One of the things that a lot of people in ministry struggle with, but do not always recognize or admit is a need to be needed. Early on in my career this turned out to be a huge issue for me. It is, at its heart, rooted in something good, a love for people. The best pastors and ministry staff care deeply about people and want to care for, support and help them. Ministry attracts a lot of helpers, but often, our identity gets wrapped up in helping.
That often leads to a need to be needed, rather than looking to serve people through the power of Jesus in us. Our identity becomes wrapped up in what we do, our work and our call. Our identity is never in what we do, it is in who we are, more importantly our identity is rooted Christ. We are children of God.
While it is great to want to help people, we need to be careful not to become addicted to helping, addicted to being needed. Its a fine line, but chances are, if you ask those closest to you, they will be able to tell you whether or not this is an issue for you. Its certainly worth examining.