This was a question posed by Jim Schoch on the Oasis Wauseon online forum. I answered it quickly on Monday, but have pondered it all the rest of this week.
I suppose it’s a relative question. I suppose it depends on who you are, where you live, where you work, what you like to do, and what kinds of talents you have. I suppose it is a question that can be defined in a number of ways, depending on your experience in life, and especially on your experience in church.
For years I defined ministry as something that was done by the paid professionals. And it’s true. Some people are paid for their ministry service. Maybe this is why some people have a difficult time understanding why the “lay” Christian has just as much of “ministry” role as the “paid” Christian. We put so much value on money, and salaries. They make us feel funny. Why does one person get paid to do something that most people are called upon to do without getting paid? Like educating children. Ultimately it is no one’s responsibility except my own. As the father of my children, I am the one responsible to see that my kids are instructed and trained in every way. Yet there are people in the world who receive a paycheck for something I am called to do without pay.
In some cases, one person’s “job” is another person’s hobby. Like baseball. I can’t imagine getting paid to play baseball! Some people enjoy drawing, or painting, or writing, or playing music. Other people get paid—and some get paid very well—for their art. Most just do it for fun.
I have often struggled in my life with getting paid to do ministry. The Oasis Fellowship of Meigs County is now in the process of re-evaluating the budget for 2005, which means they are discussing my salary. It has always been an awkward subject for me. I don’t know why, it just has. Some days I think I shouldn’t be paid for the ministry, and other days I recognize the importance of accepting pay (not just being important for myself, but important for the ones who choose to support me).
I suppose I have often struggled with questions like… “Do I do enough to be worthy of the pay I receive?” Or, “Is it right for me to make more than so and so, or less than so and so?” Or, “Do people ever wonder why they are paying me a salary?” It’s silly, I know. I guess I sort of understand Paul’s quandary in 1 Corinthians 9 when he’s discussing the difference in being paid, or not being paid, to preach the gospel. Either way, he says, he’s going to do it. It’s not about the pay, although he recognizes his right to earn pay from the gospel.
Perhaps all paid “ministers” struggle with these questions. I remember a conversation I had one time with a very good “paid pastor” friend. He said he, too, once struggled with the question of wondering whether or not he did enough to be worthy of his ministry pay. You see, he would spend lots of time in restaurants having breakfast with people, and sometimes breakfast would carry over to lunch. Then he would drive someone to the store and go shopping with them. Then he would pick up some kids from school and play some ball with them. Then he would go home and have dinner with his family, and love his wife and kids. Then he would go to a church meeting or a small group where he would teach a lesson. Then he would come home. Before he would go to bed, perhaps he would receive a phone call from a church friend needing advice with something. Then he’d go to sleep, wake up the next morning and do more of the same in the days to follow. He said to me, “I always wondered if people would want to know how much time I was spending ‘in the office,’ or if I had kept a record of how many people I had ‘gotten saved’ that week.” He said it haunted him for years. It was sometimes difficult for him to look back on his week and write down all the things he had accomplished. He couldn’t count the number of sales he had made, or post the amount of product he had manufactured. So he wondered if he was worthy of his pay.
But then one day the Lord spoke to him in a very personal way. He said that one day while he was entertaining some of these thoughts he heard God speak these words to his heart, “(His name here), you are not being paid to DO something, you are being paid to BE somebody.”
How freeing that was to hear, yet also very frightening at the same time. While production, numbers, volume, or office time was not a factor in determining his pay… character was. You see, for some jobs it doesn’t matter who you are, it only matters what you do. In this job, however, what matters most is who you are. You will be most effective when you can say, like Paul, “Become like me as I become like Christ.” Having that confidence, knowing that others can truly follow you regardless of what you are doing… you are taking them closer to Jesus. That, well… that is priceless. My friend said that from that moment on he never worried about his ministry pay. He never again questioned his worth.
So, what is ministry? Honestly, ministry has nothing to do with being paid. It’s just that some people are set aside by the Father to make their living that way. Just like some people are able to make a living playing music. I can’t, but I respect and admire people who do because I, too, like to play music. Some people are able to make money by painting and drawing nice pictures. I can’t, but I am in awe of people who make their living with their art. Some people are able to make a living by playing a game of baseball or football (and a very good living at that). I can’t, but I certainly appreciate those who do because I, too, play the game.
So for me, ministry is life. It’s not what I do. It’s who I am. Today I arose from bed. I spent some time with my kids and wife before they went off to school and to work. I then went to a place to study, so that I might become something that I would want others to imitate. I then met with some friends to study a little deeper. Then I sent a few emails and made a few phone calls. Just a quick encouragement to some of the people I am in fellowship with. Later today I will go meet with some fellow baseball coaches, where I will take another step to further involve myself in the community in which I live. Then, after that, I will meet with some college students for a Bible study and a time of worship. Finally, I will come home to my wife. I will go to my kids’ rooms, kiss them on the forehead and whisper a prayer over them. Then sit down to tell my wife all about my day. Tomorrow I will do something similar. Everyday is different, yet much of the same.
And that, my friends, is ministry… at least in my context.
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