Southern Seminary Magazine (Vol. 91.2) Pastoral Ministry in a Changing World
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The Strange <strong>World</strong> of Personal <strong>M<strong>in</strong>istry</strong><br />
Be<strong>in</strong>g with Your People <strong>in</strong> the Unknowns<br />
What makes personal m<strong>in</strong>istry so much<br />
stranger than public m<strong>in</strong>istry are the<br />
variables. In public m<strong>in</strong>istry, you study<br />
your text of Scripture and the history of<br />
<strong>in</strong>terpretation. You create your sermon<br />
or lesson outl<strong>in</strong>e, th<strong>in</strong>k<strong>in</strong>g about general<br />
applications to folks <strong>in</strong> your church and<br />
community. But most th<strong>in</strong>gs <strong>in</strong> public<br />
m<strong>in</strong>istry are planned and delivered.<br />
Personal m<strong>in</strong>istry to <strong>in</strong>dividuals is full of<br />
unknown variables. That’s what makes it so<br />
unpredictable and often strange. We don’t<br />
like the idea of enter<strong>in</strong>g <strong>in</strong>to situations we’re<br />
not familiar with, of plac<strong>in</strong>g ourselves <strong>in</strong><br />
conversations we don’t know the way out of.<br />
If you feel lost <strong>in</strong> a sermon or lesson you’re<br />
giv<strong>in</strong>g to a group, that’s a simple mistake <strong>in</strong><br />
preparation. But <strong>in</strong> a personal conversation,<br />
there is no preparation that can entirely<br />
prevent you from feel<strong>in</strong>g a bit lost at times.<br />
In personal m<strong>in</strong>istry, unknown variables are<br />
the norm.<br />
But let me relieve some of the burden of this<br />
for you. Know<strong>in</strong>g the route through those<br />
unknowns is less important than be<strong>in</strong>g<br />
present with your people <strong>in</strong> the unknowns.<br />
In other words, you enter <strong>in</strong>to the confusion<br />
with them, not as the one responsible to have<br />
pre-supplied answers but as one who sits with<br />
them to wait on the Lord.<br />
Presence. This is one of the greatest tools for<br />
m<strong>in</strong>istry we have. Presence is fac<strong>in</strong>g unknowns<br />
together. I’m talk<strong>in</strong>g about someth<strong>in</strong>g more<br />
than just be<strong>in</strong>g <strong>in</strong> the room. It’s not just<br />
passively receiv<strong>in</strong>g <strong>in</strong>formation. I’m talk<strong>in</strong>g<br />
active presence, where we voluntarily shoulder<br />
their questions and concerns with them, <strong>in</strong><br />
all their majestic strangeness, and go before<br />
the Lord.<br />
This is why I made Romans 12:15-16 the<br />
epigraph to this article. To weep with those<br />
who weep or rejoice with those who rejoice<br />
means you’re affected by what affects them,<br />
you’re an active participant <strong>in</strong> the variables<br />
that affect them. The <strong>in</strong>struction of these<br />
verses presumes the ability to recognize the<br />
state people are <strong>in</strong> and respond appropriately.<br />
8 THE SOUTHERN BAPTIST THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY
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