case study

Ministry On and Off the Clock

/ Phill

http://globalopps.org/tmbriefs/phone.png

It’s 10:30 pm when the phone rings. The voice on the other end sounds frightened.

It’s Lindsay, the new neighbor, who moved in recently. We stopped by to introduce ourselves two months ago as the family was moving in and exchanged phone numbers. We have not had contact since. What’s going on? Lindsay explains she is home alone with her two pre-school children and she is scared. Her husband has not returned from work yet.

There are noises outside the house. It sounds like someone is trying to break in. “Could someone drive by the house and see if there is anyone outside?”

My wife and I come right over. We don’t see anyone outside the house. We call to tell her we are coming to the door so she will not panic. My wife goes in to reassure her while I walk around the house.

The intruder has gone. He left a tell-tale mess of spilled garbage. I’m not sure if it was a raccoon or a panther but there was no danger. Lindsay sighed in relief.

Fast forward to Sunday. I am reading the church bulletin. Inside I find a list of ministry needs and opportunities – Teach Sunday School, Lead Bible study, Help with VBS, Short term mission trip to Guatemala, etc.

I reflect. These are wonderful ministries. BUT wait! Something doesn’t seem right. Is this all there is to ministry? I get the impression that in order to be ministry, my effort has to be on the church calendar and part of a church program. What about helping a neighbor? Or, helping a student with his studies? Or, making sure my work is done in a God-honoring way? Where does that fit in?

If we only see ministry as something that we can schedule, or program, then we have a very incomplete picture.

The notion that things that happen in the church, or are part of a church program, are ministry and that the rest are not, is false. In part this is a result of the old Greek idea that some activities are sacred and others are secular. This needs to be challenged and corrected.

I believe there is another reason for this misconception. We only need to look at the stories we tell and the heroes we praise in church for the answer. Christians will practice the activities that are recognized and appreciated in the church. When was the last time someone was recognized for helping a neighbor, or conducting his business in a God-honoring way, unless it was part of a formal church program? Instead we have the VBS leaders and the Sunday School teachers recognized from the platform. We have a mission team do a presentation when they return from their trip. These are exciting to report and they should be reported. But if we only tell these kinds of stories we fail to show people that ministry can happen in the everyday pathways of life too.

The Church needs to tell the stories about how God uses everyday activities that come along as teaching moments to share faith in natural everyday settings. In that way she will be showing Christians how to take Christ into every corner of their lives – their homes, their communities and their workplace.

Ministry is a lifestyle choice, not a scheduling choice. It is about the relationships we create. It’s about  bringing God’s blessing to those he puts in our way.

Matt 5.16 In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.

“My sacred space is a café,”  

/ Phill

begins Chris’ blog entry where he talks about his marketplace ministry. He goes on to explain, “… it’s sacred space for me precisely because the people around me there aren’t all Christians. In fact, most are unchurched or de-churched.  And I love them.” Chris works part time at the café and realizes God has put him in his position for a purpose. There are daily opportunities to touch the lives of those who need to know his Savior.

He continues, “The cafe becomes sacred space for me every time I have a deep conversation with a coworker or listen to a regular customer share their life-story.  The relationships I’ve been able to develop with co-workers and customers are sacred relationships.  Some people talk to their barista they (sic) way one does to the proverbial bartender, and at times I feel like taking off my shoes because I know I’m on holy ground when someone opens up to me.”

This story is instructive for several reasons. Chris was intentional in his choice to be bi-vocational. He recognizes that the café environment gives him an entryway into the community. He has continual opportunity to meet people who would not normally set foot inside a church. He meets them on their terms in a setting where they are comfortable. He can demonstrate the love of Christ in very natural ways non-believers can understand and relate to.

The Church has not done a good job of teaching its members that we are all called to be ambassadors for the Kingdom of God and that we are all called to go out to all the world (including the marketplace) and make disciples. [1 Pet 2.9 – But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.]

Chris says he also does it because it gives him a way to demonstrate and model for the other members of his congregation how they, as disciples of Christ, can find meaning in their “ordinary” jobs. “Our churches are filled with people who are discontent with their work and who rarely think of their jobs as places where they can participate in the Kingdom of God.”

This story brings life and relevance to 1 Cor 10.31 “…whatever you do…do all for the Glory of God”.

Chris’ other vocation is as a pastor, but he sometimes says, “the place where I do the most real ministry is the cafe.” He is considered “bi-vocational” because he works half-time in a church and part-time at the café. Yet he does not see any difference between the two “jobs” when it comes to proclaiming the Gospel.

Chris concludes his article, “there’s no separation between the two – each job complements and enriches the other.”

As I reflect on Chris’ experience, I can’t help but ask, “Would Chris be any less a minister of the gospel if he only worked at the café?” This is tentmaking – sharing the Gospel in the workplace where God puts you.

I encourage the reader to go to Chris’ blog and read the account in his own words.

Twenty dollars that changed a life in India.

/ Ari Rocklin

http://globalopps.org/tmbriefs/Ashok.jpg

Ari Rocklin

Jim a tentmaker to India was used to seeing a man sitting by his scale all day long, hoping someone would come and use his services. For the equivalent of 10 cents, anyone could weigh themselves in a country where the majority cannot afford to buy a scale of their own.

One day Jim decided to sit down beside the man to simply get to know him and have an opportunity to practice Hindi. He learned that Ashok was actually renting the scale and was paying up to 90% of his days take to the owner of the scale. 

While Jim walked toward his own job he thought about Ashok’s business. How could he help Ashok earn a bigger slice of the pie? This thought did not leave him for weeks on end. Each morning and afternoon, Jim would make a point of sitting down beside Ashkok. They became fast friends.

Jim learned the complexity of Ashok’s business. The scale was owned by a man who had many scales in the city. He paid his workers a measly amount of the earnings. If the scale broke, the worker was in debt for months until repayment with high interest was made.

Jim desperately wanted to make a difference, so he went and bought Ashok a scale for $20. Fortunately he had done his homework before hand. If he had just given the scale as a gift, the renter of scales would simply have taken it away from Ashok, who would have no recourse nor police protection.

Before presenting the scale to Ashok, he went to the local police station and asked an officer to come with him to verify the business transaction between himself and Ashok. The policeman watched as Jim loaned the scale to Ashkok. A plan was developed by Jim that allowed Ashok to repay the loan in about six months. Then the loan paper was signed (fingerprinted) by Ashok. Having the policeman present afforded some protection for Ashkok, and having a foreigner involved added a bit more.

Before the six months was up, Ashok had saved enough of his earnings to pay back the full amount of the loan. Jim once again called on the policeman to witness the full repayment of the loan, had him sign the “paid in full” receipt together with Ashok and Jim. Then Jim made a few copies of the receipt and even had one copy laminated which Ashkok could keep as proof of ownership.

Today Ashok keeps 100% of his daily earnings and is proudly able to show everyone that he has paid back the loan in full. Imagine going from keeping 10% of your daily earnings to 100%. Jim continues to disciple Ashok and members of his family…

Principle: Do not be too quick to help, seek wise counsel from locals so that your gift of a loan does not cause difficulty or dependency. Real help requires getting to know people and involves discipling.