Between Winter and Summer: Longing for Fruitfulness in Ministry
By Glenna Marshall
Years ago, my husband was chatting with a pastor friend, comparing stories about ministry and preaching. My husband confessed how difficult our years in pastoral ministry had been from the very first day we arrived at our church. The friend seemed reluctant to admit it, but he told my husband that every day of ministry for him thus far had been sweet. “It’s like every day is summer,” he said.
I remember how that statement mystified my husband. His friend had exuded excitement and passion about his church, but we were completely worn down and burned out. We’d struggled through about ten years of seemingly fruitless ministry in a rural setting. We faced resistance at every whisper of change, we struggled to meet people where they were, and we were desperately lonely much of that time. If you were to describe our ministry seasonally, it was quite Narnian: “Always winter but never Christmas.”
We’ve tossed around our friend’s statement throughout our years in ministry. “When will it be summer for us?” we’ve wondered. Will it always be hard? Will the Lord ever show us any fruit for our labors?
I have spent a lot of years waiting for summer to arrive, convinced that our ministry would always be a long, cold winter. But God does good work in winter, and He won’t waste our lonely, cold seasons of ministry. What looks dead may be making way for life. In the dark, quiet of the cold months, the trees and plants are still alive. They don’t look vibrant with life or fruit or foliage, but they are alive–persevering and preparing for what’s next. Ministry is like that. Things might look unfruitful, but that doesn’t necessarily mean no fruit is coming. Much of our labor is quiet, behind the scenes, unseen by anyone but the Lord. And it is the Lord who is working among us and our church members, cultivating life and growth when we can’t see it.
Winter and summer aren’t our only options in ministry. It’s not always either feast or famine. Sometimes we’re in between fallow and fruit, seeing nothing but trusting God for growth. Spring is the bridge between barrenness and harvest. Maybe winter is nearly over, but maybe you can’t see summer yet. Maybe you’re in the middle of spring.
I have two verses written on the inside cover of my Bible. I scribbled the verses there on a really hard day years ago to remind me of what’s true about ministry when it’s hard. Sometimes I just read the words over and over so that I won’t give up. The first verse is Colossians 4:17, which says, “Pay attention to the ministry you have received in the Lord, so that you can accomplish it.” Our first decade of ministry felt like living through forty winters straight through. Bleary eyed and cold of heart, I often forgot during those years that our life in ministry wasn’t just a job that was giving us grief. It was a calling from the Lord. He placed us in our church for such a time as this. So, whether or not things were going easily for us, God’s sovereign plans for us and for our church weren’t a mistake. God had good purposes that He would accomplish in His good timing and in His good ways. I needed to keep my eyes fixed on the work He had given us, and I needed to remember that perseverance was an obedient response to His good, hard calling.
The second verse written in my Bible is 1 Corinthians 15:58, which reads, “Therefore, be steadfast, immovable, always excelling in the Lord’s work, knowing that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.” If the first verse was an exhortation to build up the strength of my character, the second one was an encouragement to build up the strength of my heart. We are fragile and flawed people. We can’t persevere in ministry simply by putting on a stiff upper lip. We are desperately dependent upon the Lord’s help and encouragement. We live by faith and by the Spirit. We can keep our hand to the plow of ministry when we remember that it is never in vain. The winters, springs, summers, and falls—every season of ministry to the Lord in serving His church is valuable to Him. We are not wasting our time in ministry, even when it feels fruitless. We don’t know what the Lord is doing behind the scenes, but we can trust that one day He will bring about the fruit that He desires.
Twelve years into our ministry of winters, I sensed a shift in the air. Our work in our church looked much the same as it always had, but the Lord began to give us glimpses of hope that He was working through our years of perceived failures. We began to see signs of spiritual growth in our church members, excitement about serving our community, and real discipleship taking place. We weren’t quite flourishing yet, but there were buds on the tree.
We’ve been at our church for fifteen years now, and I see summer in the distance. Sure, it might have another long winter on its heels, but I’ve learned that every season of ministry has its place. In autumn, I’ve learned to die to my dreams of success. In winter, I’ve learned to suffer and cling to Christ. In spring, I’ve learned that there is no shame in hope. And if the Lord leads us to summer, I believe I’ll rejoice and prepare for what’s next. If He doesn’t, then I know He’s walked with me through every season so far and will not yet forsake me.
God is at work in your ministry, sisters. Keep planting seeds, working the ground, and praying for the Lord to sanctify His people and grow His kingdom. You may not get to see the results in this lifetime, but when we are with Christ in heaven, we will share in His glory and see everything clearly. Our work in ministry is good work that God has called us to. It is not in vain, and it won’t always be fruitless. Hands to the plow, friends. Maybe summer is on the horizon, maybe not. But spring isn’t a bad place to be.
Glenna Marshall is married to her pastor, William, and lives in rural Southeast Missouri where she tries and fails to keep up with her two energetic sons. She is the author of The Promise is His Presence: Why God is Always Enough (P&R) and Everyday Faithfulness: The Beauty of Ordinary Perseverance in a Demanding World (Crossway, June 2020).