Over the years I’ve been approached by a few people who wanted to either use the gifts they believed they had or be trained and equipped to minister through speaking (e.g., preaching, teaching, training, etc.). In simple terms, they wanted opportunities toย speak from theย stage during larger worship gatherings. These people really believed that they had something to offer the church (and they probably did) and they wanted to “use their gifts.” Some of these people even guaranteed the effectiveness of ministry!
But Iย basically told each of them this: “Ummmmm, no thanks.”
Besides being really turned off by anyone who canย guaranteeย certain aspects ofย theirย “ministry,” something else caused me to put things on hold. Each of these people said something like the following:
“I’m totally willing to teach the Bible but I don’t want to go to any of the fun events with people”
“I’m not interested in meeting with people who have questions about what I talk about.”
“Don’t count on me attendingย thatย event because there will be people there who drink beer and smoke cigarettes.”
These three responses, in my opinion, disqualify people from serving in influential leadership roles because they undermine the model of holistic ministry that Jesus demonstrated.
“I don’t do fun events.”
People don’t seem to understand that it’s in the context ofย relationshipsย andย spending time together that one’s influence grows. If youย reallyย want to be effective in ministry situations, you need to spend time with people. You need to eat dinner with them. You need to go bowling with them. You need to do the things that youย assumeย aren’t spiritual becauseย they actually are. Spiritual things happen around the table (cf. John 12:1-8 occurs around a dinner table).
So while you sit at home being all “holy” and “spiritual,” isolated from engaging human beings, effective missional disciples spend time with peopleย just like Jesus did.
“No questions, please.”
If you believe you are “called” to speak to churches, please be humble enough to realize that your ideas in your sermons may provoke questions… and that’s aย goodย thing. Yeah, people might disagree with you and want you to explainย more about why you believe what you said or why you gave the advice that you did, but it’s actually a continuation of the ministry opportunity!
I’ve found that some of the mostย helpfulย “ministry” in relation to my preaching has been at a coffee shop! And I’ve come to find thatย most of the timeย that people only want to preach from a platform and aren’t willing to answer questions is because they primarily want to vent… which is totally unhelpful. Sure, they might call it “prophetic,” but the underlying arrogance (and ignorance) really damages any credibility you have.
“Beer and cigarettes!”
I get it. You are convinced that drinking a beer is a bad witness. I totally disagree (and have blogged about that here), but it really doesn’t matter. You don’t need to drink beer to be around people who do. Jesus had no problem hanging out with sinners, right? In fact, he hung out with them so muchย that their bad reputations rubbed off onย hisย reputation and people actually thought that Jesus was a drunk:
“The Son of Man, on the other hand, feasts and drinks, and you say, ‘He’s a glutton and a drunkard, and a friend of tax collectors and other sinners!'” (Luke 7:34 NLT)
I’ve found time and time again that people actually areย disarmedย by my willingness to spend time with them inย theirย space (i.e., not the church building). I’ve found that I have opportunities to speak into their life because they know that I’m not hiding behindย a sense of self-righteousness or legalism.
Don’t get me wrong. I’m not suggesting everyone needs to drink beer or start smoking cigarettes to be “relevant.” I’m saying that you should be okay with being around people whoย do. You can’t influence them for the kingdom if you aren’t in their lives and they in yours!
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What do you think?

Luke is a pastor-theologian living in northern California, serving as a co-lead pastor with his life, Dawn, at the Red Bluff Vineyard. Father of five amazing kids, when Luke isn’t hanging with his family, reading or writing theology, he moonlights as a fly fishing guide for Confluence Outfitters. He blogs regularly at LukeGeraty.com and regularly contributes to his YouTube channel.
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