Don't "Box" Ministry

Something that came up in my 1:6 group that may or may not have come up in yours is the idea that when we talk about "ministry" in the church, we are talking about Sunday School teacher, usher, pianist, deacon, etc. I want you to know that while all these are definite parts of ministry, there are many other things that are ministries that don't require a title.

When talking about "Every Member is a Minister" I guess we should preface it with "Ministry is using what God gave me to serve him and others". There is NO title there. No one should be told to minister to God or to others, we just need to be doing it. If God has blessed you with being able to listen to others, then you need to seek ways in the church where that is what you do. If God has allowed you to go through a rough situation and someone else is now going through that same thing, go and comfort them. Don't ever wait for the Pastor/Administer to get a committee together, just do it.

We don't want 300 Sunday School teachers for a church of 350. God didn't give us all that gift. But we do want 300 people actively seeking ways to serve and minster to God and others.

There is a lot of good in the offices/committees/ministries that have been put in place at the church and the leadership needs to (and we are working on it) make sure people understand the importance of these ministries and make sure they function correctly. They provide opportunity for the Pastor/Administrator to teach people the work of ministry. However, these church organizations are NOT the sole ways that people can minister.

I guess what I am saying is that we don't want to put "ministry" into a box. Think outside the box when you are looking for ways to serve/minister.