that’s what we do…

Often, I don’t like the word “ministry.” It has too much baggage associated with it. “Ministry” feels too much like a job (“I’m a minister"), too professional sounding (“ministry” over and above “volunteering”… another word I don’t like), or too patronizing (I’m going to “do ministry” to you… gee thanks). But since I’m at the National Youth Workers Convention in Nashville, and we are dealing with “youth ministry,” I’ll use the term as shorthand for what I think people really mean.


Quick story...

I was working out this morning (fulfilling one of my promises!) when I ran into April from the Salvation Army. She shared with me her experience of serving people at the Houston Astrodome after the hurricane. A truly heroic effort. I told her, “Thank you” and to tell her team “thank you” for all that they have done. She replied, “That’s what we do.” Can I get an amen/right on for that?

I think ministry is really about people expressing… “that’s what we do.”

I was thinking about this as I heard David Crowder tonight (those of you holding me accountable to my promises, I’m not worshipping David Crowder, honest). What moved me to night was Crowder’s lyrics. I think they are brilliant. The words capture the feelings of heart, of worship, of expression that seems to resonate with me and others. I think David would say, “that’s what we do.”

What if ministry was done out of true expression instead of other things?
What are the “other things?”

You can probably fill in the blanks just as well as me…
- guilt
- fear
- significance
- competition
- anger
- grandstanding
- fame
… yuck… I’m feeling sick that I can rattle these off so fast. Maybe this is a form of confession.

If ministry is really out of true expression, however… then we live with the attitude of “that’s what we do,” “that’s what we’re called to do,” “that’s my place in the grand symphony of love that God plays for the world of which I’m (by the grace of God) a part.”

It’s at this point, that David Crowder isn’t the only one who gets people to sing along (“you’re not alone, so sing along…”). Each of our expressions, if done purely, can inspire others to live and love with an renewed sense of calling, passion, and love.

Ministry is just short hand for “that’s what we do.”