Time to ACT

The word “ministry” conjures a whole host of images in the minds of people. I find it often gets reduced to a program of some sort, usually aimed at some specific demographic of our community. We have a children’s ministry, a youth ministry, Sunday school ministry, outreach ministry, etc. These are not necessarily ministries, though. They are avenues through which ministry can take place. I firmly believe that most ministry takes place through relationships. Therefore, each of us is capable of doing ministry. Here are three keys to doing ministry that conveniently enough form the acronym ACT…

Be Available. This is both the easiest and most difficult part of any relationship. The easy part of availability is simply being present where the people are. Seriously, how difficult is it to fill a seat? It never ceases to amaze me how often people I’ve served in the past point to my presence at a game, concert, funeral, or other community event as a major factor in their faith development. Presence opens the door to conversation.

We need to learn to slow ourselves down a little, be present in the moment, and let those in our path know we are truly available to and interested in them.

Conversation is the harder part of availability. When we are with others, we need to be with others. People know when we are really interested in them and what they have to say and they generally respond in kind. They also know, however, when we are going through the motions and just trying to get on to the next, more important, thing. We all have so many things calling for our attention. It is easy to prioritize productivity over people. We need to learn to slow ourselves down a little, be present in the moment, and let those in our path know we are truly available to and interested in them.

Be Compassionate. One of the recurring themes in the life and ministry of Jesus is compassion. The pattern presents something like this; Jesus observes the reality of the lives of the people before Him and He is moved with compassion. Sometimes the things that caused compassion to rise were obvious. The people were sick, hungry, oppressed, etc. At other times, the stimulant was much more obscure. The people were hopeless, leaderless, and aimlessly wandering through their lives. Jesus was available to the people that came into His path. As He was present with them, He was able to see the reality of their lives and it mattered to Him.

Sharing each other’s issues is only valuable in as much as we are willing to invest ourselves in bearing the load the issues create.

In our information rich society, I find that we often want to know what’s going on in the lives of those around us just so we know. Our relational exchanges become less about bearing each other’s burdens and more about knowing each other’s issues. Sharing each other’s issues is only valuable in as much as we are willing to invest ourselves in bearing the load the issues create. That will only take place when we make the effort to truly see those before us as people of value who are worthy of our attention and effort.

Be Teachable. None of us has arrived in life. Experts in any arena won’t be experts long if they fail to continue learning and growing. We have to humbly admit that we don’t know it all. We don’t have the solutions to all of the problems that come our way. Further, it is not our job to fix every aspect of the life of another. As we make ourselves available to them and they share the reality of their lives, there are lessons to be learned. We should be willing to speak truth into the lives of those that God brings into our lives. At the same time, we need to be willing to receive the truth that God uses them to bring into our lives.

Doing ministry requires us to ACT. It all starts with us doing something. Sometimes it’s as simple as listening over a cup of coffee, crying with someone who is hurting, or celebrating with someone who is happy. At other times, it might require the investment of energy, abilities, or assets. In all cases, we have to have open hearts and open minds that we might discern what is needed and how God is leading. Once we see the path, it’s time to ACT.