Ministry will take you to many different places and place you in the lives of many different people. The need to love the people where they are is an important base for any pastor. The words of Eugene Peterson author of The Pastor, who once said in an interview, as a pastor you cannot view the congregation as problems that need to be solved but rather people that need to be loved. I will forever be linked to this quote in the way I choose to minister.
A recent example of working with people to build relationships for a productive church.
Upon being asked to be the supply preacher at Faith Family UCC I notice that the services, which were done online through Facebook due to COVID-19 restrictions, were being conducted by the same three to four people. There was little variation other than a change of venue one week in which the service was conducted at a picnic area of a state park. I wanted to change this and give people the ability to once again claim the church as their own. I began by rearranging the service in a less formal fashion in which the viewers from home felt more of a part of the service. I also asked the congregation for volunteers to read scripture. As a response to this, I now have to keep a rotating list of volunteers for scripture readings. One of the lessons I learned in the Military was that giving people responsibility and the freedom to make their own choices concerning that responsibility will give them the confidence and willingness to call it their own. I did this with the music. I asked a former musician of the choir to return and I gave him the responsibility of choosing the songs. In facilitating his choices, I provide him the sermon title and the theme by Tuesday. Then in response, by Friday he had the songs, and we can build a bulletin. I used the same approach to the person who offers prayers of the people. In the past, this person simply read the prayer that was given to them (at least that is my understanding). When asked what they should do,
I gave them the freedom to write and offer the prayer of their own voice. I would have to say I am very pleased with the results. We now have a service that is a union of more than just one person’s thoughts and ideas.
During my 25+ years of ministry, the Spirit has led me to people in all walks of life and all stages of life. From teaching Sunday school to young school-age children I learned patience. I learned how they are so eager for knowledge and their hearts are so pure. God led me to a several-year span of ministering to middle school and high school students. During this time, we tackled issues of premarital sex, homosexuality, violence in the home, peer pressure, and somehow, we related this all back to our relationship with God and how important it is to love people and always be reminded of what we share in common instead of focusing on our differences. On several occasions, we visited the former communist county that is now modern the day Czech Republic. It was a real culture shock for the kids and for us to witness a society that had no concept of who God was. The people there viewed Jesus’ birth and resurrection as a fairytale. It was a unique opportunity to minister to our hosts, but also a wonderful time of discussion about how much our faith is ingrained in our daily lives. Teenagers are always testing your boundaries and your patience. I think I learned more from them than they possibly learned from me. This period of ministry taught me a very special lesson – the importance of relational ministry. As I invested time in getting to know these kids and who they were, the more the Spirit reminded me to love them. Overtime trust developed and life-long bonds formed that continue to this day.
During this time, I also had the opportunity and privileged to serve in a Men’s Ministry. While I thought I had experience ministering to soldiers, I realized that I had a lot to learn about being in an accountability group. A group where we were safe to speak about our issue and not judged. It was such a healing time of ministry to others and to me. It was a rewarding experience that taught me about humility and how to love my friends the way they needed to be loved.
Several years ago, we came to Faith Family looking for a church that aligned with our morals and social justice outlook. From the first time we visited, we knew this was the place God had called us to worship. Although I was there as a congregant, I am always serving with a pastor’s heart. I found myself in some uncharted territory in a congregation of mostly LGBTQ+ people, many of whom were older than myself. I approached getting to know them the way I always have, asking questions and listening. I learned so much about the congregation as people, but the most important thing I learned was about their stories. Stories of struggling, stories of despair, stories of alienation, and stories of perseverance. I was so inspired! I found the Spirit ministering to me through their lives.
Throughout all my years of ministry, I think the greatest thing that I learned is people want to be respected, they want to feel as if they mean something. In one word they want to feel loved.