Ministry for Such a Time as This

Have you ever worked really hard on something to help your church, your ministry or your family, and it just fell flat? You had a great idea, you put a lot of effort into it… and splat. I certainly know this feeling, and it’s not a good one.

Our people, our ministries and our families have specific needs, but sometimes we don’t do a great job at identifying and ministering to those needs. So what can we do about it?

There are many voices out there wanting to give us good tips on ministering to our flocks, and often, those tips are high quality! But what if those tips don’t line up with where our people are right now? Have you ever considered that it’s possible to spend a lot of time in ministry doing things that are good and wise in general but not actually what our people specifically need?

In some ways, this is an obvious point. Hopefully those of us who are married know this. There are a lot of ways to be a good spouse, but I need to make sure that I’m doing the things that my own wife specifically needs at this moment. This can also be a matter of a developmental stage, as it is with raising children. I’m a very different dad now that my kids are teenagers than I was when they were preschoolers. When they were young, I might insist on a bedtime, but nowadays, I might stay up late having a conversation with one of my girls – not because I want to stay up late, but because that’s often when teenagers open up in conversation. 

We see it in Scripture, too, as just a few examples will show. In Exodus 15-16, the people of Israel didn’t need a great sermon about how Scripture is the bread of life and the Spirit is a fresh drink of water; they needed literal food and water, and through Moses, God gave it to them! Later, in Haggai, Zechariah, and Ezra 5, we read about God’s leaders encouraging the people in their rebuilding of the temple in Jerusalem. There were lots of other places that the Assyrians and Babylonians had destroyed, but the people didn’t need encouragement to rebuild those places – they needed to rebuild the temple so that they could worship God in the way the Law required. 

It’s the same in the New Testament. In Mark 13, we don’t see Jesus inviting his disciples to come away with him and rest. Because his passion was imminent, it wasn’t time for alone time on a mountain; instead, it was time to watch and be alert, as Jesus says at the beginning and the end of the chapter. And I assume Paul knew what he was doing when he used the image of the Body of Christ in Romans and 1 Corinthians (both written to churches that were dealing with disunity), while in 1 Thessalonians he used a lot of family language (see especially chapter 2) because that church was mourning the loss of members of their church family!

You’re with me, right? We don’t want to give our people leadership that is merely general; we want to build them up, and just like a doctor making specific recommendations to a patient, we want to help your people in specific ways that they need. So, how can we do that, whether we’re just getting started or trying to go deeper? Here are a few thoughts:

First, and perhaps this goes without saying, we need to know the Scriptures. For leaders, there is no substitute for immersing ourselves in God’s Word. How can we know what spiritual meat our people need if we aren’t familiar with what’s on offer at the market?  

Second, and maybe just as important, we need to know our people. In former days, leaders would spend time with church members in their homes. That’s not as common nowadays, and we may not feel like we or our members have time. This is where we can get creative! Can you take someone out for coffee? Can you meet someone for a walk in the park after work but before supper? Can you invite that new family over for lunch after church – or maybe arrange to go out to a restaurant with them instead? There is no substitute for face-time in getting to know people, and we must prioritize it.

Third, we need some Gospel-infused imagination and courage. If you’re like me, then your conversation at church can easily default to superficial topics, whether it’s the weather, the local sports team, or some current event. But when I’m at my best, I’m willing to ask a deeper question. I might have to use some imagination to think of that deeper question (what do I know about this person? what was the last thing we talked about? what have I seen them post about on social media?), and I will want it to be something that has the potential to go deep and connect with spiritual things. It may not work every time, but even if it doesn’t, you’re laying groundwork for the next conversation, and you’re getting to know that person better.

And finally, of course, we need to pray. Specifically, we need to pray for our flocks. We Church-of-Christ folks don’t have a long heritage of asking questions that we expect God to answer in an audible or sensible way, but my experience is that, when we keep asking, God will start to answer in ways we can discern and understand. Here are some questions you can ask the Lord in prayer: “God, what do my people need from this sermon series?” “Lord, what is one thing that you want to happen at VBS this year?” “Father, what is something that my people are struggling with that I don’t know about?” Be specific, and ask the Lord directly.

I imagine that many of you have suggestions that you would share with our readers. So, put them below in the comments – I’d love to hear them! In the meantime, for all of us, may God give us eyes to see our flocks, ears to hear their needs, spirits that want to serve them, and hands and feet with energy and endurance to do so. And may God give us the help we need in doing so!

Blessings on your ministry,

David