"Ministry to..."
By Tanner Woolf --
Let’s talk about distractions.
Are they not just the worst? When we have a plan to do something, go somewhere, or get something done, it drives us crazy when something gets in the way of that! I know several of you can relate to this, but take it from me when I say it is impossible to do ministry well while constantly trying to work around and avoid distractions.
I have the privilege to be a part of a cohort for the Familymin Academy this year. This means I am in an online class every month learning from some of the top family ministry experts in the country, and they are already blowing my mind. The very first class started creating subtle shifts in my mind that are changing the course of the ministries I help run. And guess what? It has to do with how I handle distractions. I would love to share one of those with you.
When I talk about our student and family ministry, I have switched from just running a “student ministry” to doing “ministry to students.”
“Ministry to” is much different than simply running a ministry. When I find myself just running a ministry, that really means I’m just running a program. When I’m just running a program, things that get in the way of that program are troublesome.
- People showing up late.
- Technology not working.
- Sermons and lessons not going as planned.
- Getting into conversations I wasn’t planning on having.
- Putting out unexpected fires. Figuratively… sometimes.
These are all things that can completely throw off programs! But what if we could look at those distractions differently? What if programs weren’t the main thing but simply a tool to use to accomplish a bigger picture? What if I were to see the individuals in each of those situations as fellow image bearers who are deserving of unconditional love? Michelle Anthony from the Familymin Academy puts it this way.
“When it’s ‘Ministry to’ and I have eyes of redemption, now I see you as a broken, common, and simple person through which God’s power and grace can be seen. I can have eyes to see how I can come along side of you and participate in the work of redemption that the Holy Spirit is already up to in your life.”
Don’t just take our word for it, take Jesus’. Look at his life and how he viewed distractions. Go look up Luke 8:40-56. Jesus was on a mission and had a plan. And then came the distraction! Did Jesus quickly move past and say “no, I have to hurry up and save someone else!” Of course not! He stopped. He looked the woman in the eyes. He gave her his time. He showed her love. So many of Jesus’ encounters we read in the gospels are actually distractions. But Jesus was the most patient, loving, in-the-moment, non-hurried, and non-anxious presence who has ever lived. And I believe he invites us to the same rhythm of life.
Here at Greater Portland Bible Church we really do view our ministries as “ministries to.” Ministry to students. Ministry to children. Ministry to families. Ministry to our 55+ community. Ministry to men and women. In all our ministries, we put on our redemption eyes and see people in their rightful place in God’s grand narrative. That means sometimes we welcome distractions with open arms. I invite you into this way of Jesus with us, and to see the ministries you are called to as “ministry to…”