Are You in the Ministry?

I was talking to a business associate the other day when the name of an old friend came up in the conversation. I asked what our mutual friend was now doing and was told, “He’s in the ministry.” I asked what exactly he was doing and was told he was a youth pastor at a church out of the area.

It was good to hear about my old friend, but it got me to thinking. I wonder what people say about me when someone asks, “What is Thom doing?” Do people say I’m Information Technology working at the State Employees’ Credit Union? Or that I’m married with four children and five grandchildren? Or, perhaps, that I’m the director of the Welcome Ministry at Richland Creek Community Church? Exactly what do people say about me?

And I wonder if there are any who would say, “He’s in the ministry?” In 2 Corinthians 9:1 as well as other passages in Corinthians, Paul makes reference to the Corinthians’ “ministry to the saints.” Well, shouldn’t you and I also be ministering to the saints in our own churches as well as to others, including non-believers with whom we either have shared or hope to share the Gospel? The fact is, the people to whom we should be ministering could literally be anywhere.

Here’s my point. When we go about our normal activities of the day, do others see us as Christians working at our jobs, ready to share our testimony and to serve with a Christian heart whenever the opportunity arises? Or, are we seen as someone who’s doing pretty well in his or her chosen profession and who also goes to church on Sunday? In other words, does our ministry carry over from Sunday to the rest of the week in such a way that others see our “ministry” as the most important characteristic defining who we are?

God doesn’t call us all to be Pastors, Elders, or Deacons. In 1 Corinthians 12, Paul talks about the body of the church and the importance of the various roles the members play and the gifts they are given. It is clear that every member of the church body can’t be a Pastor. Simply put, we’re not all expected to be “in the ministry” as my old friend was described which really meant having a profession in a religious field.

With all of that said, we are all called to ministry. Some are called specifically to the mission field. Others to work with children or with seniors. And still others, the vast majority, to work at jobs usually referred to as secular. But that doesn’t mean we aren’t first and foremost in ministry to expand God’s Kingdom. The last thing Jesus said in His time on earth was, “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations.” (Matthew 28:19) Yes, we can do that in our churches. But the truth is, there are many people in the workplace who never step foot inside a church. That’s a field ripe for a harvest. But before we can reap that harvest, we need people “in the ministry” willing to work in the field. It’s a different ministry, but no less important than working within the confines of the church.