Should you do your ministry solo?
Text: Romans 1:8-13
Hosts:
J. Kent Edwards
Vicki Hitzges
Nathan Norman
Narrator: Brian French
The CrossTalk Podcast is a production of CrossTalk Global, equipping biblical communicators, so every culture hears God’s voice. To find out more, or to support the work of this ministry please visit www.crosstalkglobal.org
Produced by Nathan James Norman/Untold Podcast Production
© 2026 CrossTalk Global
Brian: When it comes to mountain climbing, solo climbing has a magnetic appeal. One climber, one mountain, and no one else in sight. Solo climbing is a phrase that sparks awe in the climbing community, and its roots stretch back to the early days of mountaineering. Way back in 1858, climber John Tyndall summited Monte Rosa, the highest mountain in Switzerland. He conquered the massive snow-covered peak armed with little more than a ham sandwich and some tea strapped to his back. His simple and direct approach encouraged the development of solo climbing—conquering a mountain with no support, no shortcuts, just grit and self-reliance. In the decades that followed, other climbers began to etch their feats into history. Reinhold Messner's solo ascent of Mount Everest in 1980 without supplemental oxygen remains one of the greatest achievements in mountaineering. Facing the monsoon winds and traversing the north face alone, Messner embodied the ultimate solo challenge: isolation, commitment, and self-sufficiency. Mountain climbers are not the only people who try to accomplish the seemingly impossible solo. Christian ministry sometimes encourages a similar strategy. All too often we make the giants of the faith like Moses, David, Saint Augustine, Martin Luther, or Billy Graham as solo heroes. It is easy to see them as lone individuals who all on their own made enormous contributions to the kingdom of God. But were they solo artists? And should we be solo artists? To find the answers, join Kent Edwards, Vicki Hitzgas, and Nathan Norman as they look and learn from the Apostle Paul's strategy in Romans 1:8-13. Welcome to Crosstalk, a Christian podcast whose goal is for us to encourage each other to not only increase our knowledge of the Bible, but to take the next step beyond information into transformation. Our goal is to bring the Bible to life into all our lives. I'm Bryan French. Today, Dr. Kent Edwards, Vicky Hitzgas, and Nathan Norman continue their discussion through the book of Romans. If you have a Bible handy, turn to Romans chapter 1, verses 8 through 13, as we join their discussion.
Kent: According to the renowned author Geert Hofstede, America is the most independent, individualistic culture in the world. As a group, we value personal autonomy, self-reliance, and individual achievement. Whereas members of collectivist cultures such as Japan, South Korea, and Latin America, they prioritize group harmony, interdependence, and collective welfare. I know that's what Geert Hofstede says, but guys, does this ring true with you? Are Americans individualistic?
Vicki: Well, you hear it a lot, and in my soul it feels right. I feel like I'm individualistic. I look out for myself and work hard, and I'm very opposed to socialism and certainly communism. Part of that was the time I grew up, but I don't know about Japan, South Korea, and Latin America, but I don't think they're all wrong.
Nathan: Yeah, I, I think Americans are very individualistic, and in fact, America in particular is going through a loneliness epidemic. Yes. And it's not just among young people, it is across board, young to old. We, we just don't have deep or even superficial relationships with each other. And I think that is an indicator of how individualistic we are as a culture. Good point.
Kent: Yeah. And I see this certainly in the business community of America. All you have to do is go online to LinkedIn. That's an online platform where business people, communicate with each other and advertise themselves to each other. And you go through any one of those people's profiles and you'll see that I did this and I accomplished that and I did the other thing. Nathan Off Mike, you mentioned how so many people like to take credit for doing things that required actually the help of many other people.
Vicki: I had a boss like that.
Kent: She'd assign a project to us, we'd do it, and then she'd say, "Look what I did." I heard recently about someone who was complaining because their supervisor was taking credit for all of their work. The one person would do the work and the supervisor would take it and pass it off as their own. So what did the lowly person do? They said, well, I'm not telling them what file folder I'm hiding my work in. I'm not going to let them see it. So now there's competition. I did it. No, I did it. Wow. Individualism is everywhere in our society. And we see it in the church too, don't we?
Nathan: We sure do. I don't have hard numbers right in front of me to back this up, but you can look at like small groups or community groups. Those have declined in the decades as you go forward. You also look at a person's commitment to the local church. If there is a problem or there's an issue, and I'm not talking about abuse, I'm not talking about, you know, toxic culture or anything like that, but if there's, you know, disagreements or differences in philosophy and ministry—
Vicki: I know where you're going with this. They leave and go someplace else.
Nathan: That's right. Yeah. No, it's true. They don't even talk about it. It's just the commitment is very loose and they're gone and you're like, what happened? And you're not even aware that there was an issue. And, uh, because it's just like, well, it's, it's not working for me, or this isn't my church, or it's not what I want. So they, they go somewhere else, and they hop and they hop and they skip and they skip and they jump and they jump. Um, yeah, so I see it in church. I see it in church leaders and members. It is very hard to try and keep ministries communicating with each other rather than make these like ministry silos and everyone just kind of does their own thing. Instead of being integrated and in communication with each other.
Kent: Right. I know a number of years ago, one of the district superintendents in my denomination that I was serving under told me that in his observation, people who have very successful pastoral ministries immediately leave. It's crazy. They're very successful and they choose to leave. And where they go to in their next church often is not nearly as successful. He says it because in his observation, these people begin to believe that because of their gifts and ability, that they— the church has been successful because they are so good, because they are so gifted. They are the secret sauce. But in reality, what they've overlooked is that the church that they are serving in happens to be in a wonderful location that is ripe for the gospel. And that they are surrounded by a wonderful team of people that they may have put together or that God gave to them. That helps fill in all of the gaps for all of the gifts necessary for ministries to succeed. And he said, for whatever you do, when you reach a successful ministry, don't decide to leave for greener pastures. Stay and bloom and see what God wants to do. God's put you in a great place, and you have a support network in the community and in staff and volunteers that are helping the church succeed. So bloom where you're planted is what he was saying. It's interesting to see Paul's perspective on individualism versus collectivism. Let's put it in its context though. In our last podcast, we saw how Paul wanted to go to Rome for strategic reasons. Do you remember what he said in verse 8?
Vicki: I remember there's a lot going on there and that's what attracted him. He said in verse 8, first, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for all of you, because your faith is being reported all over the world.
Kent: Yeah, he wanted to go to Rome because Rome was obviously prestigious, the greatest city of the known world at the time, and therefore it was influential. If you came from Rome, that gave you some prestige and people would listen to you. And the Roman Church, therefore, because of Rome and its roads and its navy, They had access to the entire world. Like Paul, we need to be strategic in where we put our time, money, and energy as we start a new ministry or want to expand ours. The question I think we need to ask is what Paul asked: Where can we make our maximum impact for Christ? The whole world needs Christ, but where, where is it going to be most receptive? Because busy is not the same as productive. But Rome was not simply a strategic location for the gospel. It had something else that Paul saw as extremely valuable. He mentions that in verse 11 and 12.
Nathan: He said, "I long to see you so that I may impart to you some spiritual gift to make you strong." That is, that you and I may be mutually encouraged by each other's faith.
Kent: Hm. That's a critical verse. Because here Paul wants to see his Roman friends, not primarily to get something from them, but to give something to them. He speaks of a spiritual gift. "I long to see you that I may impart some spiritual gift to make you strong." What Paul here is speaking of is spiritual gift, uh, I don't think he's referring to the gifts he mentions in 1 Corinthians 12, for example, such as wisdom, faith, healing, discernment, or speaking in tongues. No, in the context of 1 Corinthians 12, those are gifts only given by the Holy Spirit. Paul can't give them out. He's not the Holy Spirit. Only the Holy Spirit can. So when he says, "I want to impart some spiritual gift to you," he's really saying, "I want to use the gifts God has given to me for your benefit. I want to give my abilities. I want to give my skills to advance your work for Christ in Rome." I think by working together, the church in Rome can even be more effective. And I think there's a part for me to play, and I want to do that. But as the commentator Leon Morris points out in verse 12, the gift-giving— and to quote him, he says, "The gift-giving would not be all one way. Paul would doubtless bring something to the Roman Christians, but they would also help him." they would be mutually encouraged by each other's faith, both yours and mine. He is putting more emphasis on his receiving from the Romans than on their receiving from him. That's why in verse 12 the emphasis is put on when Paul says, that is why you and I may be what mutually encouraged. So that we might be mutually encouraged by each other's faith, right? Paul wants to build into them, but he wants them to build into him. There's a reciprocity here. He says, I can't do my ministry to the maximum ability without your help. I need your help just as you could benefit from mine.
Vicki: What kind of gifts do you think he did mean?
Kent: Well, it's not talking about spiritual gifts. Do you know that? Well, just in the context, he says, I want to impart some spiritual gift to you. So what he's saying is, I want to use the gifts that God has given me for you.
Vicki: Sounds like spiritual gifts to me. You know, when you're, when you're with somebody that has gifts differently, um, you learned from them, and, and they complete you in a way. My deal is evangelism, but sometimes when I'm with somebody who is a giver or a helper, I think, "Oh, that's good. I'm going to learn from that." And I find that encouraging.
Kent: Yes. God has given you, for example, the gift of evangelism. Right? You enjoy, you find it natural just to share Christ with people when you sense a need and an opening. I can benefit from hanging around with you, and I can even be inspired by you, but I don't have that gift. I don't have it. Spiritual gifts given directly by the Holy Spirit are different. Then are unique, and only the Holy Spirit gives it. And that's why I think Paul is saying here, no, I'm not saying that I have the power of the Holy Spirit to give you a supernatural gift, but I can benefit you by using the supernatural gift that God has given me, and together we can be better and more effective in the ministry God has called us both to.
Vicki: Yeah, I agree with that. He's not saying I'll give you the ability, but the abilities that we've gotten from the Holy Spirit can be used to encourage each other. That's what you're saying?
Kent: That's exactly what I'm saying. Okay, got it, got it. Here Paul wants his Roman friends not primarily to get something from them, but to give something to them. When he speaks of a spiritual gift, he's not referring to the kind of gifts mentioned in 1 Corinthians 12, such as wisdom, faith, discernment, or speaking in tongues. Those gifts can only be given by the Holy Spirit. I can't give God's gifts to someone else. They're God's gifts to give. No, he's saying, I want to use my gifts and abilities and skills to contribute to your work for Christ in Rome. And you see this work out in everyday life. Do you notice here that the great Apostle Paul One of the greatest preachers, evangelists, church planters, and theologians in history is asking the church in Rome to partner with him. God gave Paul great gifts and abilities, but God did not give him all the gifts and abilities necessary for the growth of the church. He can bring his to the table, but he needs them to do the same thing. He is seeking their help. He needs their help because he doesn't have all the gifts. He doesn't always have all the best ideas. And because the best and most fruitful ministries are always done in partnership with others. Hmm. It's fascinating, even at the very beginning of the Bible, In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth, and then out of the clay he made whom?
Vicki: Out of the clay, Adam. Wow.
Kent: After he made Adam, God said what?
Vicki: It's not good for him to be alone.
Kent: What do you know? We're better together. What you need is a helper. You find that all through the Bible. And that's really one of the tragedies of Cain and Abel, right? That story that follows. Because my hunch is that they were very different. They could have contributed to each other. Yeah, until Cain murdered Abel, and then he was solo, all by himself for the rest of his life without the help of his brother. Brian talked earlier about the heroes of the faith. What about Moses? He was tremendously gifted. Did he do ministry solo?
Nathan: He tried to. He tried to at times, and God continually reminded him that he couldn't. I mean, he had his brother Aaron, who was the high priest, and he also had his sister Miriam, who not only looked after him as a baby in the basket— if it wasn't for her, he wouldn't have made it— she offered him wisdom at times and counsel and encouragement. He had help from Joshua. His father-in-law Jethro reminded him not to try and do everything on his own. Yep. Yep.
Kent: It's hard to listen to your father-in-law, but in that case, it was a good idea.
Nathan: Yeah, it's a very good idea. Then you had Hur, who held up his hands in battle, and then the 70 elders who helped him judge Israel, which was Jethro's idea.
Kent: So Moses was great, but he was greater because of the assistance of others. What about David? He's one of the great heroes. He took down Goliath all by himself with one little stone. So is he an example of solo ministry, effective solo ministry? No, the Bible talks about his mighty men. Yeah, they're amazing fighters, weren't they? Yeah, they killed more giants than him.
Nathan: I mean, he got more screen time, but they took more giants out.
Kent: I mean, we talk in America about, you know, SEAL Team Six and how devastating they are. And they are. I mean, I don't want to— someone says they were on SEAL Team Six, I stand back. But that's nothing compared to what these guys were able to do. And was he helped by Nathan the Prophet by any chance?
Nathan: Yeah, in a way that nobody wants to, you know, like when you're in error and in sin, he confronted him. And David, to his credit, repented. He turned away.
Kent: How about Augustine? We're out of the Bible now, but he certainly made a great impact on the church. Did he do it solo?
Nathan: No, he wouldn't even be a Christian if it wasn't for his mother. About his mother Monica, he said, No one could not— he said something to the effect of no one could not become a Christian with a mother who prayed that much for them. And St. Ambrose took him under his wing and others supported his work as the Bishop of Hippo.
Kent: Yeah, I mean, he did significant things, but what happened during his lifetime was not just because of his solo efforts. Martin Luther?
Vicki: The only thing I know about him is he had a mother who was strong as garlic, and she prayed for him much like Augustine's mother must have. Mm-hmm.
Kent: And I think God answered her prayers. You know, his whole conversion story when he was in that storm and the lightning came and hit the tree above his head. I think Yeah, I think his mother got God to do that for him. That got his attention and helped change his life. But there were other people who, I mean, helped him. He didn't alone bring in the Great Reformation.
Nathan: Yeah, he had Philip Melanchthon, who was his closest colleague for a time, Frederick the Wise, who protected him from the Pope and hid him at Wartburg Castle. His wife, Katharina von Bora, who was a former nun herself and looked after everything at home, a tremendous help to him.
Kent: And in more recent times, one of our heroes, one of my great heroes, has been Billy Graham, a man who had an outsized influence on his day that was clearly gifted by God. And whoo! I can't forget seeing the massive crowds that came to hear him preach simple gospel messages and had their life transformed.
Vicki: And the massive crowds that responded. Oh, yes. Oh, unbelievable. Yeah, I remember. And he had a great team around him. One of the most charming men I ever met, I met at a radio station. It was Cliff Barrows. Really? And he led the singing at the crusades. And he walked in and we all introduced ourselves. And when he left after an hour-long talk show, he left and he said, "Goodbye, Hank. It was nice to meet you. Goodbye, Shirley. It was nice to meet you. Goodbye, Vicki." He called us. I just thought that was amazing. Wow. Wow.
Kent: And that's not even mentioning George Beverly Shea as soloist. Grady Wilson, who did— organized all the Crusades. I mean, I'd show up as part of a crusade and be amazed what happened and look at Billy Graham. But Billy Graham didn't do all the organizing. He had a huge team that made that happen, not least of which was his wife, who supported him all those years.
Vicki: And who in the beginning had said to him, "You are not—" these are my words, but what she said is, "You are not doing enough for Jesus Christ." Really? Yeah, and he wasn't like, "You witch." He took the challenge. And then, like you're saying, he was absolutely amazing.
Kent: Well, that's because we are mutually encouraged by each other's faith, just like the Apostle Paul. We are better together. In fact, if you look at all those heroes, let's include one more. How about Jesus? Did Jesus do all his ministry solo?
Vicki: Certainly not. No, he'd lug around the disciples, hopeful or no, but he had them.
Kent: Yeah, and he helped them, but they helped him. He sent them out for ministry, right? Mm-hmm.
Nathan: You have Joanna and Susanna who supported him financially, and Mary, Martha, and Lazarus who hosted him and his disciples for dinner. They fed him. That's important. It is.
Vicki: It's important to have friends.
Nathan: And to bring it full circle, right? We said that God created Eve to Adam to be a helper. It's the same kind of language used about the Holy Spirit, who Jesus relied on, who is called our helper. Our helper.
Kent: Yeah. Yeah. So it's not a—
Nathan: it's not a minimalistic term. If God is our helper, that is, we can't have anything more important than him, right?
Kent: And how does the Apostle Paul end many of his letters? With thanksgiving to all these people. He sends his greetings. He wants to thank them because Paul knew he didn't do his ministry solo. He knew that he needed to be mutually encouraged by all these people's help. The fact is, great ministry requires great partnerships. If you're in leadership, here are some questions you may want to ask: What are my strengths? How has God uniquely gifted me? And if you ask that question, is there a follow-up you might ask, Nathan? What are my weaknesses?
Nathan: Wow. Yeah, yeah.
Kent: What are the holes that need to be filled?
Nathan: And the amazing thing with that is your weaknesses more often than not are going to always be your weaknesses. So the trick isn't how do I improve my ability and skill in this area, it's how do I find people that I can surround myself with that can fill in this gap, as you said.
Kent: Absolutely. Another question you may want to ask yourself is—
Vicki: as your ministry grows, You need to ask, "What help do I need to support the people that are following me?" Yeah, because people come in all shapes, sizes, and with all kinds of different needs and backgrounds.
Kent: No one person can minister equally well to all those people. Who do I need? God, who can you send my way that can meet that need? And when you're building a team, who do I need the most to come beside me that can help supplement my gifts with theirs? I remember church planting. I knew, yeah, God's given me some ability to communicate his Word, and that seems to be working as we plant this church. But God, you did not give me any musical gifts. I can't sing. I don't know when to wave my arms to tell people to keep in step with the music. I'm bad at choosing songs. I, like, honestly, when I'm at a church even today and people start clapping, I don't know when to clap.
Vicki: That's pretty pathetic.
Kent: That is pathetic. I can't dance. Of course I can't dance. When my wife and I were dating in Canada, or in the early years, we were skating together and Nola looked at me and said, "Why aren't you skating to the music?" And I said, "I am." So I needed a worship person. I needed someone who could do what I couldn't do. God gave me that and the church flourished. I need to know my weaknesses and say, "God, can you supernaturally meet that need?" Look, solo mountain climbing is not a good idea, just like solo ministry is not a good idea. 23-year-old Balin Miller was an accomplished Alaskan climber and social media influencer who gained international attention for doing the first solo ascent of Mount McKinley in a 56-hour effort. Before that, he had spent weeks solo climbing in Patagonia and the Canadian Rockies. Doing climbs that no one had been able to do for 37 years. This Balan Miller was an amazing climber, but not in September 2025. That's when he began to climb Yosemite's El Capitan, an enormous sheer granite rock about 3,000 feet tall. Wow. It was a major landmark that attracts big wall rock climbers from around the world. And he did it. He finished the climb successfully and began hauling up his equipment with his rope when something went terribly wrong. And a horrified audience witnessed him fall to his death live on TikTok. Ooh. Someone on Reddit commented, Free solo climbs virtually guarantee death at some point, no matter how careful the climber. We're basically watching people play Russian roulette. The willingness to subject yourself to unnecessary mortal danger isn't a skill. It doesn't demonstrate climbing prowess. It demonstrates arrogance and a poor understanding of statistics. Nothing more. What's true of mountain climbing is true of ministry. It's time we set our egos aside. Our success is never our own. And if we're going to accomplish God's goals for our life, we need to, like Paul, assemble a team. Because like Ball and Miller, all too often those who try to do ministry solo fall tragically short. Instead, we need to pray as Paul did, that we will mutually encourage each other by each other's faith.
Brian: How can we help be sure that we enter into an effective ministry? We'll form a team that can encourage each other through our gifts. The Crosstalk Podcast is a production of Crosstalk Global, equipping biblical communicators so every culture hears God's voice. To find out more about this educational nonprofit organization, please visit www.crosstalkglobal.org. Crosstalk is getting ready to train biblical communicators in Southern California, Cuba, Bucharest, Moldova, and Nepal. Help us train the next generation of biblical communicators. All you have to do is click Donate in the show notes and make a donation of any size. You can also support this show by rating it on whatever platform you're listening to us. Be sure to join us next week as we continue our series through the book of Romans. You won't want to miss it.
Nathan: Climbing community and its roots stretch back to the early days of mountaineering Not to be confused with Mouseketeering. Hold on, I need to, I need to adjust my levels here real quick.
Kent: They wear different hats. That's just slightly, slightly different.
Nathan: That's a different hat. That was a good joke. The highest mountain in Switzerland. He conquered the massive snow-covered peak armed with little more than a ham sandwich and some tea strapped to his back. That is an image.
Vicki: I totally agree with that. And that's true. And you can see the tea bag flapping.
Nathan: Great example of this is in the best Star Trek movie ever, Star Trek V, where Captain Kirk is solo climbing and then he falls and he would have died, but Spock was there with his jet boots to protect him, to catch him before he smashed into the ground.
Brian: Uh, no, it was a horrible movie.
Nathan: Um, yeah, it was, but it did, but it did capture the arrogance. Yeah, that was good.