Jesus Finishes What He Starts
Starting a new ministry is unstable and stressful.
As leaders pioneer a new work, I regularly hear them repeat the phrase like a well-worn mantra — Jesus builds his church, and the gates of hell won’t overcome it (Matthew 16:18).
In our church plant's early years, I inhaled and exhaled this verse like my life depended on it. The only other time I felt that kind of desperation was in 2020.
Why is that? Because seasons ripe with conflict and uncertainty focus our eyes on what is ultimately true — Jesus is the impetus, sustaining presence, and glorious conclusion of church work (Colossians 1:16-20; 28-29).
If you’re a pastor, paid staff, or volunteer leader at your church, I want you to hear and believe that Jesus finishes what He starts — in His church and you.
I hope that you will be as confident as St. Paul “that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ” (Philippians 1:6).
Building Gospel-Houses On The Waves of Uncertainty
Yet there’s a tension here. We can know and believe Jesus finishes what he starts, yet that knowledge doesn’t excuse us from responsibility as leaders.
Our actions matter and impact the lives of many (1 Timothy 4:16).
Jesus must build “the house, [or] those who build it labor in vain” (Psalm 127:1), yet Paul tells us we still gotta get to work (1 Corinthians 3:10-15).
And as many have pointed out recently, we’re building gospel ministries in an anxious, stormy cultural moment (See Edwin Frieman’s, Failure of Nerve and Harrington, Taylor, and Creech’s, The Leader’s Journey).
What do those we lead need from us in these turbulent days?
In Tod Bolsinger’s excellent book, Tempered Resilience, he says leaders must “Stay calm, stay connected, and stay the course.”
But how do we stay calm when we’re building gospel-houses on the storm-tossed seas of external pressures and conflicts?
How do we keep hammering gospel-nails when our inner world rages like a tempest?
I Hate This!
There are many tips to stay calm, connected, and the course as a leader. And I hope to share some of those in future articles.
But none of them matter if you’re unwilling to face your storms. Ignoring difficulties will ultimately lead to more pain, grief, and anxiety.
If you want to lead well in uncertain times, you must accept that you can’t lead others where you’re reluctant to go.
“If you want to lead well in uncertain times, you must accept that you can’t lead others where you’re reluctant to go.”
I recently heard a leader describing the internal and external storms in his ministry, and he blurted out what we all feel — “I hate this!”
It's okay to mourn discomfort. But too many leaders groan under crashing waves when they need to grieve the toll it takes on them and their families.
There are all kinds of ways we groan and try to deal with the storms of life on our own:
We automatically look for the silver lining while the thunderclouds darken our vision.
We cope with stressful torrents by ending our day with just one more beer or one more episode.
We work harder to keep our head above water, thinking we can paddle our way out.
We desperately look to others to save us and grow bitter when they don’t meet our expectations.
Friends, this inner work is yours alone, and Jesus alone can help you.
Jesus, the Lord of Chaos and Calm
Jesus uses external and internal instability in ministry to drive you to Him. He’ll let you splash and splutter in grief and anxiety until you lay them at His feet. Leaders must lead by realizing when they're in over their heads and cry out for help.
Jesus will do one of two things when you cry out.
He’ll calm the storm around and inside you (Matthew 8:23–27).
Or He’ll call you to tread the waves underfoot (Matthew 14:22-33).
Both require faith, and faith puts you near Jesus.
Naturally, we define calm as Jesus quieting the storms of life with a word. How lovely would it be if Jesus took away difficulties every time we cried out?
Yet so often, Jesus calls us to muster the faith to walk with Him into the vortex of fear and destruction.
And there, in the fury of it all, we find a different kind of peace — one that surpasses understanding (Philippians 4:7). There we see Jesus, our Lord and Savior. There we experience transformation into the type of leaders we hope to become (Romans 5:1-5; James 1:2-4).
Here’s hard but good news — Jesus is less interested in your comfort and more interested in freeing your heart from disordered desires and attachments to become a more whole and holy person who looks and loves more like Him.
Sometimes Jesus works in peaceful weather, sometimes in furious storms. But He's always working, redeeming, and completing what He starts.
Let's trust Him in the chaos and calm because ministry has plenty of both and because Jesus is Lord over it all.
Recommended Resources:
Failure of Nerve by Edwin Frieman
The Leader’s Journey by Harrington, Taylor, and Creech
Try Softer by Aundi Kolber
Dark Clouds Deep Mercy by Mark Vroegop
Finding Quiet by J.P. Moreland
Rusty McKie is the founding and lead pastor of Sojourn Community Church in Chattanooga, Tennessee. He is a husband and father of three. He is the creator of the Pause to Reset Newsletter and writes regularly at rustymckie.com.
