How does ministry (best) take place?
I’ve been asking that question a lot lately, and here’s what I have come up with. (Please bear with me, as these are unrefined thoughts that have not yet been bounced off of anyone.)
There are many ministry paradigms (probably as many paradigms as you have ministers). However, there are a handful of paradigms under which we might classify these other, slightly nuanced, paradigms. The big three are:
I suspect that this is by far the most common ministry paradigm. It’s the one that I grew up hearing about as a kid and it is the one that characterized my understanding of ministry early on.
This approach to ministry takes place when and where there is an inequality present in the relationship. For example, for decades the pastor has been seen as the expert on all things spiritual. I remember the first time that I received a phone call at my office from someone who was having a conversation with a friend about Jesus. They had their friend at “the point of decision,” and didn’t know what to do. So they called, asked if I could come over, pray a prayer with this person, and introduce them to Jesus and the Christian life.
Now I look back and shake my head, because it pains me to think that someone thought that they were incapable of introducing one friend to another.
Ministry to occurs when there is an inequality with regards to the relationship. The inequality may be based on any number of socio-economic factors, sexuality, etc. But there is an inequality, even if it is only a perceived one (e.g. The pastor knows more than me, so let’s take so-and-so to see her so that she can lead him to Jesus).
In many respects this is but a variation and nuance of #1. However, I think that there is enough distinction to merit treating it as its own paradigm.
In the “ministry with” paradigm you hear things like: “Will you go minister with me to those who are less fortunate.” What does that mean? Does it mean that those who eat at the soup kitchen are “less fortunate” than all of the rest of the world’s population? Does it mean that they are less fortunate than those who died of hunger today? Of course not! They are less fortunate than those who are coming from their nice suburban homes, to gather at their cozy suburban churches, and will be driving to the soup kitchen in their well-kept sedans and minivans.
This paradigm characterized some of the most fruitful and enjoyable years of ministry. In this paradigm people participate, ministry gets done, and friendships are kindled.
The friendships that are developed, however, are between those who are alike as they minister to those who are different. Ministry according to this paradigm remains something that a group with power, education, money, etc. does to those who do not have such things. As such it is ministry rooted in inequality.
Being in community with others is messy. It requires give and take and a willingness to forgive among other things. By far one of the most beautiful aspects of being in community with people is the decision to accept them for who they are.
This ministry paradigm requires that one has a fundamentally different understanding of ministry. Whereas the two previous views assume that ministry is something that is done by someone, or by a group of someones, who have knowledge about Jesus that needs to be shared with others — a view that suggests that God is not at work in a person’s life until the already-convinced, saved, or whatever other term one wishes to employ brings the good news to the pagan. The ministry as being in community with paradigm, however, operates from the assumption that God is already at work in the world and within each person. Thus ministry involves building relationship, living in community with, and accepting the other with the expressed hope of discovering where God is already at work and helping others to recognize that work. Interestingly, what I have found is that this sort of ministry paradigm puts me, “the minister,” in the place of also being ministered to.
As I mentioned at the beginning, these thoughts are in many respects “unrefined.” They’ve been bouncing around in my mind and have been discussed to greater and lesser degrees in a handful of conversations, but they are thoughts that are in need of further refinement. To that end, I’d like to ask: What do you think? What do you agree with? Where would you push back? What would you add? What would you change/subtract?
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