I have had the honor and gift of being called and leading in ministry for 19 years. I have learned a lot of who I am, who God is, and how much He loves people. I am still learning and want to continue to learn more about who God is and how to love His kids to help them know Him and live the life they were made for. Over the next couple of weeks I am going to share what I personally have learned so far through my experience.
This past week, a student from my first youth group called me and asked if we could do lunch. It was a gift to reconnect and hear what God is doing in this young man. He talked about his career, his family, his church, his volunteering and care for people. I asked him why he was serving in his church, why he was organizing a free tax service for senior citizens, and why he had a passion to see something happen for students at his church. His response was a clear reminder of a key to what I have learned in ministry. He told the story of a young high schooler who was doing life on his own, not sure which way his life was going to go, who one day after a school drama practice was invited to a spaghetti dinner at a church. He told the story of how he felt cared for, how he felt that he mattered, that he belonged. He told the story of how over the next 6 months he would have a friend die, he would be kicked out of his house, how shortly after that his brother would tragically die, and how he knew there was a place, a group of people who cared about him, for him. He went on to say that his faith, his experience of Jesus in those days defined how he sees life and how he wants others to experience life.
Key Learning Number One – Show people they matter by actively loving them.
I John3:18 Dear children, let’s not merely say that we love each other; let us show the truth by our actions. 19 Our actions will show that we belong to the truth, so we will be confident when we stand before God.
Programs will come and go. Lock-ins will hopefully go the way of the dinosaur. Retreats and camps will be awesome. Chubby Bunny and the Trash Can game will be highlights or result in a lawsuit. But in everything I have done in ministry I must remember that people matter – showing God’s love, creating cultures of active love are foundational to letting Jesus work through me. People will come to know Jesus and grow in Him through people helping them experience God’s love by an authentic, real environment of care and love.