I've heard many reasons why our work might not be effective: a "resistant" culture, inappropriate contextualisation, spiritual oppression... You can add some of your own, I'm sure.
But in the Biblical spirit of taking the log out of our own eyes before we start looking for beam in others, I'd like to humbly suggest some more personal reasons why our ministry may not be as effective as we'd hoped.
All the resources we have in our work, at bottom, are our character and our relationship with God. If those things are lacking, then we will not be effective. As Gilbert Arland put it, "When an archer misses the mark, he turns and looks for the fault within himself. Failure to hit the bull's eye is never the fault of the target. To improve your aim, improve yourself."
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