Successful Christian Ministry

I love cooking. Sometimes I discover a new recipe that I am keen to try out on the family. At other times I pull out one my ‘classics’, a recipe that I have used before that everyone already loves. One of those classics is a roast chicken and vegetable meal based on a Jamie Oliver recipe. It is delicious! No wonder it is a hit every time I cook it up.

This time last week I was in Adelaide speaking at a ministers' conference for about 250 church leaders. The theme was ‘Growing Leaders to Grow the Church.’ Any time I talk to leaders, one of messages I usually share is a classic where I share what I believe are the principles of having a successful Christian ministry. I am not talking about just re-heating ‘leftovers’, which can be tasty or not, depending on the recipe. I am talking about those timeless meals or messages that always make an impact, as long as they are cooked or shared with fresh ingredients.

I wrote the first edition of this book ‘Successful Christian Ministry’ way back in 2003 - fourteen years ago. Although it has been around for a while and although I have shared this material in different ways dozens of times, it still rings true for me and the people I speak to. That is why I am excited to see this material now made available in eBook format.

In February of this year, I completed 32 years on staff at the church that I grew up in (initially called Waverley Christian Fellowship and then CityLife Church from 2003 onwards). I was a volunteer leader for 5 years before that. During those 37 years of ministry, I have served in a wide variety of areas within the church - worship, youth, administration, leadership, teaching, pastoral, evangelism and missions. As I now enter into a new season of coaching others, speaking more at other churches and conferences, and more writing, I believe that these seven principles are as relevant today as when they were first written. My prayer is that they will be a huge encouragement to you and an inspiration for you to be the very best you can be - for God and his church in the world.

Mark Conner (August 2017)

• Order the newly released eBook edition at Amazon USA for US $5.02 or Amazon Australia for AUS $6.32.
• Order the original paperback edition of this book at WORD Australia, currently on sale for the bargain price of $5.00.