Ministry that is enjoyable?

Over the the length of my ministry I have found a curious phenomenon. If people mention the word 'ministry' they assume it is something more akin to 'work' and dour faces than to 'fun' or laughter. So if you are doing something 'fun', by definition it cannot be 'ministry'! Where did that come from? I thought at first it might be something in our Protestant DNA, like the Puritans or the Pilgrims, until I realized that it infects all faith traditions.

A few years ago I made several key decisions in my ministry. First, I decided that this attitude was ridiculous. The Gospels and Epistles are filled with examples of Jesus and his followers enjoying themselves while engaged in ministry. Sure, there were times when a job had to be done and it wasn't much fun, but there was always room for people to have a meal together, to laugh, to enjoy fellowship together. Therefore I decided to take every opportunity possible to make the work of the church 'fun'.

Another key decision I made was to avoid at all costs ministry that was done simply for the sake of doing something. The church has so many possibilities for ministry that it is simply not feasible for a small church to do everything. That just leads to burnout.

A third decision we made was that out of all of the possibilities for ministry we have, the ones that will actually be started (outside of things like Sunday morning worship) are the ones that someone feels a God-given burden for leading, other than someone in the pastoral staff. When the Men's Ministry started, it was because two men came to me and asked if they could do it. When the Ladies Craft Fellowship started it was because someone wanted to start it and was willing to take the lead. Friday afternoon Bible Study was started when someone decided that we needed it and they were willing to lead. The important point here is that our ministries are not just something the pastor is trying to push. If and when the pastor eventually leaves, the ministry will not perish. The ministries started become something living and organic within the church.

This weekend our Men's Ministry is hosting the "Northwest Vermont Blowgun Tournament". It has two purposes. One purpose is to do something that is going to reach out to people who otherwise would not darken the doors of the church. The second purpose is for us to have some FUN during the winter doldrums. Just think, if we get some of these people to come in and see that Christians can actually have fun like normal folk, then we might earn the right to talk to them about Jesus someday.

"Our mouths were filled with laughter, our tongues with songs of joy. Then it was said among the nations, 'The LORD has done great things for them.'" Psalms 126:2


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