Flow-Through Ministry
by Keri Wyatt Kent
posted 10/03/2008
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To paraphrase Rick Warren: Your ministry is not about you.
It would be easy to think just the opposite. It gets confusing, especially when we hear people ask us, "How is your ministry going?" or "I appreciate your ministry to children so much."
And while we are Jesus' disciples and co-laborers with Him, it really is not supposed to be about us. But we sometimes start thinking that way. And really, who could blame us?
Your ministry is a gift to God, and a gift to the kids who receive God's love through you. It also, at times, blesses you. You give, and yet you receive—fulfillment, awareness of God's presence, His very real help as you face the struggles and challenges of ministry. But really, ministry is meant to point others (those we minister to, and those who simply see us doing it) toward God, not toward us.
One of my favorite verses is one that is repeated through the Scriptures, like the hook in a pop song. "The Lord is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love" (Psalm 103:8, and elsewhere).
Effective ministry reflects this essential character of God. We are Christ to those we minister to, so we are compassionate, gracious, slow to anger, rich in love. We cannot manufacture this no matter how hard we try. True ministry simply flows out of our relationship with God. It is not something we power up to do; it is not about the tasks. Ministry is an expression of our love for God, inspired by his love for us. We are simply a conduit through which God's love can flow to others.
Two months ago, I wrote about solitude as a spiritual practice. It's not just a nice idea, or even the luxury that some people think it is. The contrary is true; it's the essential foundation for effective ministry. When we come to God to be alone and still, we realize that the world keeps on spinning even when we get off the treadmill. We appreciate viscerally that our ministry is not about us. We're reminded that we are not the builder, but rather, tools in the builder's hands. Time in stillness and solitude drives this point home.
The idea of this progression of solitude, community and ministry came from an article in Leadership Journal (Spring, 1995 issue) by Henri Nouwen, in which he noted: "Solitude is where spiritual ministry begins. That's where Jesus listened to God. That's where we listen to God … solitude always calls us to community."
So last month, I wrote about community as the next key element in a strong ministry. We're not meant to live the Christian life alone, and we need the encouragement and admonition of our brothers and sisters to help us grow, to strengthen our service. We are a part of the body. Community is the people around us, not those assigned by a program or an org chart, but the people we actually do life with. Our family, our friends, those we love.
And a healthy community is made up of people who know they are beloved by God. How do they know that? They've spent time in solitude with God, being filled up by His love. And then, they are gracious and compassionate to each other. They love each other, not just with words but with deeds, being slow to anger with each other. They show radical grace to one another, because they recognize the beloved-ness of each person.
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