It seems to me that our perceptions of ministry are shaped more by tradition than by either God or the Bible. Just recently I found myself confronted with my own faulty premises about ministry. In January I took an Area Manager position with an agricultural company specializing in livestock nutrition. I struggled internally for several weeks, wondering if I left my calling. I finally realized that God desires to bring His kingdom (His realm or rule) to the farmers with whom I work. My life is ministry and my work is spiritual. God desires for my clients to prosper as they put God's business principles into practice.
As I thought about my struggle, I realized that my paradigm of ministry was shaped more by the traditions of church than by God's definition. In the church world, the pinnacle of ministry is "full time ministry" especially pastoring. Our verbiage indicates our paradigm. "Full time ministry" means to us that we are getting paid to do ministry. The questions that arises in my mind is this - are those of us who do not get paid for ministry engaged in a lesser form of ministry? I have heard leaders lament the amount of pastors who leave the ministry. Huh? Does that mean that those of us who have been pastors and are now in the business world are somehow less involved in the expansion of the realm of God? Does that mean that we have betrayed God and settled for something less significant.
In the past I have been paid the equivalent of a full time salary for the work of ministry. I currently receive no income for ministry except the voluntary gifts of people who have been touched by God through me. I am not less spiritual today than when I led Grace Covenant Church. In fact, in many ways, I feel more deeply involved with the expansion of the realm of God today than I ever was.
Perhaps part of the reason we misinterpret ministry is our categorizing of things into sacred or secular. We assume our work is secular and in contrast anything to do with church is sacred. In reality, every part of my life is sacred because of God in me. He extends His kingdom through me wherever I am. I have come to the realization that whether I am engaged in church activities or in the business world, I am in full time ministry because of God in me!
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About Me
- Glen Peachey
- Mifflintown, PA
- My hope is that when my life ends here on this earth, I will be remembered as a radical follower of Jesus Christ. Over the years I have been involved in various capacities in the church world (everything from cleaning toilets to being Senior Pastor). Several years ago I discovered that my identity was found in what I "did". (i.e. - I was a Senior Pastor). Instead of finding my worth in God's words about me, I found my worth in my accoplishments. God has brought about a radical transformation in me. My identity is not determined by what I do but who I am. Today I am simply a follower of Jesus Christ, a son of God the Father. I am a husband and a father of four great kids (teenagers to young adults). They are all fellow travellers on this pursuit of Jesus Christ, on this journey with Him.
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