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The Necessity of Pruning (Reedited)

VIDEO SCRIPT:
When I started working in ministry, I believed that if I did more things, I would get more results.

This can sometimes be the case, but most pastors are already doing far more than they should be.

When I discovered that some very specific actions made a disproportionate difference in the lives of my youth, while other actions made essentially no measurable difference, I asked myself why I had been spending so much time, energy, and resources on actions that made no impact.

Instead, I realized I should eliminate the actions that created no fruit and focus all my resources on fruit-bearing activities.

If your ministry isn’t bearing the fruit you had hoped for, then you are spending too many church resources on unfruitful endeavors.

The thought of pruning your ministry can be very painful. How could you kill the outreach ministry that you and your leaders poured your heart and soul into?

But this is the very reason many older ministries have bloated budgets and are loaded down with too many unfruitful programs.

As your ministry is pruned, something else will begin to happen. Suddenly, you will find that you are less stressed and have more time available for important things because there are fewer things to attend to.

Your ability to focus on one thing at a time will improve, so that you can give each task the attention it deserves without being distracted by unnecessary programs, problems, and busy work.

When you prune your ministry, you redirect resources that would have flowed into unfruitful areas of your ministry to instead flow into the most productive areas. This acts as a Miracle-Gro for your ministry, by supercharging the best areas while eliminating the rot.

Consider John 15:1-8.

“I am the true vine, and My Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch in Me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit He prunes so that it will be even more fruitful. You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. Remain in Me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in Me. “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in Me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from Me you can do nothing. If you do not remain in Me, you are like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned. If you remain in Me and My words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. This is to My Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be My disciples.”

If God is this serious about pruning His vine, then we should be willing and serious about pruning our own ministries as well – even when it hurts.

If you prune your ministry wisely, it will begin to bear significantly more fruit than it ever has before.

What is the number one thing you believe needs to be pruned from the average ministry and why? Let’s discuss in the comments!

VIDEO NOTES CHAT GPT:

Introduction When I first started working in ministry, I had this belief that doing more would result in greater outcomes. While this can occasionally be true, I’ve found that many pastors are already stretched too thin.

Discovering Fruitful Actions The game-changer for me was discovering that certain specific actions made a disproportionately significant impact on the lives of my youth, while others barely made a dent. I couldn’t help but wonder why I’d been investing so much time, energy, and resources into activities that didn’t produce the desired results.

Eliminating Unfruitful Actions It dawned on me that I should eliminate unfruitful actions and concentrate all my resources on those that bear fruit. If your ministry isn’t yielding the results you had hoped for, it’s likely that you’re investing too much into endeavors that aren’t fruitful.

The Pain of Pruning Pruning your ministry might be a difficult decision. After all, how can you let go of outreach programs that you and your team have poured your hearts and souls into? But it’s precisely this reluctance that causes older ministries to have bloated budgets and too many unproductive programs.

Benefits of Pruning As you trim down your ministry, you’ll notice some positive changes. You’ll feel less stressed, with more time to focus on important tasks without being overwhelmed by unnecessary programs and busy work.

Redirecting Resources Pruning redirects resources from unfruitful areas of your ministry to the most productive ones, acting like Miracle-Gro and supercharging the best parts while getting rid of the dead weight.

Scripture Reference: John 15:1-8:

“I am the true vine, and My Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch in Me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit He prunes so that it will be even more fruitful. You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. Remain in Me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in Me. “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in Me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from Me you can do nothing. If you do not remain in Me, you are like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned. If you remain in Me and My words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. This is to My Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be My disciples.”

The Importance of Pruning in Ministry If God takes pruning so seriously, we should be willing and committed to pruning our own ministries, even when it’s painful.

Conclusion Pruning your ministry wisely will ultimately lead to significantly more fruit than ever before.

Discussion Prompt Now, let’s discuss: What do you think is the number one thing that needs to be pruned from the average ministry, and why? Share your thoughts in the comments below!

One response to “The Necessity of Pruning (Reedited)”

  1. Destiny Yasuhara Avatar
    Destiny Yasuhara

    Are there any other verses about pruning in the Bible?

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