3 Levels of Ministry

1. Contact (Impress)
2. Impact (Engage)
3. Drive (Inspire)

I don't know how biblical this is going to be, I'm just going explain some practicalities of my ministry. It comes down to an analysis of my work that says that if I want to be most effective then I need to be clear about how I am spending my time. Even if you are not in ministry (or even a Christian) then I hope that this would be useful simply from the point of view of looking at how you spend your time.

I have lots and lots of different things that I have to do because of my job and they are all generally enjoyable. Some of them suit my personality really well and others I really have to really dig deep for the motivation. That's not a good enough reason to do or to not do something. Jesus calls people to carry a cross, which is neither motivating or personality aligning. I do think that in ministry that there are things that really help to achieve goals and some thing that simply reduce your effectiveness. This is why I like to analyze my time and categorize it and I'm sure you could come up with different categories, but these are the ones that work for me. I've also come up with three action words for the categories to focus my efforts - its a what and a how.

So let me explain...

Contact Contact work is just where you are trying to make contact with someone or a group of people or a community. It's about recognition and about setting up some trust. The key word I use here is Impress, and that's not something you normally think about with Christians, but people want to know that they can trust you and that you can do things for the next stage to work. It's not necessarily impress as in be able to juggle whilst walking a tightrope. It might be that you try to demonstrate some integrity, that you understand where someone is coming from, that you are thinking about others or just that you are punctual. It's not about being whizbang - it's about breaking down barriers and assumptions with a positive impression.

 

The kinds of things I do as contact work are leading services, saying hi to students every morning, trying to have high standards, helping people with their little IT problems (fix a printer here, demonstrate a shortcut there, embed a video in a powerpoint, turn up to an event that I'm not required to). I want people to have the impression that I care about others, that I am professional and that I have some insight. I don't want people thinking that I am judgmental, arrogant, sloppy or unreliable. Nor do I want people to take me for granted.

 

There are a couple of risks in all of this. You can't be a people pleaser and do good ministry. You have to be genuine and have integrity, and not just try to fit in. Jesus said that we have to be salt and light - you can't make a difference if you are like everybody else. You have to pick your battles, and pick your lines because you want people to see that they can relate to you, and you certainly don't want people to think that you are one of those "Holier than thou" types. But you don't want to be drinking, swearing, talking about chicks, putting others down etc so that people welcome you into the community. In some cases it's a fine line and in other cases its not. Also, you don't want your ministry to focus on you as a celebrity - it always has to point to Jesus. You can do good things, and impress people, but as soon as you start thinking that it's because you are good, and because you have worked hard, then you are ignoring that it was God who gave you the opportunity to minister to those people, it was God who gave you those gifts and talents and it is God who softens people's hearts. Always bring it back to Jesus. It doesn't have to be that every time you do some tiny little thing you use it to mention Jesus, but in your mind you must be really clear who deserves the glory.

The other big issue is mistake is to think that if people are showing up then they are growing up... Or at least developing some faith. Just because you have consistent numbers doesn't mean they are actually numbers of growing believers or going through faith development. You just don't know from contact ministry. A pastor in a church of 100 can know where most of his flock are because a whole bunch will be from the same families and a lot will be mature enough to sustain themselves, but take a school or a youth group and you have a lot of individuals not families. You also have a lot of showing up but no test of genuine commitment. That doesn't mean it's nor there but you just don't know unless you're actively growing it. Numbers don't equal faith growth and formation.

For that you need to make an impact

 

Impact
Occurs when you have individuals who are sufficiently challenged in their faith to grow more. A lot of the time this can happen through some of the initial contact work raising questions. Impact gives the opportunity to answer those questions. The relationship that was started through contact now means that some of your answers will be believed just because you say and some will be accepted because you have demonstrated trustworthiness. Whatever the case you need to engage the person and in particular their heart. A lot of people think that given enough information anyone will change. It's not true of weightloss or smoking so why should it be true for Christianity? It's not a transference of information - it's all about transformation. That requires good information that is worded appropriately for the audience and uses examples that they can relate to. And that is the key to it too - relevance. You are guaranteed to have no impact on anyone's heart whilst you are discussing irrelevant issues or using irrelevant examples. The listener needs to see themselves as a part of the whole fabric that you weave and they need to see that if it is relevant to them, then they need to respond in some way. If they do not respond, or if there is no action, then it's the same as someone clicking like on Facebook.

 

One of the major issues here is that what might work brilliantly on one group might be a disaster for another. An example that had lots of people responding for years, might completely miss the mark just because.

 

I watched a DVD about a guaranteed method for street evangelism based around convincing people that they were guilty of breaking the ten commandments. He would then work on convincing them that they needed a saviour. Unfortunately in this day and age, when most people have relative morals rather than absolute and most people don't have concept of a good and perfect God, the ten commandments aren't convincing. Maybe people who grew up in Sunday school theory years ago then drifted away and then got challenged in the street respond but most of the people I know who aren't Christians could at the very least point out that God takes lives (and that is enough for then to keep rejecting God).

The method has to be relevant. The gospel is always true but there is so much to it that we need to choose very carefully what we decide to share first and how we choose what we emphasize (which should be based on audience and not our own preferences). I heard a preacher once say that if he only had an hour to share the gospel with a person, he'd listen for 55minutes and spend the last five minutes applying the gospel. I think we actually need to start with God and Jesus. God is all about love and we need to get to know (follow) Jesus so that we can do what God wants. Its pretty basic and it doesn't mention sin - its a starting point and its not interested in a quick convert. Enough said.

 

Some other things to consider would be things like music/videos and Google. Music has a massive impact on emotions. Done well and it tugs on our heartstrings, badly and we get angry or worse "tune out". I've had non Christian kids singing chapel songs during "normal" classes or complaining that its stuck in their head. I've observed the opposite as well.

A very good friend of mine taught me that a 5minute clip from a movie can be very powerful in making a point. There are lots of movies with the hero who dies / gives his life / volunteers for a dangerous mission that can be related to Jesus or linked to God. I've also used whole movies split into parts for analysis and even linking to bible study - young people (especially) have unusually high tolerance for "boring stuff" when you link it to a movie. Part of it is wanting to know how it ends and part of it is that linking two different things in your head can be quite fun. We need to be honest here though - the Hollywood version of reality is a long way from real but has a significant impact on an audience because of a "willing suspension of disbelief." This can be manipulated. Don't.

Previous generations have relied on experts to give them information but this current generation has access to all the knowledge of the world at their fingertips. There are plenty of contexts in which the current generation still relies on experts to give information, but they tend to be relationally based. For example, the local GP that they see regularly will be able to tell them all kinds of information that will be instantly taken as gospel but a doctor on TV will be ignored. A panel of journalists on TV like "the project" or "Sunrise" will be highly influential (because they will be watched regularly and seem very personal) but the political experts that appear on TV during elections are wrong if they present a different point of view. Mostly, Google is god. And of Google, only the first page counts. The new generation has a much better relationship with Google than it has with plenty of experts because its the go to search page. (Bing does not count for anything FYI.) This does not make sense to previous generations because good doesn't actually have information - it simply knows where to find it, but it still gets the credit. Therefore, to get the new generation on board with whatever information you want them to assimilate, all you need is to help them with their Google searches. This can be manipulated too (so don't) but as the post Christian age develops further, the number of responses that will be from a Christian perspective will also diminish (only the first page of Google counts principle). Ultimately, if you want them to believe it, get them to search it and make up their own mind.

 

YouTube is another source of information that is widely accepted without much critical thinking. Once again, the current generation spends a lot of time on YouTube (app more than site I'm sure) so there is a relationship there, even if that trust is built around epic fail videos and cats.

I remember a long time ago being told as a teacher that our vocabulary needed to be complex so that the students would develop a greater understanding of technical terms and complex language structures - for a class that you have all day this can be useful in an academic school, however explanations and definitions need to be used regularly. Everyone knows what it would feel like to go and sit in a lecture for an unknown topic (like neurology or physics or accounting) and feel like an idiot because you do t understand half of the words used (let alone the jargon and acronyms). Imagine what its like for a kid who has never been to church to hear jargon like grace, blood of the lamb, the cross, redemption, sacrifice and sin. Even if the word sounds familiar, they would never have heard it in that context before and yet some Christians just blurt it out as if everyone went to Sunday school. To have an impact on his audience Jesus used parables with familiar themes like sheep, farming and fishing. If we don't change them to be about themes that our audience is used to we are missing one of the points of parables - help people understand God.

 

Final point on this - the bible is full of richness and depth. Pick what is appropriate - if your audience has been taught that they are good from an early age then trying to convince them that "they are all sinners" might not be as effective as trying to convince them that God is "Our heavenly father". The gospels give us examples of judges, sons, sheep, tax collectors, military men, fishermen, Pharisees, " sinful women" and people who had a mouth. There must be something in the bible that you can use that will be directly relevant (don't just say tax collector - say drug dealer or someone who lives for money) to whoever you are talking to. It takes more knowledge of who you are talking to and more preparation, but it is more effective... It will have a greater impact.

 

In the first phase you need to impress to connect and get the platform for them to listen to you. In the second phase you need to use that platform to engage them with a relevant message, not a soap box topic or your go-to topic or anything that leads them away from what is important. Don't see this as the place for the ministry outcomes either. People don't really engage with the gospel 'em mass most of the time. Real conversion is so easy to avoid when there is a crowd to hide in... Which brings us to drive...

 

Drive

The third phase is the hardest, most time consuming and most rewarding... Kind of like parenting. Within that group that you engage there will be a handful that really respond. They'll be the ones asking questions during their time, they will seek you out for more, they will clarify and extrapolate further. The drive is not a sledgehammer driving a post or a golfer driving off the tee - its a road trip. You get a few to go places. The vehicle is a regular location and time with a few who are interested. The fuel is joy of hanging out (and sometimes food)(snacks involving lots of sugar if absolutely necessary) but the view is focused on the beauty of the bible. Explore it, explain it, go to new places, go to old favourites, bring snacks (I already mentioned snacks didn't I... they're not that important...).

Don't let it be formal, snooty and onesided. It needs to be organic, relaxed, inclusive and above all challenging. You need to prepare and train more than they do. You need to have something worth sharing. Once again there is the risk of the cult of you, so you definitely need to keep the focus on Jesus - let him be your guiding light and there's. Do not be the expert - be the one who cares enough about their future and wanting be there for their present. Be interested in them. It maybe that none of them ever become Christians because of your words of wisdom, but it is possible that they will connect with God because you took an interest in them which meant that they got interested in what you were on about. The holy spirit does the work, and Jesus does the saving, but you have the opportunity to bring them closer than ever before; sometimes by answering questions, sometimes by being there/dependable, and sometimes by simply being yourself.

 

This is where hearts are truly changed. This is where God's word can really sink in and transform lives. It is always precious and should never be taken for granted. You still need to impress and you still need to engage, but nowhere near to the same level. Now you need to focus on inspiration. You want hearts and minds to be changed then make sure that there is something life changing on the table. Now maybe you don't feel to inspirational and you feel that this is for someone else to do - trust me, every single time someone says yes to taking out time from their lives to hang out with you, they already have seen something about you that is inspiring. You must be yourself - don't try and switch on the charm. If you want them to be genuine then you also have to be genuine - that doesn't mean overshare, that just means real. You must be yourself. The funny thing is that we probably don't find our inspiration all that often coming from within ourselves. Most of the time, our inspiration comes things we have seen, heard, read and experienced. You could be passing those things on or it could be that those who gather need to experience life with you to be inspired - you don't know how God is going to use you in that context so please do not say that you are not going to be inspirational. Don't let puff you up with pride either. Don't think that you inspire just by turning up so you don't need to think through exactly where this is going or how you are going approach the next session. Be real. Over and above all this you MUST remember that it is the inspiration of the Holy Spirit that does the most important work - you get to be a servant of our LORD Jesus Christ for just a few precious minutes and you get to pass on to others what has been passed on to you. If you do not understand fully the work of the Holy Spirit then don't worry - you're not alone. If you do not believe that the Holy Spirit does the work or that the Holy Spirit isn't necessary or it's not what your denomination talks about, then you need to read the bible some more.

 

If you are in a position where you can train people to do this then do it. You will have more effect over a longer period of time if you are not the only one doing this where you are. Train them, give them experiences where you are supervising, give them feedback on their progress, listen to their feedback, share resources, share their joys and their frustrations.

Wrap Up

Jesus sent out disciples in pairs. God said, it is not good for man to be alone. The Trinity is God in community with himself. Aloneness is what connectedness in society leads to when connectedness is about me. God puts us in other people's lives for a reason. Not to be the guru that knows all the answers, but to be the friend, guide and at times, father/mother. If you are in organised ministry then you will face the issue of where you are spending the majority of your time and if you know your New Testament well enough, you will know that you need to be fruitful. To be fruitful you have to carve out time to at least walk alongside people if not disciple people. Everything in life will tell you that you are successful if you have lots of people turn up to contact ministry, and contact ministry can be the most time consuming part of your life if you let it... but whatever work you do make sure you are working towards the Drive.