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Between Solitude and Effective Ministry
The beginning of the school year marks, at many churches, the beginning of a new season of ministry. Children get "promoted" to the next grade level—which in the church I grew up in, was a big deal.
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The beginning of the school year marks, at many churches, the beginning of a new season of ministry. Children get "promoted" to the next grade level—which in the church I grew up in, was a big deal. I still have the King James Bible with its blue imitation leather cover that I received on Promotion Sunday when I moved from the kindergarten to "Primary I" on October 5, 1969. At the time I was so proud; I was taking the next step—moving up, moving on. Now, many years later, at this important time when we promote kids to their next levels, I have a question for you: What are you doing to move your ministry up to the next level? You may think I'm going to tell you to work harder, invest longer hours, or use more creativity. Nope. Not yet. Before you do any of that, there's an important spiritual discipline that needs to be in place in your life in order for your ministry to be all that it can be. Last month, I encouraged you to take some time for solitude before the ministry season began. And I hope you'll continue to find ways to spend time alone with God. Solitude is the foundation of effective ministry. Jesus himself modeled this for us, as he regularly withdrew from the crowds and even from his disciples to seek the company of his Father. But between solitude and effective ministry, there is a second essential building block: the discipline of community. In his classic essay on this topic, Henri Nouwen wrote that effective ministry begins with solitude, and then moves on to community, and out of that flows ministry. We live in a culture that values autonomy and self-sufficiency. And it works for us … sort of. But really, ministry is not meant to be something we power up and do by ourselves. The best ministry flows out of community, where we love and are loved. A community that calls forth the best in each of us, so that we can come together to do what none of us could do alone. Even Jesus, when he walked our planet, did not do ministry alone. He had a large group of followers, beyond just his twelve disciples. He lived in relationship with a group of men and women who followed him, supported him financially, loved him, learned from him. He loved them, and received love from them. So before you start making huge plans for all the work of ministry, consider the question: Do you have a team of people, committed to one another, to do ministry with you? Are you a part of a team that will support you, challenge you, guide you? Even if you are leading that team, be sure that you are not just the task master. What could you do to make that team a small group that encourages and equips each other? Community is a spiritual practice that can feel as easy as hanging out with friends, or as difficult as resolving conflict. It requires us to love and encourage, and offers us those same things in return. |        
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