Opportunities for real ministry

Posted by Alan Knox on Mar 24, 2010 in blog links, service | 1 comment

Stephen, at “Beyond Outreach,” has written an excellent post called “Little Things.” His post is excellent for at least two reasons: 1) he shows how church programs are not ministry, but how they can lead to ministry and 2) he tells a beautiful story to illustrate his point.

Stephen says:

Our ministry forums (the preaching services, children’s church, crafts ministry, etc) are not where the real ministry happens in most cases. They are points of connection that make sharing Jesus possible.

Did you catch that? The programs themselves are NOT ministry (service), but they can be opportunities for connecting with and serving other people. Stephen tells the story of a woman who came to a church building for a program. The program was not available, but a believing woman who was at the church building for another program stopped what she was doing to get to know and serve this lady. Stephen concludes:

So, if your church has an AWANA ministry or angel food ministry or any other kind of “outreach,” remember that the ministry forum is not the real ministry, it is just an opportunity for real ministry to happen. The real ministry happens through people, not projects.

Excellent point, Stephen!