Let’s be honest for a second.
If you’ve been leading in ministry or the nonprofit space for more than five minutes, you’ve probably had that moment. You know the one. It’s 11:47 PM. You’re staring at an Excel spreadsheet full of budget numbers that seem to have been written in ancient hieroglyphics. Your phone buzzes with a text from a board member asking if “we’ve prayed enough about the coffee budget.” And in the distance, a toddler cries because your “quick email check” turned into two hours of crisis management.
And somewhere between sigh #74 and reheating your third cup of coffee, you mutter to yourself:
“Why am I even doing this?”
Congratulations. You’ve stumbled upon the most important leadership question there is.
Your why.
And if you can’t answer it—clearly, confidently, and without resorting to “well, someone had to do it…”—then my friend, we need to talk.
The Temptation to Forget Your Why
It is likely, like most leaders, at some point you will meet a young ministry leader, full of fire and exuding passion. Perhaps you have met them in the mirror. They say things like, “We’re going to reach the nations!” and “I’ll sleep when I’m in heaven!” We will call our leader, Sam.
Fast forward a few years. when you run into Sam again at a conference. He looks… tired. His hairline is fighting a losing battle, and his “reach the nations” battle cry has been replaced with a weary, “We just try to keep the lights on.”
When asked how he is doing, Sam can only muster a sheepish smile and replies, “Honestly? I don’t know why I’m doing this anymore. I guess I’m just… here.”
Sound familiar?
This is what happens when leaders lose sight of their why. Ministry becomes a hamster wheel. Nonprofit leadership becomes an endless to-do list. And eventually, you start to confuse movement for mission.
Your Why Is Not Your What
Here’s the thing. Your what will always change.
- Budgets fluctuate.
- Programs start and end.
- Volunteers come and go (usually around holiday season… funny how that works).
- That “game-changing” new initiative? It might flop harder than a youth group trust fall.
But your why—your God-given reason for doing what you do—has to stay anchored.
When you know your why, you’re dangerous (in the best way). You’re resilient. You’re willing to take risks because you’re not trying to impress anyone; you’re living on mission.
When you forget it, you drift. Drift into burnout. Drift into people-pleasing. Drift into building kingdoms that look impressive on Instagram but are hollow in heaven’s economy.
But What If I Don’t Know My Why?
Let’s pause for a gut-check.
If I handed you a mic right now and said, “In one sentence, tell me why you lead in ministry/nonprofit work,” what would you say?
Would you…
✅ Nail it with conviction?
✅ Fumble through something about “making a difference”?
✅ Stare blankly while your soul whispers, “I don’t know anymore”?
If you’re in that last category, don’t panic. You’re not broken. You’re human.
Even Jesus had His why straight: “For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost” (Luke 19:10).
If the Savior of the world needed clarity on His mission, how much more do we?
Three Signs You Need to Revisit Your Why
- You’re running on fumes.
Ministry feels like one long emergency staff meeting. You’re not leading out of overflow; you’re leading out of sheer stubbornness (and caffeine). - You’re chasing metrics over mission.
Attendance, donations, Instagram likes—they’re fine. But they’re not why you started. - You’re secretly jealous of Amazon delivery drivers because at least their routes have an end.
(Too real? Sorry.)
How to Find (or Refine) Your Why
Here’s the million-dollar question:
What broke your heart enough to get you into this work in the first place?
Was it the homeless teenager you couldn’t ignore? The unreached village you read about in a missions report? The mom who whispered, “I didn’t know where else to go” in your church foyer?
Now ask: Is that still your why? Or has it gotten buried under policies, procedures, and potlucks?
It’s time to dig it back up. Pray. Journal. Take a retreat day (yes, even if your inbox will explode). Ask God to remind you why He called you in the first place.
Because here’s the secret: rediscovering your why doesn’t add to your to-do list. It cuts the clutter. It silences the noise. It gives you permission to say no to the good so you can say yes to the God-mandated.
The Bottom Line
Knowing your why won’t magically make ministry easy. The late nights, the budget meetings, the hard conversations—they’ll still be there.
But with your why in place, you’ll stop asking “Why am I even here?” and start saying, “This is why I’m here.”
And when that happens? You’ll lead with clarity. With joy. With the kind of reckless obedience that makes the gates of hell nervous. (and maybe your spouse too)
So go ahead—grab that journal, pour another (hot) cup of coffee, and ask yourself:
“Why did I sign up for this? And what’s going to keep me going when it gets hard?”
Because ministry leadership isn’t for the faint of heart. But when you know your “why” …
It’s absolutely worth it.
