We overwork. This respectable sin looks like diligence and hard work, but underneath it’s an unspoken belief that we’re the saviors of those entrusted to us. When we rely on ourselves and our methods, our care morphs into self-reliance. We leave behind the Holy Spirit and the deep rest available to us through union with Christ. Ministry burnout is real and a God-ordained opportunity to remember that God alone is infinite.

When our family served as missionaries overseas, the sins of our host cultures were easy to diagnose. Street corners in southeast Asia were filled with temples, shrines, and sacrificial offerings, revealing the worship of false gods. In some places in Europe, brothels and illicit drugs weren’t hidden from view but grievously peddled in broad daylight. It took little effort to see the darkness around us.

When we moved back to the U.S., the sins there were obvious too. We set out to plant a church in a nation that celebrates greed, drunkenness, and sexual immorality, just to name a few sins.

These blatant sins are big reasons why those in gospel ministry answer the call. We see the darkness and set out to be a city on a hill (Matt. 5:14–16). But while we easily diagnose the sins of others, we too often gloss over the evil within us. We see the specks in others’ eyes but not the log in our own (7:3–5). As Jerry Bridges explains in Respectable Sins, “We can readily identify sin in the immoral or unethical conduct of people in society at large. But we often fail to see . . . the ‘acceptable sins of the saints.’ In effect, we, like society at large, live in denial of our sin.”

Bridges rightly points to what’s common among all Christians. But what if we applied this truth specifically to those in ministry both at home and abroad? If we’re honest, church leaders must admit we’re prone to certain “respectable sins” in ministry. We grow so accustomed to these sins that we often think they’re normal and acceptable.

1. We Worry

Ministry is costly and risky. Church leaders are often short on needed funds. Fear surrounding finances often leads us to serve from a scarcity mentality. We hoard our resources. Plagued with anxiety, we shrink back from generosity. Our worries parade as wise stewardship. But in reality, we behave as if our anxiety here will somehow protect our bottom line.

Jesus’s words are for church leaders too. Don’t be anxious about your life. Your heavenly Father knows what you need. Have faith. Seek first the kingdom. He’ll give you what you need (Matt. 6:25–34).

2. We’re Territorial

This respectable sin is also rooted in a scarcity mentality. We often serve in places with dry soil. It’s tempting, then, to become territorial when seeds sprout and roots grow. Fruitful ministries are validating, and we want to prove our worth. So it’s easy to work for our ministry’s flourishing at the expense of other churches or to become closefisted when our disciples want to serve elsewhere and not within our domain.

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