You can achieve excellence in ministry!  Your ministry does not have to be mediocre.  However, you must realize that excellence must be achieved by God’s standards, and not human standards.  In this short chapter, I want to show you four keys that brought excellence to Jesus’ ministry.

Jesus Christ is the greatest example for all of us.  He is given to us so we can see what God looks like.  In every situation we have the best example to follow.

Who being the brightness of his glory, and the EXPRESS IMAGE of his person…

Hebrews 1:3

Remember this!  When you don’t know what to do, do what Jesus did.  Jesus is the good shepherd (John 10:11).  He is the best example of a pastor you could ever have.  Are you a good pastor?  Who endorses your ministry-God or man?  Would Jesus say “Well done, good and faithful servant” to you?

Jesus the Model of Excellence

Since Jesus is the example of excellence, let us look at Jesus for direction in ministry.  I want us to look at four main areas of the good Shepherd’s ministry:  prayer, visitation, teaching and interaction (PVTI).  A good understanding of these four aspects of Jesus’ ministry will transform your pastoral ministry.

1. Prayer

And in the morning, rising up a great while before day, he went out, and departed into a solitary place, and there PRAYED.

Mark 1:35

2.Visitation

And forthwith, when they were come out of the synagogue, they ENTERED INTO THE HOUSE of Simon and Andrew, with James and John…

Mark 1:29-31

3.Teaching

And he said unto them, Let us go into the next towns, that I may PREACH there also: for therefore came I forth.  And he PREACHED in their synagogues throughout all Galilee, and cast out devils.

Mark 1:38, 39

4. Interaction

Now as HE WALKED BY THE SEA OF GALILEE, HE SAW SIMON AND ANDREW his brother casting a net into the sea: for they were fishers.  And JESUS SAID UNTO THEM, Come ye after me, and I will make you to become fishers of men.

Mark 1:16, 17

These Scriptures show us that Jesus was a man of prayer, a man of preaching, a man of visitation and a man who interacted with the people.