I'm still reading Practicing Greatness and am on principle 4; The Discipline of Mission. This is what I'm concluding as I finish the chapter. There is a difference between being called "to ministry" and being called "to the ministry." Someone who feels they are called "to ministry" often feel that landing a position in a local church is the only way that they can fulfill that call. Someone who feels called "to the ministry" is someone who can only be truly fulfilled by working within a church staff position. But in actuality, a church position is just one of many venues that one can fulfill the call of ministry. One can do this by serving in a local congregation, they can be a counselor in the military, prison, or school. They can work in various organizations that meet face to face with people who are in need. NOT JUST THE CHURCH. There is a catch. If you are a believer in Christ you are not without a ministry call on your life. You have an assignment, if nothing else to take care of the poor and sick and share His story so that others may believe. Don't for a minute think that the only way you can do that is from a church staff or church volunteer position.
As a church though, we are responsible for helping others see this and grab a hold of this so they can sense the impact that they are capable of making. I found this quote by Joel Hunter, senior pastor of Northland Church in Orlando Florida, while reading some articles online. I love the thought framework behind it.
"People are in ministry every day. They have a ministry to their family, their friends, their workplaces. They just don’t understand it as ministry. A mother who sees herself as a minister will approach parenting completely different. We get so focused on plugging people into ministry at church, that we end up shrinking "ministry" down to "volunteering at the church." We do a great disservice to people when we do that. Ministry is life. We need to create a culture of service and ministry and turn people loose to see all of life as ministry."
2 comments:
As people who find themselves in church staff positions, I think it's really important to remind others about this great truth that you just wrote about. It's not just our job to do the ministry, but everyone's, and I think that some people see us, the "ministers" as the only ones who should be working toward the kingdom. Also, along with that, it's necessary to not be a lone ranger, and let folks share in the work.
My frustration comes from those who feel they are "called to ministry" and won't lift a finger unless it included "pastoral" duties and a microphone...
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