By Tracey Bouah 

Up to a year ago, I didn’t really understand   exactly what went into the full time ministry, and, to be honest, I didn’t really want to know.  Several years ago (when I was still a young single disciple), I took a week off from work and volunteered as an Intern for the church.  I must say, I loved the experience.  I was a part of a small group who had volunteered for the summer.  We met together early every morning to pray and share good news from the day before, and then we went out meeting people and studying the bible.  I thoroughly enjoyed it.  I couldn’t believe people could do this full time and be paid for it! 

Since then time has passed.  I got married and have had two beautiful children (Emma, 13 and Warren, 11) and jumped on an incredible career track. (To be honest, I never even looked back on the Internship experience.)   

Years later, in the middle of a successful career with Coca-Cola South Africa, I was faced with a tough decision.  I could either take a promotion which would mean even more time away from my family or give up the “corporate life” to put some of my strengths and talents to use in the Kingdom on a full time basis. 

Werner Vos (our Lead Evangelist) approached me about working for him as his assistant. As he told me then, and has done so numerous times since then, this position would make an eternal difference.  We are changing lives.  By assisting him, I would enable him to focus more on the big picture and less on the day-to-day activities.  He is an immensely talented man who loves God and His church with a passion.  It is amazing how God works because if Werner had asked me a month before or a month after, I would have not hesitated to say “no”.  However, it seemed to be just the right time, and, after much prayer, fasting and seeking advice, I decided to take the plunge and go where God seemed to want me to go. 

I was very worried that I would not find this life at all challenging compared to working for an international, multi-million dollar company.  But I was very wrong.  I always thought that the Full Time Ministry people only spent time in prayer, bible study, counselling and visiting people who were struggling or sick.  Other than the odd sermon to prepare, they didn’t seem to have many other responsibilities. How wrong I was.  My eyes have been opened! 

I truly believe I have never been more challenged or stretched in my life.  I am certainly not bored yet, and don’t see it happening any time soon.  There is so much planning that goes into running a church.  Yes, sermons need to be prepared, but they are done while taking into account the needs of the church.  They all fit together in different series and are planned at just the right time to make the most impact.  The calendar is painstakingly looked at and each and every singing devotional, evening service, lesson, and meeting are carefully planned.  Over and above, retreats and various seminars are also put together. 

It is very easy to come to church, sit on a chair and listen to a message without fully understanding all that goes on behind the scenes to make that message possible.  The message must be researched, studied out, prepared, edited, finalised, practised, and finally, presented.  A whole host of volunteers need to be relied on: someone to build a PowerPoint presentation, someone to provide props, the ushers and set-up crew who prepare the venue, the sound guys, those who record the sermon and cut it to CD, the song leaders who work with the church leader to put together the very best songs for that day so as to compliment the message, and many more… 

Over and above all the organisational skills staff members suddenly need to develop, they constantly need to grow in people management and life skills.  To be responsible for a group of different people with different strengths, weaknesses and needs, can be very challenging.  I do believe I was blissfully unaware of some of the tough times people go through in the church.  But when you are in the ministry, you get exposed to the best and worst of everyone.   

I fully believe that the people in this position want to work for the church because of their love for God and people. Without this, there is no way someone can cheerfully do this job. It reminds me of the scripture 2 Corinthians 11:28-29: “Besides everything else, I face daily the pressure of my concern for all the churches. Who is weak, and I do not feel weak? Who is led into sin, and I do not inwardly burn?”  

Being in the full time ministry is a calling that I believe many of us are only too happy not to have.  My appreciation and admiration for the staff have dramatically increased seeing how they not only keep at it day after day, but also consider themselves privileged to be able to do so. 

I am so grateful to God for allowing me to be in a position to make a small difference in His Kingdom and in the world.  I finally feel like my life is about more than success, but rather about significance.  Every little thing I do can enrich Werner’s life, the Leadership Team’s lives, as well as the church and the lost world that we live in.   

So the next time you wonder exactly what a Staff Member does, take some time out to walk with them and see what happens behind the scenes…