My Dream For My Ministry

I don't really like that title... is it really MY ministry? Does MY dream really matter?

That's the title given for the paper I just wrote. Some of you responded to the post a couple of weeks ago in that regard. Here's an excerpt from the paper about how I answered the question, "what is your dream for your ministry?"

Considerable pressure has been placed on me to decide what I want to do in ministry. Lectureship came and went with old friends asking, “So what are you doing now?” This paper asks the same question. In spite of my efforts, nothing has become clear. I don’t have a clear dream for what my future in ministry will look like. The best I can do is offer a few options that have risen to the top of the list.

Many people have lamented the lack of theological education in our churches. “If only the elders and deacons could understand…” Many ministers have lamented that no one in their churches knows what it’s like to work in ministry. It may well be that my future ministry may be to be the antidote to the stereotype. I have theological training and ministry experience. My ministry may well be to be a deacon or elder, or at least a member who lives the life in a worthy way, to be the member that every member should be. I could continue in my current career and be a “regular guy.”

My wife has been a school teacher, and probably will again. In four to five years, my children will be of school age, and my wife plans on returning to teaching. This will provide me with an opportunity. After the last year, I have no intention of ever trying to support my family and go to school at the same time. If my wife can provide the income, however, I would love to continue my education. I’m educationally minded. I have said before that I would like to teach at the college level, which in this field requires a PhD. I am a bit short of the requirements for many programs, having two Master’s but no MDiv. I may well have to deal with that when it comes along. Within the next five years, I will have a good chance to return to school again, and I will also have given Academy enough of a chance to see if that is what I really want to do.

Another option would be to seek a ministry job to start next summer or fall. Because I have a good job already, there’s no financial or time pressure to find a job. At the same time, I don’t know what kind of job I would seek. I am qualified for youth ministry, education ministry, or worship ministry in good sized churches. I could preach, although it would be quite the learning experience, and with no prior preaching experience, would likely end up in a smaller church. My resume is strong, and I have no doubt that I could get a ministry job at any time. Whether the job would be a good one or not is open, but if the goal was simply employment, I could do it.

So that's it. The best I could come up with was a series of options. We'll just have to see where it goes from here.