“If, as a six-year old, you addressed your teacher the same way you addressed your dog, you soon learned that relationships are not all the same. In ministry, we juggle many kinds of relationships. How do we navigate them well and determine what’s appropriate to share with whom, when to maintain professional reserve and when to disclose personal opinions and emotions, and who receives a greater investment of our time?”

That’s how Mandy Smith begins “I’m Here for You … Kinda,” her overview article on the various relationships we in ministry have with people. It’s a helpful rubric to understand that not all relationships are the same—and that’s okay.

That was true for Jesus, who invited certain disciples to spent the night with him when he was most vulnerable. Others he didn’t. One woman he allowed to anoint his feet with perfume and dry them with her unfastened hair. Other people “he did not entrust himself to” ...