I have been thinking and rethinking the purpose and trajectory of my ministry lately. It’s good to fine-tune your purpose/mission statements, etc., from time to time and that’s what I’ve been doing. In my case I’ve had to make sure that I’m grounding my own ministry in the sure foundation of clear biblical truths. Here’s what I’ve been chewing on during this latest brainstorming (or, light drizzle, as the case may be)…
The goal of my blog is to provide an online version of my ministry, which is…
To help men (but not only men) become all that God has created, redeemed, and called them to be in every sphere of their lives.
This purpose or ministry statement is built on my belief that there are implications to the fact that God has done just that… created us, redeemed us, and called (and continues to call) us. However, the truth is, we often don’t know what those implications are or what they should look like in our lives. My own calling from God is to help others discover what that threefold work of God means in their lives.
1.) God has created us. Therefore…
- We are created in God’s image.
- Though sinful, fallen, and broken, we have dignity.
- We have an ultimate purpose in the here and now (to glorify the God who created us).
- We have meaning and significance because we aren’t the results of some random accident of the universe.
2.) God has redeemed us. Therefore…
- We can know that we are loved by God (however, we must respond in trusting dependence to God’s loving initiative in Christ).
- We are new creatures in Christ, redeemed to know God as well as to grow in the grace and knowledge of God.
- We are commanded to become more like Christ by loving, trusting, following, and obeying him.
- We have the universal purpose of all who follow Christ to bear witness to Christ in this world through evangelism of those who don’t know Christ, edification of those who do know and follow Christ, and engagement with the world on behalf of God’s Kingdom.
- We can have confidence that our identity is in the Word (made flesh and revealed in and through holy Scripture) and not the world around us.
- We have a new family with whom we can grow, love, minister and worship.
3.) God has called us. Therefore…
- We can know that we have a unique purpose to which God has called us and are thus encouraged to pursue it with humility, focus, confidence and passion.
- Our work matters to God.
- Our relationships matter to God.
- It matters, if we are called to be married, how we think, speak, and live as husbands and wives.
- It matters, if we are called to be parents, how we think, speak, and live as mothers and fathers.
- We have particular gifts for ministry to discover, cultivate, and use in service to God and others.
I realize I have only touched the tip of the iceberg with these remarks. As I learn and grow I will certainly edit what I have written. But, for now, these thoughts help me with my own calling as a follower of Christ as well as what my ministry might focus on in service to those God has entrusted to my care. I pray that I will never cease to learn and grow with either one.
Grace and Truth,
Dale
Thanks Dale. It’s helpful to be reminded about being all we can be in every sphere, not just some.
Thanks Roger. It’s something we need to be reminded of regularly… I know I do.
If your ministry purpose is to reach men and women, you might want to change your purpose statement. As a woman, I find your purpose statement off-putting and question whether you are committed to the theological foundation you claim. If you truly believe all are created in God’s image, then your ministry purpose needs to be inclusive.
Thanks Genny for sharing your off-puttedness. You raise a good point. It was just today that I changed the statement from “folks” to “men” as I was trying to figure out a way to express what happens in my day-to-day ministry. I minister to both men and women at my church, though mostly to men.
It seems that pastors are being discouraged more and more from working with the opposite sex in one-to-one settings (such as discipling, counseling, etc.). It is usually frowned upon for male pastors, for example, to take women out to lunch to get to know them better. It seems to be the climate of the church these days.
I don’t think it necessarily means that a pastor whose focus is with one sex or the other is being exclusive in a negative or sinful way. I imagine we could cite many examples where a person ministering to someone of the opposite sex might not be prudent. It seems to have more to do with strategy, wisdom, calling, and/or focus and not with sinful-exclusivity. I wonder if all forms of exclusivity are necessarily sinful. At any rate, thanks for sharing and I hope you’re able to recover from being put off today. Surely tomorrow will be a better day. In the mean time, I shall figure out a better way, assuming there is one, of communicating my focus. Thanks for giving me some food for thought.
Thanks,
Dale
It seems that pastors are being discouraged more and more from working with the opposite sex in one-to-one settings (such as discipling, counseling, etc.).
I am sure you are right in your statement but that policy is all wrong.
It is archaic and based on fear and that is not good.
To begin a conversation or a relationship of any kind with your guard up is not going to be a relationship or encounter based on trust.
Lunch to talk business is the norm.
Unless you are Brad Pitt you have little to fear.
Just use some common sense.
Shake hands…don’t hug.
Public places are pretty safe places. They have cameras everywhere.
Good Luck!
Well, my wife thinks I’m Brad Pitt (well… she “says” she thinks that)… but you’re right… I’m probably safe on that count. However, unless you’ve gone to the countless seminars on sexual ethics that pastors in the UMC are required to go to… you have no idea of the pressure not to pursue such meetings, etc. Pastors still have to counsel folks of the opposite sex, of course, (and should!) but there are so many precautions we’re encouraged to take that it gets pretty exhausting and probably discourages such meetings.
But at the end of the day, this is all secondary. It really has more to do with call and giftedness… not fear of people wondering what the pastor is doing having lunch with so and so. My call is more in the realm of men’s ministry… though I’m a pastor to both men and women… and do indeed minister to both in a variety of contexts.
Dale – I can envision men in the church who are practicing their faith in every sphere of their life – family, vocation, leisure, etc. When those men are doing that families, businesses, communities thrive and flourish. But that vision won’t come to pass without someone being sent to minister to them, disciple them, and encourage them. I bet there are many women who wish their church had a minister whose calling was to disciple men in the fashion you are. Keep up the good work.
Mike,
That’s been my goal and that’s exactly what I’ve seen happening in our church family. The effects have been far-reaching as we’ve seen the Kingdom of God extend into many spheres of life throughout our community.
Thanks,
Dale