I don’t envy those currently in vocational ministry.
Of course, any time someone is in ministry is a difficult time.
Ministry is messy.
People go through seasons of need or trouble.
You also have your own sh!t to deal with.
Ministry is always a hard juggle of work, faith, church structures, people, expectations, highs, lows, friends and family.
But it must be especially difficult now.
COVID.
Vaccinations.
Isolation.
Uncertainty.
ZOOM everything…
All of these will ramp up the challenges.
And, on top of these, there’s a new tightrope to walk along… conspiracies.
How do you minister effectively to members of your congregation, who both love and want to follow Jesus, but hold opposite views on current issues?
Vaccinations.
Face masks.
Churches staying open.
How do you cater to both sides of the divide? Should you?
Should you let your personal feelings be known?
Should you, to some extent, entertain what you think are crackpot theories?
I would like to say that these tensions are balanced like any hot button issues of the past…
War.
Divorce.
Abortion.
Sexuality.
People in a church can, will and do hold differing opinions on these and a thousand other topics.
But, right now, there seems to be greater, louder and more public division and camp-creating.
If we choose, we can now live, work and listen to only those who are entrenched within our own echo chamber.
So, how do you minister to them?
I’ve actually already answered the question when describing those within the discussions…
If people love and want to follow Jesus, point them there.
Point them to Jesus.
Tell them to follow Jesus.
Ask them what they think Jesus would do.
Ask them how Jesus would treat others with a different viewpoint.
Walk with them through that conversation.
Practically, let the Holy Spirit work in them.
This is how we best minister to those on the edges of a debate and allows those at either end of a discussion to be reminded of the thing - the primary thing - they hold in common.
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