I am understanding a little more each day about ministry. Even though I’ve had many years of ministry experience as a volunteer, I am just getting to understand ministry as a paid staff.
I thought being a volunteer and staff would be similar. I would still be planning programs, teaching the Bible, helping people, etc. As a volunteer, I took ministry seriously and invested a lot of time, so I figured being staff wouldn’t be that much different except you get paid and you have more responsibilities.
The more responsibilities part is correct, only not in the way I expected. Being staff doesn’t mean I’m just here to do things. The greater responsibility is being responsible for people’s growth. I am learning that my primary “job” is to help people grow in their maturity in Christ. If I ask someone to teach Sunday School, my job is not to make sure they show up to teach. My job is to make sure they are growing to be like Christ.
This is a learning process for me because as a volunteer, I was naturally concerned for those I work with in the church because I chose to work with them and they are my friends. But as staff, I do not choose who I work with. I have to work with everyone. And people look to me to get things done. So I was seeing people not as friends that I am concerned about, but as people to fill in roles. I want to make sure they perform their duties. But that is wrong. My job is to help them grow as they perform their duties, not just to get their work done.
That’s what I learned today.