Tony Campolo says the progression of the work of the ministry follows the metaphor in Isaiah 40:31, "but those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary; they will walk and not be faint," (NIV).

Young ministers are eager, and start off soaring on wings of enthusiasm to change the world for Christ. Over time, through hardships and criticisms, their wings give way to legs. Then they run until they are out of breath and must walk.

One of the difficulties of professional Christian ministry is the double role pastors are forced to play as both priest and prophet. According to Campolo, who spoke at the 2006 National Pastor's Convention, that role requires ministers to both comfort the troubled and trouble the comfortable.

"There are great risks in doing both," he said. "Yet to be a great minister of the Gospel, you've got to play both roles."

Risk more

Campolo said that the work of minister in caring for people, visiting the sick, comforting the mourning, is what gives validity to the prophetic words of truth preached from the pulpit.

"It's the work of the pastor that really legitimates the work of the prophet," he said.

But he said the danger for pastors is that as they chalk up more years in ministry they slowly begin to lose the ability to takes risks. All of the criticism builds up and fear overtakes the need to speak the truth. "They're afraid to say the things they know will upset people."

Here, Campolo said, preachers should turn to the example of Christ. "Jesus was not afraid to speak the truth even when he knew people would be offended by the truth."

He challenged the pastors to preach about the tough issues, such as the war in Iraq. There wasn't much applause among the 15,000 ministers. But Campolo continued to challenge the pastors to become politically engaged in the United States government's response to world poverty and to the American education system. He said these issues should not be left up to only mainline denominations but should be given a voice from other churches as well.

"Do you go back and challenge the people in your congregation to care, not just about the people in their own community, but about the people where there is need, suffering and degradation?"

Work on eternity

Campolo challenged pastors to inspire young people to great things. He said they should call people to become the living sacrifices of Romans 12, rather than successful suburbanites.

"One of the most important things you can do is simply share the Gospel message with people in need," Campolo said.

Reflect more

All of this risk and work toward eternal things often leads pastors to exhaustion, Campolo said. He recognized that one of the reasons so many ministers had gathered for the NPC was to refresh themselves for more work. His suggestion: stillness.

"I try to get up about a half an hour before I have to and I lie in bed in absolute stillness and in the quietude of the morning I center down on Jesus," Campolo explained. "You push everything else out of your mind. You drive back those animals, those million and one things that come in to capture your thinking, … yesterday and today's things to be done."

He said this practice, which comes out of the Catholic tradition of Ignacious of Loyola, is a way to invite the Holy Spirit to come in and saturate your being.

"When was the last time you as pastors spent a half hour in stillness?" Campolo asked.

It is a discipline, he explained, and takes practice and effort to find a "quietude of soul," not just quiet. It isn't a formulaic approach to receiving the Holy Spirit, either, Campolo said. "I wish I could say every morning the Spirit invades me. It doesn't. But there are mornings when suddenly it comes upon me."

He differentiated this type of reflection with typical prayer.

"Too many of us pray like my little boy who came in and said, ‘I'm going to bed and I'm going to be praying. Anybody want anything?"

Instead, Campolo encouraged ministers to reflect on Jesus and rather than asking for anything to offer surrender to him in the quiet. "In ministry, more than books, academics, you need to be invaded by the Holy Spirit—every day."

Especially in the difficult hours of ministry when pastors are called to face the hurts and tragedies with people, then the Gospel is more than a theological concept and becomes the power of God in a simple gesture of putting an arm around a hurting person.

More than a sermon, the world is looking for a connection to God, Campolo said. "The Holy Spirit empowers you to connect."