I have a special pass. The kind that gets some people into every athletic event for their school or that permits some people to park wherever they want.
Only my pass allows me to enter into the holy places of lives.
I’m a minister. I’m one who speaks the Word of God, one who shapes worldviews, one who challenges, chastises, encourages, teaches, forms, unforms, and guides. And because of that — ill-formed though my life often seems to me (dogged by doubts and shortcomings) and ill-prepared though I’ve always felt (despite those many years of Greek!) — I’m given a pass that permits me to walk into sacred places.
Places where vows are made. Places where last words are spoken by best friends before walking out to make vows. Places where grieving widows or widowers say one last word at the casket after everyone else is gone. Places where parents hold their breath and beg God, waiting for the latest MRI to come back. Places where people speak their secrets, needing reassurance that God still loves them. Places of grief, relief, sorrow, joy, fear, and ecstasy.
What would I say to a young person who’s considering ministry?
Well, let’s be honest. It isn’t always easy. (What job is?)
But it’s a privilege, a blessing beyond blessings. My pass lets me weep with those who weep and rejoice with those who rejoice. And when that happens, I feel fully alive. Even with those hidden doubts and shortcomings.
Ahhh…the time difference lets me be the first to comment!
Honest questions here, Mike: If you were a young person today, would you become a “professional” minister? Would you work in established, traditional churches like you have, or would your ministry take a different approach? I’m not asking you to list your regrets as a minister over the last twenty-some-odd years, just to imagine being a twentysomething, missional Christian in 2006.
What might you do?
Being a minister is not clergy. It is about being like Jesus. Every Christian has that pass if they want it? We are a priesthood of all believers. We are all called to minister in all sorts of manner. One who changes diapers in the nursery is a priveleged as the one who stands in the pulpit in the Lord’s eyes. Those who walk in the way understand.
I didn’t want to put this in the post itself, but I do believe strongly that every Christ-follower is a minister. I’m struggling a bit for the right descriptive word. “Preacher” sounds too much like what a person does during the assembly. “Pastor” is a word that is used most often in Churches of Christ to refer to an elder. (There is good biblical reason for that, though it could be argued that the “minister” also is in a role that fits the description and could be included in what Eph. 4 refers to as “teaching pastors.”)
Just didn’t want to get stuck on this in the post. I usually tell people I’m a minister, while somewhat uncomfortable with that since I like everyone to know that they, too, are ministers on behalf of Christ.
Excellent question, Steve. And you worded it so well: not an attempt to regret, but an attempt to imagine.
Randy Harris and I teach about 80 freshman Bible majors. (He has them alone in the fall while I teach others; then we teach together in the spring.) More and more, we’re hearing dreams that involve church planting and “vocational missionality.” I can imagine, given the nature of our world today, being thrilled with that as a twenty year old. I love the idea of leaking and seeping into the crevices of society, seeking to join God in what he’s doing. I love the thought of planting house church after house church — places where the poor, the broken, the lost can be loved (and not just “helped” or “reached”).
However . . . I also am also confident that there is a significant role for churches — especially those that live more in the world of “kingdom of God” than of denominational precision. I believe the day of our fascination with megachurch is nearly over. (That fits a culture of privilege rather than a culture of missionality.) But, again, that doesn’t mean there isn’t a place for large churches. So for me, it isn’t an either/or.
(But I like how you’re thinking . . . and living.)
Mike, your quote: “I believe the day of our fascination with megachurch is nearly over.” is really good. I agree but find it very interesting/strange/funny that just a little bit ago we were so enthralled with big churches.
I can understand where Steve, young church planter, is coming from. However, I believe it is such a rare opportunity to preach for a church like Highland. It takes someone with enormous gifts and intellect. Imagine preaching to John Willis or David Ray at the same time you are speaking into the heart of a 19 year old that had sex with his girl friend last night. Also, there are those in the audience who could care less that ACU exists. They are wondering how they are going to get enough money together to pay rent.
As an observer, I believe Mike was born to preach for Highland, like the Canadian dude before him.
I think I saw something of what you are describing a few years ago. I was at the emergency room of a hospital where one of our members had just died. His widow was facing the task of telling their young daughter that her father would not be coming home. She asked me to go with her, not because we were especially close, or because of my counseling gifts-which are sparse. The reason she asked me to go was because I was the guy who stood before them each week and shared what God had to say to that church. At that critical point in her life, that’s the person she turned to.
It really is an awesome responsibility.
You’re absolutely right, Brad. (See my comments above.)
We’re dealing with a limitation of language. You just wrote a paragraph that I’ve preached hundreds of times.
But today I’m writing from my life as a — what? — minister? preacher? pastor? And I’m hoping that these words resonate with others who are in — what? — ministry? church work? (All language fails because all Christians are in ministry.) I’m also hoping that they connect with young men and women who are entering whatever we call this.
This really cuts to the heart of it, though. My oldest boy (nearly 11) is just now learning to hit hard on the gridiron, and the wounds he takes on his arms are getting more serious. In the past, with the little boo-boos, when I came into him in the bathtub with a washrag and a bar of soap, he would howl and resist seemingly for hours. Now, he has learned that if he wants the cuts and scrapes to heal, he must give me *permission* to do those things that one must do. So it is with us and (men like) you.
During the last year of beginning my M. A. at ACU, and as I and a few other men in our church have begun to step into roles as shepherds-in-training, I am more and more frequently reminded how high the stakes really are. And the thought recurs, and I shudder: what gives me the right to make others’ lives a laboratory for my new understanding? I mean, as I grow in Christ, I am seeing more deeply into things, and the old, tired banalities are being exposed. Which means that those who grant permission to me - the kind of which you speak, the holy access to the deepest parts of their lives - are opening themselves to stuff beyond the banalities with which they have grown comfortable even if they see through them in their more reflective moments.
And my faith mandate is to walk in anyway. Privilege? certainly. But oh, how high the stakes.
qb
Tim - Bingo. That’s it exactly. It isn’t that we’re an exclusive club: the people who get to be in holy moments. But the truth is that we have more than our share of those moments. How many times have I heard the last words of a young man before he walks out to speak vows that will altar his life and the lives of children and grandchildren yet unborn? How many times have I seen that last tear shed after everyone else has left the sanctuary — when fifty or sixty years of living are behind and loneliness (along with hope) is ahead?
Mike, I thank God for your pass. You have ministered to me hundreds of time in ways that you will never know. My son Jonathan has been struggling for the last four years with the decision of going in full time ministry. He has served a number of internships, one there at Highland and more recently at the University Church, but I am not sure where he will end up. He has a great love for God and God’s people but I am not sure how he will deal with traditional church.
I have dealt with this question over and over because of my experience of 20 years in full time ministry. I still tell young people who are interested to go for it. There is nothing else like it. To live in that trust, both with God and his people, is a journey beyond all others.
I have been told that if you CAN do anything else you SHOULD! I guess that is true. It the fire doesn’t burn within then you probably won’t last long anyway.
I wish our churches would take hold of more young men and women and put them in positions where they can get positive training and experiences that would let them experience the life and decide if it is the best road for them to choose, or not.
From the time I was 10 years old, I knew that I was going to preach. I was going on campaigns from that time on. Now that I have gone through the big-D I am limited as to what churches will let me do but my heart has not changed. I still love the Lord, his Word, and his People as much as ever.
Thanks Mike - great words. On the flip side - I see folks daily looking for their pass (ministry or calling) in life. An ok job, strong family, but absolutely bored to tears sitting on a pew. Or maybe they’ve been blessed with early retirement and they just can’t find their gift or calling. Imagine if only 20% of a church truly found their pass? Maybe more energy needs to be focused in the “pass equipping” area of life? Thanks again Mike - you are a blessing!
Mike et al,
The language is so limiting. It is a frustration to me as well. For 10 years my vocation was a minister. For the last 13 years my vocation has been in human resources but my avocation or calling has been a minister.
Most people I interact with day to day don’t understand the priesthood of all believers concept and being steeped in tradition and they want an ‘official’ minister. They want THE minister to pray for them, and THE minister to marry them and THE minister to anoint their children.
And while ministry is a longing fulfilled for me because it have given me that ‘pass’ into their lives that I would not have had otherwise – that privilege – I would that all of us whether Jew or Greek, bond or free, male or female would claim the privilege of being a minister.
May God help us all to be ministers.
Thanks for this post today…
You’re right, Kent. Which is why “the priesthood of all believers” is such a critical concept.
Just take the group you mentioned: those who’ve taken early retirement. Who wants to play 36 holes of golf every single day, year after year?
But what if we were able to equip this group with missional perspectives and missional instincts? Can you imagine what could happen? And yes — we don’t want to cling to our special passes. We want to extend them to as many people as possible.
This deserves more attention in the future: the possibilities open to those who are taking early retirement. Their time and their maturity could be an amazing combination.
“…and being steeped in tradition - they want an ‘official’ minister.”
“And while ministry is a longing fulfilled for me because it has given me that ‘pass’ into their lives..”
I wish I could edit my posts… The language check in MS Word has failed me yet again.
Mike, it is so true that we who stand before the church each Sunday are invited into people’s lives in ways that are hard to describe. As long as I live I will remember preaching a funeral with Rubel. A little 6 year old relative of his had been killed in a car wreck. We got to be with the parents when the casket was closed. My heart was so broken, but I also thought that how could I ever be doing anything more meaningful. It is strange though that sometimes I feel like the most lonely person in the world. I often feel drained, selfishly feeling the need to be ministered to myself. I wonder if I am the only person who feels that way. There are times when I long to do something else, but the people and their needs keep me in the trenches. I anticipate some great posts today. I am tired of politics, at least for a while.
Mike-
Great words this morning. In my four years at Camp of the Hills, I was able to minister to and alongside nearly 200 of my peers. The greatest challenge and most fulfilling blessings came from learning to cry/rejoice with them. This was not easy for me as I wanted to be the one with the answers constantly. But I quickly learned that answers are not only hard to come by sometimes but are often also impractical and insensitive. In just my last summer, I had two 20 year old counselors whose mom’s were diagnosed with cancer (one less serious, the other stage 4) and a young female counselor whose dad died unexpectedly at the age of 50. My journey with all three of them has been changed for the better (although certainly not easier) since these things happened.
What you spoke of today is what draws me to ministry. I may not be preaching formally in a church for a while, but the relationships are what will bring me to and keep me in some inner-city.
If you haven’t read the pulitzer prize winning novel, “Gilead,” by Marilynne Robinson, you should. It, in some ways, is about this very thing, the call to first acknowledge and to secondly, step into the sacredness of human existence. I’m not a “minister” (although I am married to one), but I am a nurse. And I have often found myself in the same dark and holy places of people’s most intimate moments of new life and joy and pain and sorrow and grief. It is a blessing to witness anew the mystery of what it means to be human, and to be amazed at people’s capacity for love, courage, and endurance.
Here’s a taste from “Gilead” by Marilynne Robinson:
“I still remember how those warm little brows felt under the palm of my hand… to touch one like that, with the pure intention of blessing it, is a very different thing. It stays in the mind. For years we would wonder what, from a cosmic viewpoint, we had done to them. It still seems to me to be a real question. There is a reality in blessing, which I take baptism to be, primarly. It doesn’t enhance sacredness, but it acknowledges it, and there is a power in that. I have felt it pass through me, so to speak. The sensation is of really knowing a creature, I mean really feeling its mysterious life and your own mysterious life at the same time. I don’t wish to be urging the ministry on you, but there are some advantages to it you might not know to take account of if I did not point them out. Not that you have to be a minister ito confer blessing. You are simply much more likely to find yourself in that position. It’s a thing people expect of you. I don’t know why there is so little about this aspect of the calling in the literature.”
You might think it would make us proud to have this pass, but more often, I think it reminds us of how unworthy we are. That’s true whether you devote yourself full-time to ministry or are God’s hands, mouth, etc. in the marketplace, neighborhood, etc. It is an honor that humbles!
And to those of you who support some of us financially so we can devote ourselves full-time to this task, thank you.
Dear sweet Mike, you have been ministering to me for a very long time, even before I came to Highland. You have gone to those holy places with me. You have talked me through some difficult situations and prayed me through some others. What you do is precious and holy. I am so glad that you were called to ministry. This world is a different place because of your call.
Kristen, we are very similar. I am also a nurse and I know that God has called me also to holy places. Places of life and death. Being a part of all that is rich and deep.
I also loved Gilead. Great imagery and amazing insight.
I have wrestled with these roles for the years I have been a missionary in Africa. I hold a BBA in Marketing, yet about 10 years ago felt a call to missions. Why? In a nutshell, I had experienced the liberating force of Christ and wanted to share it with others (being missional)…and at the time, God said, “Go to Africa!” I had no idea what it meant to be a full-time minister, much less one in Africa. (BTW, I prefer the title, “International Minister” rather than “missionary” anyway, although no one knows what you mean.) Through some great mentors at ACU’s GST, I learned so much about being Jesus in Africa. What is the difference between a “minister” and a “missionary” anyway? So many have said already that “we’re all ministers”. Yet just as many people can be heard saying, “whether it’s across the world or across the street, aren’t we all missionaries!” There are distinctive differences depending on the job title afforded you (lousy way to say that, but you know what I mean), but in reality, we’re all just trying to be Jesus, his hands, his feet, his words. For a missionary (aka I.M.), not only are we ministering to people, alot of our (my) time is thinking about the future (when I’m no longer here and no missionary is), so most of my time lately has been training other men to be ministers. That’s a whole other ballgame! WOW, what a humbling task. When I’ve struggled for years knowing how to be a minister, I’ve now been asked by God to show others how to do it….what if they DO follow MY example…what a shame! I pray that I can direct them to follow HIS example. As I ponder returning Stateside soon, I get asked alot, “so, will you get a ministry job?” Not necessarily if the answer is talking about a specific job title (although I might). But a resounding YES if we’re talking about jumping into the work God is so evidently doing in America and being missional people in a sea of darkness. God is preparing my heart already and I look forward to following His direction.
-Randy
Mike,
I want to thank you for sharing your wisdom with those young ministers and those considering ministry. I wish I had someone share those thoughts about ministry when I started.
I knew from a very young age what my calling in life was and that God had a plan for my life. I have found that when you are doing what you have been called then you feel fulfilled and a burning within your bones and nothing can keep it in…
I have shared my testimony on my blog’s recent post. I believe each of us has a testimony to the callng that we have in Christ. I am glad that God has been so good and is with those who minister to his people.
If you would like to see my testimony please feel free to check out my blog.
Mike thank you again for your words and I hope that young minister and those considering ministry will take what you have to say and understand that ministry is difficult at times but it is so rewarding.
God bless you brother and thanks for being the minister you are and spuring us fellow ministers on the way you do.
Very interesting conversation.
I am 31 years old. I have 2 degrees in ministry and can’t imagine doing anything else inspite of the fact that I am currently a minister between churches. My experience has been in youth ministry and while I would not consider myseld a ministerial casualty, I readily admit that I’ve been on a bumpy ride at times.
But I love the church. I love ministry.
Everyday that I go to my current job–a good, stable, working-in-a-cubicle kind of job–I find myself wishing I were working in ministry in some capacity instead. But what does that mean? What is it to be called? If I assert that I believe I have been called (as I believe I have), what am I asserting and what does it mean?
The idea of planting home churches or plugging into a small church and volunteering there resonates with me, but so does the idea of continuing a career in professional ministry. It’s a hard time to be a minister in some ways, these days of the mega-church. Something like Jeremiah’s time I’m afraid: sweeping religious reformation and renewal that doesn’t quite connect people to God. And religion without God is a scary thing. What does it mean to be a professional minister in such a time?
I apologize for rambling a bit…this stuff has been on my mind lately. I guess I haven’t arrived at any conclusions I’m ready to hang my hat on. But the conversation is good (as is typical on this blog), so I felt compelled to join in.
Mike,
You have been a silent partner in ministry from the time I read One Holy Hunger and used some of it as a Youth Minister (about 100 years ago) I just wanted to thank you for your graceful words, you have renewed my passion for ministry this morning and I wanted you to know.
Tom
On the lighter side of things - I have the pass and sometimes I would like to retire and play 36 holes of golf every day.
It does come at a cost at times, though. But I wouldn’t trade the calling, and hence the pass, for anything, especially when that pass gives me access to the heart and soul of a life. God is there. The Spirit is there (thankfully, because what do I have to offer?). It is holy.
And I just try to stay out of the way.
“I often feel drained, selfishly feeling the need to be ministered to myself.”
Richard, the ministering to our ministers/preachers/pastors/teachers is something that needs to be on all our hearts. Seeing to it that our ‘all the above’ have a safe haven wherein they can BE ministered to should be of utmost importance to every congregation, imo. I wonder how often we even ask them if they have that safe haven?
Being a preacher’s brat[I've been a brat all my life. lol] I’ve known all my life how lonely a job it can be and even more serious, how bombarded by the Accuser they are and too often uses their sense of loneliness to challenge their faithfulness to spouse and family - to seek companionship in addictions etc. With good reason we are asked to pray for our “all the aboves” and to let them know of our prayers and how blessed we are that they minister to and teach us.
Mike, thank you for this post. I felt very honored to be a part of the elders meeting Wednesday night. To be led, formed, and challenged in my faith journey by men who completely surrender themselves to the call and way of Christ is such an immense blessing. It was absolutely awe-inspiring for me to participate in a meeting so centered and focused in the most holy place of who and what God is…prayer. I am honored and blessed to be loved, cultivated, and grown in a body such as Highland.
Long time reader, first time commenter…
There are many structures in society that are not “real”. Even though we may know they are not real, we may also recognize that others see them as real. Minister/Pastor/Preacher is one of those. When I am trying to point out the fallacy of the position, I call it “The Professional Christian”.
My point is that a wise person understands how to “use” the tools that are given to him or her in a wise way. If someone chooses to speak to me because of my “position”, I can both recognize, in humility, that I have no “position” over anyone else and yet “use” that opportunity as if I believed in the position. Christ is honored and the person is helped. In time, we might be able to break down the walls of “position”. Timing is important because people matter.
Great post! The part where you spoke of doubts and shortcomings makes someone like me who is not in ministry and struggles with what exactly is my ministry feel a little bit better about my own doubts and shortcomings. Its like when you see a pro golfer chunk one and you go YES they can mess up to. Jesus died for our sins and because we believe that we should strive everday to be ministers to everyone we come in contact with. But I know i need to have that head-honcho minister who teaches, inspires, challenges, and leads me every week. Mike its a privilege and blessing to have you do just that for me. May the Lord continue pouring through you the gift of preaching.
Mike, well said.
At the end of the day, people are looking for someone, usually one someone, with whom they can be completely open, honest and vulnerable who is trusted beyond words. Call that person what you like. . .you are one of them and uniquely fitted and gifted to be just that. Not everyone is so gifted.
I’m glad you chose the life you have.
Well said! It is a priviledge to be allowed on the inside of the private precious moments in peoples lives. The “pass” has its costs but the rewards are indescribable. Today’s post allowed me to review 4+years of police chaplaincy and local ministry. It has been an amzing ride. Thanks for ministering to me today
That sounded a lot like the CPE (Clinical Pastoral Education- Chaplain) course I’m going through right now. Sounds like you would really love participating in that…CPE. You get to do all you mentioned, only in a hospital setting and to complete strangers!
I enjoy reading your posts, although I hardly ever comment! Sorry about that. You are indeed a blessing to so many people and I thank God for you, Mike! Blessings on your work in the future. Peace, memories, laughter, and much love for you life at home! Thank you.
Mike,
It seems that most of your readership or, at least those who respond, are somehow or another ” in the ministry.” I am not ( inthe traditional sense of that word). But I do make an attempt to be a disciple. That means something more to me than just being a good Christian; a position within which most of us seem to be comfortably ensconced. This alters the way I attempt to relate to those whom I encounter “out there in the world.”
Sometime back, at an automotive swap meet in Oklahoma, I spoke to one of the vendors with the greeting, “Hi, neighbor, how are you?”
His response was “Did I miss something? How are we neighbors?” I replied with a brief recounting of the story of the Good Samaritan; remarking that the intent of the story was not to be concerned with “who is my neighbor,” but the go and be a neighbor.
“What might the world be like if each of us treated everyone else as a neighbor,” I asked. (Shades of Martin Buber’s “I and Thou”) The observation and query went right over this man’s head.
Some time later, I met Al at Lowe’s back in my Texas home town. Same opening comment, “Hi, neighbor….” This, again, led to a discussion about the story of the Good Samaritan.
At some point, Al asked if I were a “Pastor.” “No,” I replied, “just a sinner saved by the blood of Christ.” His response, ” I just wondered. You don’t usually hear people talk about their religion unless they are.”
I reflected on the very sadness of his response. How sad it is that we as “believers” cannot find a way to share the most glorious gift anyone has ever received. Later in the discussion, I asked him where he worshiped. With a lowered head and after a long grimaced silence, he raised his head and said, “Carl, you are going to hate me. I am an Athiest.” “No, Al, I can’t hate you. I can only love you more and Pray that you and I will have another chance to visit about your soul.”
That may never hapen, but the next person who talks to Al in a loving, kind way will have a much better opportunity to share the faith than if I had responded with something like,”Yeah, you’ll sure go to Hell if you don’t change your ways.”
My response is in the context of your remarks about the “priesthood of believers.” We are not called to be Christians. Jesus never heard the word on this earth. He sent his disciples out to make disciples. The intent of this charge seems to me to be something of a never ending chain of events. Disciples make disciples; ad infinitum.
Sometime, somehow, we as a group, retreated into a model of faith that suggests all we have to do is be good moral people who set a good example to those who do don’t know Jesus. If we do, everything will be all right. I believe this to be one of the most self delusional aspects of our brotherhood and of the broader scope of Christianity in the Western world. I understand this to be a broad generalization, and there are many exceptions. “The exceptions prove the rule,” as they say.
Somehow, there needs to be a leadership position that not only expects, but is involved itself as role models in an active discipling effort from within the faith. No, I don’t mean the kind of misguided activity that defined the Church of Christ International. (As an aside, I knew Al Baird at Highland Village in Austin almost thirty years ago. He and Gloria lived in the same student housing complex as did Kelly and Eleanor Hamby. If I remember, correctly, Al was the one who knocked on the Hamby’s door. If not Al, then someone else close in the group of us who regularlyl knocked doors with the Jule Miller film strips.)Rather, the kind of loving, caring reaching out to a lost world that Jesus asked us to spread to a world of lost sinners should be the norm rather than the exception.
Just because we have a paid local minister and have paid missionaries, we are not exempt from sharing our faith. Are not the souls of our friends, neighbors, relatives, co-workers, people whom we meet in a casual conversation at the grocery stores or filling stations, ad infinitum, just as valuable as the souls of the African, Eastern European, Asian, Muslim populations.
Yes, those of you who are called to Ministry are important. You are needed and you serve in many, many ways that the average believer never finds himself called to fulfill. But that does not absolve us of the responsibility of sharing the Good News with all those with whom we share the Blessing of that Good News.
“Put it under a bush, Oh, No” But we do!!!
“There’s a call comes ringing from a restless land, ‘Send the Light.’ ” How many of us hear the call and respond?
Maybe, just maybe, we need to sing these missional songs again. There is a plethora of these songs which we almost never sing anymore.
“Will there be any stars in my crown when at evening, the sun goeth down? Will there?
Carl Trimble,
Sinner saved by the blood of Christ and would be Disciple
Mike,
Beautiful…and true, regardless of linguistic clarifications.
I’ve been there a lot this summer, there being the holy place where a genuine confession and pondering of struggle between believers is put on the table. I’m obviously a woman and not a preacher-minister, but for some reason, God made me a counselor-minister despite vocational edits to that same professional goal. As others have said, it’s hard, and like you said, sometimes makes your own shortcomings very clear - but in the end, I wouldn’t trade it for the world.
I see this post alive and well in my “minister” (we call him the “pulpit minister” though his work goes far and above the pulpit msgs) - and think I will forward it on to him.
Thanks for sharing.
Adam - There was a time when I thought that I would have less opportunities for ministry when I left professional ministry. I am no longer naive.
The opportunities for service, for teaching and for making a christ-like impact on people around me has been incredible. I am out of the shaker…
There is also fine tradition of tent-making in our heritage.
Mike, just a word of appreciation for my preacher/minister/pastor…. Thank you for forming, unforming and reforming my spirit thoughts through words of grace that the Spirit gives you. I thank the Lord for your gift of preaching!
Re: “missional,” I’m wondering what would happen if each one of us simply became a disciple of Christ Jesus. Carl’s comment about being a disciple is so basic and simple, I think most of us singing those songs have missed it. I’m convicted. Who’s discipling my loner neighbor down the street? I know it’s not me. “Light the Fire in my weary soul….” I don’t want to hide it under a bushel, but does my life say that? GOD’s kingdom COULD encompass the world if every Jesus believer actually discipled. “Joy to the World!”
AMEN!! Carolyn, AMEN!
As a dear friend of Mike’s preached one Sunday while I was still in San Diego-La Mesa,
“Shake and Shine, disciples of Jesus, Shake and Shine!”
Lots of great thoughts here. Like Carl, I think the word is disciple. “Follower with discipline”. Servant….
We have so much to offer others, but we don’t think about it or notice the opportunities. What does it take to ask the grocery clerk how his day is going or not get mad when someone cuts us off in traffic or we have to wait in line? What does it cost me to look someone in the eyes when I pass them the communion bread and tell them what it means to me? What effort does it take to be willing to hug someone every time we see them, or find out how someone is doing with a problem? It only takes love. We can do so much good with so little effort!!
People don’t have to be like me or act like me or look like me or believe like me to deserve kindness and compassion from me. It takes discipline, though, to notice people and take chances, and the taking chances part is tough for me. Jesus touched and held the lepers, the sick, the diseased, the ceremonially unclean, the children, when he could have healed from a distance.
Why?
I think touch is personal, it’s important, and it makes ministers of each of us. Can you imagine a true minister who won’t touch people? I can’t.
Having never been a preacher or pulpit minister, though, I think I would find the pressure from everyone wanting to touch the preacher (physically, socially, psychologically, spiritually, etc.) would be overwhelming.
Mike, and all you other preacher types out there: I’m glad you do what you do and do it so well. You bless folks in so many ways. I also praise God for every servant in every church, large and small, who find ways to bless those around them. I’m convinced that every member of the body has something to offer, we only need to look for ways to serve others and God will reward our search, every time.
Great post, Mike. I’m glad you have been granted the “insider” info in the lives of so many people that trust you and you have blessed. How you are able to share yourself with so many amazes me; and then find the time to encourage us with this insanely popular blog of yours. Thanks for sharing. Have a great week at Zoe.
Dear Brother Mike,
Your words connect well with all who read your posts. God has gifted you with the ability to reach many hearts and minds. Many years ago, when I was young and single, I pondered whether I was called to go into ministry full time? So many feel that to make a difference that they have to become full-time professional ministers. I loved the comment about tent-making! We need more members as tent-makers who disciple as they work. I ended up going to law school instead. Thirty years later, it has been an incredible journey. I have a brother in Christ here in St. Louis, Scot Williams, who is an ex-preacher who now practices law full time. Yet he preaches somewhere almost every weekend. He loves being able to declare the Word of God…and nobody gets to tell him what to say except the Lord! He speaks at Christian churches, churches of Christ, and all sorts of places that the Lord has opened doors for his ministry. Discipling means spending time with people in their lives. Preachers can’t do it all. We simply need to get the members out of the pews and into the lives of those who are hurting. That is the “pass” as I understand it. Thanks for your thoughts and guided instruction.
Grace and Peace,
Brad Stevens
Well….I WAS going to say, “I think we should stick with ‘Preacher’ since all the kids at Highland call you ‘Preacher Mike’. However….I just looked up the definition of “preacher”:
“To give religious or moral instruction, esp. in a drawn-out, tiresome manner.” So….I say let’s keep looking.
Mike,
How long did it take to receive this pass? And what kinds of things contributed the most toward you receiving this pass?
Praise God for that amazing gift. I’m so glad that you and have shared several moments like that together. You’re a blessing, my brother. Looking forward to seeing you this week.
B
Mike, What a great post! And, great comments too.
I agree with your belief that all born again folks are “ministers”. We all should be ambassadors for Christ and represent Him as well as possible.
Lets not pretend though that of the great throng of believers, a few are called for special ministry speaking to, celebrating with, weeping with, mourning with, and loving the rest of us.
I have seen wonderful pulpit men who didn’t give a wit about those they spoke to on a Sunday morning. On the other hand, I know those men who are not quite so elequent with words but truely have compassion for those who hear them speak.
I read of a Baptist preacher out in Texas years ago who would cry almost every time he preached and being a young man he was embarrassed. So he went to God in prayer and asked God to stop the tears when he preached. God answered his prayer. So after several weeks of preaching with dry eyes and little results in the lives of the people he said he again went to God and begged, “Please God, give back the tears”. Again God answered his prayer and 50 years later he still often wept when he begged men to repent and come to Christ.
I am not making a case for crying. I am making a case for caring.
Grace and Peace,
Royce Ogle
And the gift improves with age. Here is to the next half-century!
Mike, this post won’t leave my mind. Friday I did a funeral for a woman who had worked with me for a decade at church. She was a great person and it was a hard memorial for everyone because of who she was and because she was too young to be leaving us. As I went through this experience–the wake, the funeral message, the crowd and the burial–I was struck by just how many people present for all of the had “given me a pass” into the most private, sacred parts of their lives. Thanks for the reminder.
Good post, but your title reminded me of something funny from my younger years.
One of my friends and I at my home congregation develped the idea of the “pass” a several years ago. Only certain individuals possessed one, of course usually our elders and deacons but not always. These men who were lucky enough to acquire one (a process shrouded in mystery and most certainly ritualistic hazing) were allowed to have certain “unrestricted” privileges. For instance, during services they could adjust the thermostat and ceiling fans or enter one of the rooms up by the pulpit to do who knows what. They would also frequently get up during a song or sermon and whisper into the ear of another privileged individual. In our observations it was the same men doing these things time and time again….our only conclusion was that they must have possessed a “special pass”.
Craig,
Personally, I think anyone with ADHD needs to have a pass to take a note to someone else or do something that appears to be official. In fact, I think it would be a good idea to install this practice in our public schools, especial in Jr. High.
As a child I watched my dad wield this pass. Being the cute, adorable type, I would just stand in the background watching the actions of my father. I always knew that I would grow up to follow in his foot steps, I just never knew how.
Like you I feel that the day of the mega churches are coming to an end. No longer will churches be lead by powerful leaders who with great skill, form powerful messages that inspire the congregations to walk closer to God. Only the world is is turing more cynical and the image of a perfect society is fading dark.
Our understanding of the world is changing, and so is our embodiment of God’s priestly nation. I think their will always be larger bodies that produce a guiding light, like Highland. I just think they will be filled with smaller bodies that work together as a whole, after all this is based off of the family structure.
In all honesty I have no idea how or where I am going to be living out my ministry. I like to think that God has been preparing me for full time ministry, only I afraid that my accepting views will scare off the churches that best enable my ministry and gifts. (adolescence/production)
I am very excited of the coming future. I have been very great-full to of be taught by people like you. Even though I still have to battle passing greek. I cant wait to be doing the very thing I am designed to do.
Great post, I really needed it after taking a greek test today.
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