Behind the Scenes in the Speaker Life

Ministry Is Worth It!

Ministry is hard, isn’t it? Sometimes ministry leaders find themselves secretly wondering: Is it worth it?

I recently got to speak at a leadership event for denominational ministry leaders in the Southwest, and when I made the following statement, you could almost hear a collective exhale:

A wave of relief swept through the room. It was palpable.

I worked hard on this talk, unearthing credible statistics on everything from the likeability of pastors’ sermons (it’s high) to the percentage of people who view their congregation as vital and alive (at 82%, it’s also high)!

But my favorite statistic of all was this: churches strengthen marriages. What church leaders say from the pulpit, do in discipleship ministries, and say during pastoral counseling sessions is making a much bigger difference than they’ve imagined. Contrary to popularly cited, incorrect data, the divorce rate is not the same in the church as it is in overall culture—it’s not even close. In fact, among those who attend church, the divorce rate drops 25-50% or more.

 The work of ministry matters. Real hope—data-driven hope—helps us keep going.

I would love to come encourage your women, your married couples (Jeff and I), or your denominational/area/network leadership gathering with this and other findings from science and scripture.

• If you are interested in exploring a booking, please reach out to my speaking agent Nicole Owens at [email protected].

• Please feel free to forward this blog along to event planners in your church.

• In the meantime, I hope this week’s resources encourage you to keep finding hope—in life, in marriage, and in ministry!

We keep things entertaining and equipping, meaning we never let audiences leave an event without simple, doable steps they can take right away. Everything we share is rooted in data and biblical principles. And these days, I always—always—check the weather forecast for where I’m going.

-Shaunti

Improve your relationships with simple actionable steps backed by proven research! Visit
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