Jesus Didn't Have an Office; He Had a Road
I've been in ministry for more than fifty years. For most of that time, I served on staff in the local church, doing the normal things staff do: meetings, calendars, program planning, strategy sessions. And then some more meetings.
Here's what's funny: now that I'm no longer on church staff, I'm more productive than I've ever been.
I'm training leaders, discipling people, doing evangelism, and helping ministries collaborate instead of compete. I have the time and freedom to do the things Jesus actually told us to do, not just talk about them in a conference room.
And I've realized something I wish I had understood sooner:
Ministry staff need margin to do what really matters.
We've Confused Planning with Progress
Don't get me wrong, planning has its place. We need clarity, alignment, and structure. But somewhere along the line, we started equating meetings with ministry.
Conferences, endless planning sessions, events with no action plans, lots of "how to," very little "who with", slowly steal our time from the people God actually called us to reach. My friend Greg Stier once asked at a seminary, "How many more meetings do we need before we know what Jesus told us to go and do?"
We spend hours talking about how to reach people, but very few hours actually being with people. We plan discipleship pathways instead of personally discipling anyone. We discuss outreach strategies instead of having gospel conversations, walking school campuses, or sitting across the table from someone far from God.
The Great Commission doesn't start with "Go to a meeting."
It starts with "Go."
Jesus Modeled Movement, Not Maintenance
Jesus didn't have an office.
He had a road.
He walked with people, ate with them, taught them, and then sent them out. The early church didn't grow through administrative excellence, it grew through relational investment and obedience.
When we spend all our time managing programs, we unintentionally create a culture where ministry happens inside the building instead of in the world we're sent to reach. That's especially dangerous for youth ministry, where relationships-not systems-are the currency of impact.
Freedom Fuels Fruitfulness
Since stepping away from full-time staff life, I've rediscovered the gift of margin. Without the constant weight of meetings and office expectations, I can say "yes" to the things that matter most.
A lunch with a young leader.
A conversation with someone exploring faith.
A call to a missionary who just needs encouragement.
Those moments build the Kingdom, and they rarely fit neatly into a calendar invite.
Let's Rethink the "Work" of Ministry
Somewhere along the way, "work" for ministry staff became defined by what happens inside a church building. Sitting at a desk looks responsible. Being in meetings feels official.
But Jesus' kind of work looks very different. It happens in homes, on campuses, in neighborhoods, and in conversations that never show up in a weekly report.
We need to give our teams permission, maybe even encouragement, to get out of the office and into the mission. Less time managing systems. More time with people.
What If Our Work Looked More Like Jesus' Road?
What if every youth pastor spent one afternoon a week walking their local school campus, praying and connecting?
What if every staff member had a few protected hours each week for mentoring, evangelism, or collaboration with other ministries?
What if we measured success not by how many meetings we attended, but by how many disciples we actually developed?
That shift alone could change the heartbeat of the local church.
I'm not anti-structure.
I'm just pro-obedience.
Jesus told us to make disciples, not agendas.
So let's lead by example. Close the laptop. Leave the conference room. Go do the work that matters most.
Even after all these years, I'm still learning. We never stop learning. The Lord keeps teaching me new things about people, leadership, and what really matters. The day we stop learning is the day we stop growing, and I don't plan to stop either one anytime soon.
Here's the Challenge
This week, take one intentional step out of the office and into the mission.
Cancel one meeting and use that time to meet with a person instead.
Grab coffee with a young leader.
Visit someone in your community who needs encouragement.
Do something that reminds you, and your team, that ministry happens best shoulder-to-shoulder with people, not seated around a table.
Let's model what we want to multiply.