ministry = only those areas of service that are utilized/involved on sunday mornings: nursery, kidland, sunday school teachers, greeters, ushers, speechers, cafe-ers, pray-ers, worshipers, sound people, lighting, projection, etc......
quite frankly, it never really dawned on me that "ministry" was being accomplished/done outside of the sunday morning context. when i wanted to get involved, i only thought of sunday morning ministries. btw, i'm not knocking these ministries in any way. they are necessary & provide a vital service to the community we call hillside; however, there's more to the story.
in recently adopting the mmc (monday morning church - jerry cook) concept, which i believe is the closest (most accurate) approach to ministry, my eyes have been opened to new arenas of "ministry." my thought process goes like this: you mean i've been serving all along in a capacity i wasn't thinking of? you mean all my car-pool trips, work luncheons, field sessions, grocery shopping, phone calls, tattoo getting, e-mails, sports, etc.., have all been a way of ministering? is this not the true meaning of "full-time" ministry? have we gotten so far away from the intended model of ministry that we have to make distinctions between the amount of ministry we do: full-time, half-time (bi-vocational), or whatever? have you ever been asked "what you do" for your church? w/the current mmc model an answer may be, "i love on people wherever i'm at, listen to them, pray for them each morning, help, or whatever the HS leads me to do." they might reply back, "what ministry is that?"
this transition of "what we do for God" ministry to------> what God does through us, will be difficult for some. unfortunately, some ministers (all Christ-followers) find their "value" in what they do. if you take that "position" from them, then stuff will happen. some derive their importance from how & where they serve. "i'm the director/pastor/overseer/advisor/council/leader." here's an example of when someone has become ensnared by self-importance: "if i miss on sun., then the "job" won't get done or won't be done right." hmmmmmmm....... sound the alert, we have a problem here.
the good news in all of this is that "OUR ministry" is not "OURS" at all- in terms of what we deserve or make on our own- it's a gift. wherever we go- IT IS! think of all the places we go- there IT IS! this mmc model has ushered in a huge amount of freedom. the pressure is off. take the monkey off. all the old models of serving can be pushed aside. the new model allows for the HS to work through us w/o the constant obsession on us having to figure out our sole purpose for our lives (right now). the sole purpose is to be available each & every day. what God does w/that is what God does w/that. ministries are built by Jesus & it's about time we let Him establish them in His way & timing. how relieving it is to wake-up each morning w/two things on my mind: "i'm open for business, Lord. & i'm looking forward to what you have in store, today." i don't know about you, but that's freedom to me.
if you're reading this & you happen to be one that serves on sunday mornings, i'd like for you to know how thankful i am for you. thank you for your service. if you're reading this & don't know exactly how you might serve, then i'd recommend trying some sunday morning ministries. you'll probably find something that really falls in-line w/who you are. if you're like me (been involved in just about every ministry): struggled w/self-importance, experienced burn-out, said "yes" to everything/one, experienced joylessness, too serious, overly preoccupied, too busy to be human w/humans, etc...- then i'd recommend taking this newly implemented mmc model & relax. you are doing "full-time ministry" wherever you go, today. ministry does not = busy-ness. God can more effectively work through a relaxed, rested, focused, willing, clear-headed, son/daughter than he can a tired, busy, frantic, chaotic, self-induced, self-important, etc..., person.
be encouraged to take the pressure/obession of having to figure out your "big call" off your shoulders. take a deep breath. relax. the purpose of ministry is not to spend all your time figuring out who you are, then trying to arrange for yourself to do it. each & every day has exactly what God wants in it. these days are like building blocks. God will build you how He will build you. you will be you by simply being humble & open for business. your ministry is not, tomorrow- waiting for you to open the treasure box when you've finally achieved some level or status. your ministry is, today.
for some this mmc model toys or flies in the face of needing some huge ministry in order to feel or be significant. our significance comes from our identity in Christ. anything else is icing on the cake.
love ya,
jay
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