and it occurred to me that Isaac was never consulted about the little expedition he and his dad took.  When Abraham headed up to the mountain to worship, we do not read of Abraham asking for Isaac’s opinion.  Similarly, being born into a ministry family is not something children get to choose.

When Isaac was bound on that altar, he was caught up in something that was a matter between Abraham and God.  Abraham said, “me and my boy will go yonder and worship” (Gen 22:5).  I cannot see anywhere where Isaac was okay about it.  Isaac was a “victim” of his father’s decision to “worship”.  Sometimes being a “preacher's kid” feels like that.

To take it a step further, Abraham then proceeded to make Isaac carry the wood for the sacrifice.  Isaac climbing up the mountain carrying the wood (a burden) which was entirely the result of his father’s decision and ends up bound on an altar with a knife to his throat.  This was not a matter between Isaac and Abraham, it was about Abraham showing his love to God.

What thoughts must have been going through Isaac’s mind when it dawned on him what was happening.  Abraham didn’t say “we are going up to the mountain and I’m going to slit your throat”.  No – he said “we are going to go worship”.

Isaac looks around and says, “I see the wood and I see the fire – but where is the sacrifice”.  But carefully notice Abraham’s response to Isaac.  He didn’t say “you’re the one Isaac – I am going to sacrifice you”, but instead he said “God will provide the sacrifice”. (Gen 22:8)

Without these words, I don’t think Abraham could have made it - “Son….God will provide”. 

Worship and service to God requires sacrifice, but God will provide what is needed for you to achieve God’s pleasure in your life.  Our responsibility is to climb the mountain and rely on God to provide.

As the story progresses, the knife is about to come down and Isaac is gazing into his fathers face (who is worshipping remember).  Isaac is the victim, and he is about to lose his life.  Right in the middle of his dilemma, Abraham heard the voice of God.  The Bible says that the angel of the LORD spoke to Abraham out of heaven (Genesis 22:11).  No doubt Isaac would have heard it as well.  As a result of this whole expedition, not only did God know Abraham was committed, but there was a young man who heard the voice of God.  Isaacs bonds are loosed, he is a changed individual, because he heard the voice of God in his dilemma.



Lachlan and Lucas - i pray that i can be
as good example to them as
dad was to me



If I was Isaac, I would have responded by saying, “Dad, that almost killed me and I don’t want anything to do with you and your worship again.  Your idea of worshipping God and serving God is too much for me and I want out”.  But that was not Isaac.

We hear about “the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob”. But in reality, Isaac isn’t as prominent as Abraham or Jacob.  Isaac isn’t known for anything really great. Everything Isaac received, he received from his dad.  Isaac didn’t dig his own wells, he re-dug his dad’s wells.  Isaac didn’t accumulate wealth, He inherited wealth from his dad.  But even though Isaac didn’t dig his own wells, he still had to access the life giving water for himself.  He had to make his dad’s well his own.  All children, especially ministry children, need to make “things” their own.

For most people, if they had to go through an experience like Isaac, it would turn them against God for the rest of their life.  Sometimes it can feel like your on the altar and you had no say in it at all.  It can feel like you are carrying a burden to your own sacrifice – all because dad and mum are doing what God called them to do – “the worship thing”.

There are many tragic stories of preacher’s kids developing bitterness against God because of their experiences as a child in a ministry family.  Some walk away from God, not wanting anything to do with church.   However, looking at the account of Abraham and Isaac, it strikes me is that after such a traumatic experience – Isaac went still we onto to serve God.  Even to the very end, Isaac was a man of faith, demonstrated by his mention in the “hall of faith” in Hebrews 11.

The best thing you can do for your children is live a life of faith.  When you do so, you are showing your children that we serve a great God.  Your illogical decisions (in trusting in God) will serve to show your children that there is a power beyond “the preacher”.  Your children will equate your worship to the credibility of your God.  God will provide!

Your act of faith will allow your children to hear the voice of God for themselves, and they can walk off that mountain knowing that God will provide, and there will be no hesitation in trusting God through the sacrificial giving of their life in ministry.

Jonathan Downs

July 2012