29/01/2026
Dear Young Pastors Like Me
If you truly want to be a genuine man of God in this generation, there are certain things you must stay away from. Ministry is God’s work, not a business or a platform for personal gain. Below are important principles we must follow if we want to serve God with a clean heart and pure motives.
1. Do not twist Scriptures to manipulate people to give in church.
Teach people to give as the Holy Spirit leads them. People belong to God, not to you. Preach the truth without pressure or fear. Do not curse people when they decide to leave your church. Remember, you also left someone’s church to start your own ministry.
2. Do not sell anointing oils, stickers, salt, water, T-shirts, or any items in the name of fundraising.
This is turning the Gospel into a business. If God gives you a vision to start a church, He will also provide the resources. The church is God’s vision, not yours. Teach the Word faithfully, and God will raise two or three people to support His work.
3. Do not beg other pastors for platforms to preach.
Also, do not use the church pulpit to build friendships or promote personal relationships. The church belongs to God, it is God’s business, not your personal business.
4. Make it clear to your wife and children and family members that the church is not their inheritance.
The church does not belong to your family. It belongs to Jesus Christ.
5. Do not allow your wife to keep church money.
Have trustworthy church leaders who manage church finances. Do not personally collect church money or ask leaders to give it to you. It is not your money, it is God’s money. Control your love for money and guard your heart.
6. If you want to preach the truth boldly without fear, have a source of income.
Have a business or job that supports you. This will help you preach the Gospel freely without being controlled by church members. Use your own resources when necessary. Be bold against sin. Do not be afraid to rebuke sin or speak the truth.
7. Do not put your pictures and your wife’s pictures in front of the church stage.
This is a church, not your bedroom. Do not have special chairs for yourself. Sit on the same chairs as everyone else. Ministry is about humility, not status.
8. Be early to church, not late.
Pray with the brethren, humble yourself, and grow spiritually. Carry your own Bible. Do not allow people to carry your Bible for you. Do not allow female leaders to carry the Bible for your wife. This shows humility. Do not allow people to open car doors for you. You are not celebrities, you are servants of God.
9. Attend funerals when church members lose loved ones.
Do not send leaders to attend funerals on your behalf. That is pride. Very soon, you will lose good people in your church because of unnecessary pride. Be present in people’s pain.
10. Do not move around looking for spiritual fathers.
Jesus Christ is enough to pastor you. You can build a strong church without a spiritual father. Honor elders in the Body of Christ, but do not idolize them.
11. Do not end sermons by asking for so-called prophetic seeds or altar vs altar seeds. That is manipulation. When you preach, do not allow people to spray money on your feet or on the church stage in the name of ‘tapping the anointing.’ That is the spirit of mammon, and it will corrupt your heart and soul. Be careful, pastor.
12. Respect your wife and listen to her advice.
Pay attention to what she tells you. She is your best friend and a gift from God. No matter the challenges you face, love your wife and take her counsel seriously.
In conclusion, ministry requires humility, integrity, discipline, holiness, sexual purity and obedience to God. If you want to finish well, guard your heart, serve people genuinely, and remember that the church belongs to Jesus Christ alone.
