Apathy & Commitment Summer 1989

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Just out of seminary, my concept of ministry wasn't, I suspect, all that unusual. Real ministry, I believed, happens in the pulpit, in the prayer meeting, on the doorstep of the unconverted. Real ministry is overflowing sanctuaries, published books, and "a presence" in the city. Real ministry requires imaginative and bold leadership. Real ministry is dynamic, energetic, and vital.

And then there is committee work-not exactly ministry, but sort of. After all, someone has to assign Communion servers, delegate the pulling of weeds, budget for crayons and glue, and decide who will bring hot dogs to the all-church picnic.

As for me and my ministry, however, I will serve in greater courts. I will make a name for myself . . . er, I mean, for our church . . . I mean, for the Lord. Yes, for the Lord.

One of my first ministry goals, then, was to escape committee meetings, not an easy task upon first arriving at a church. Lay people, who spend a lot of time in committees, have an odd notion that what they do is important to the church. They call a pastor, in fact, to help them do their important work better. So I couldn't let them know how I really felt.

But I could eagerly tell them I affirmed the ministry of the laity (meaning I wanted to get on to more significant things), I trusted them to do their work (meaning anybody could do that work), and I needed to be concerned about the big picture (meaning their job was to worry about petty details). For some reason they remained unconvinced and kept insisting that I be at their meetings.

So I tried a new tack. I pointed out that I couldn't spend so many evenings away from my family. Surely ministry shouldn't mean widowing one's wife and abandoning one's children. Expressed ...

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