I was an idealistic clueless young missionary/church-planter in 1989 when the ministry that sent me overseas decentralized/dissolved/self-destructed, and I was suddenly spiritually homeless. I was fortunate to be “adopted” by a man and his wife who became friends and mentors.
Last week while in Northern California, I got to visit my friend and mentor—Emanuele Cannistraci, or “Pastor C” as I call him.
This guy’s been in ministry over sixty years, and he seems to love his wife, his Lord, and preaching more today than when I first met him.
As always, his energy was explosive, his laugh contagious, and his wisdom profound.
I told him we were about to plant a new church in San Francisco and asked him for some advice. Here’s what he said—not exact quotes but its the best my memory can come up with:
To be successful in ministry you just need to do four things:
1. Pray. You gotta depend on God. Too many churches don’t know how to pray anymore.
2. Reach the lost. Don’t just minister to Christians. It doesn’t matter if you are an evangelist; you have to reach the lost.
3. Develop leaders. You can’t do it all yourself. You have to train others to lead. And, you have to pay your staff good salaries. So many pastors can’t figure out why their youth pastor or worship leader leaves and takes a job at another church. It’s usually because they are not paid enough. Train leaders and be generous to them.
4. Make it fun. Too many preachers condemn and beat the people. There’s no joy, no fun. There has to be joy. Serving God should be fun, not boring. You have to make it fun!
Thx, Pastor C. Not just for the church planting tips, but for the man you are and the life you live. I hope to be like you when I grow up.
***More on my Cali trip on my accidental missionary blog***