Ministry: It's for Everyone
“If you are living in a broken world as a sinner among sinners, then every situation, location, and relationship you encounter requires ministry,” wrote author and theologian Paul Tripp in one of his recent blog posts. He continued: “What is ministry? It’s not just the calling of the paid professionals, nor limited to scheduled activities on your calendar. In biblical terms, ministry is not about a time, a place, or a job description. It is a heartfelt willingness to respond to the spiritual need that God puts in your path, anytime, anyplace. This certainly includes participation in what your church schedules, but it must be far more. We must view every dimension of our life as a forum for ministry. Marriage is ministry. Parenting is ministry. Friendship is ministry. Living with neighbors is ministry. Work is ministry. Life is ministry. And ministry is life.”
So, what’s your ministry today? And do you feel equipped to take it on? At Beautiful Savior we want to help you boldly answer these questions. It’s why our mission is to “Connect people with God’s love and help them live as committed followers of Christ.” We believe your ministry is an integral part of Beautiful Savior’s mission!
Over the summer, a small group gathered on several Sunday mornings to talk about cultivating a faith to prepare for ministry opportunities in the home, community, and world. Patt Goldberg, a member here at Beautiful Savior, was part of those discussions and expressed her desire to continue to grow as she stated, “I really need this!” Patt’s comment was echoed by the rest of the group because it is a need in all of us. A growing, maturing faith is necessary if you are to be an effective Christ-follower wherever He places you.
So how does God cultivate faith in your life so that you are ready for ministry—for life? Weekly worship? Daily reading of the Bible? Mentoring relationship? How about gathering and growing with others in group settings of all kinds? God’s Word is bread for life. Without that nourishment, you will grow weary. His Word shapes us and forms us for our ministry. Cultivating faith is a lifelong journey of growing and serving in God’s mission field. It’s “on-the-job” training. There is no graduation and no diploma. There is, however, great joy and fulfillment in a life lived as a committed follower of Christ. It can be challenging and gut-wrenching at times, but the benefits are eternal.
The question is, are you ready? Your church provides many opportunities to grow in faith for your ministry as a husband, wife, parent, student, coworker, neighbor, friend, caretaker, and any other relationship you can think of. Patt’s small group is one of more than 60 small groups of various kinds here at Beautiful Savior working at doing ministry better. After all, ministry is life. And life is ministry.