Building and Ministry Effort

If you're reading this, there's a good chance you know I've been building for the last few years to support my family. One of the things that drives me nuts is when we go to a job site and see the results of poor work someone else has done. I can't tell you how many times I've thought, "What were they thinking when they did this? Were they thinking when they did this?" Oftentimes, the difference in cost between doing it right and just doing it is pretty minimal but the longevity of the finished product is huge. On the opposite side of the scale, I love seeing good work - corner trim with tight-fitting joints, fine cabinetry, drywall where you can't readily see the joints, etc. Fine craftsmanship points to the values of the craftsperson.

You may also know that I'm finishing up my degree at Bethel Seminary (only five classes left after May). I'm actually sitting in one of my classes right now. We've been looking at 1 Corinthians 1-5 this week and exploring how Paul is using this passage to critique the church in Corinth as it modeled the world's ways of building influence. You see, at the time, the way to pursue civic influence was to build your oratory skills, align with the right powerful/influential people, and be exceedingly political in the position's one takes (not taking a position until your fairly confident it will be the accepted one). In their attempt to be influential, they are destroying the very power God has built into His church. From a literary standpoint, it's pretty cool. Paul is using highly crafted rhetoric to respond to the church's criticism of his ministry and call them out.

Today, we're camped out in Chapter 3. We just walked through vs 10-15 and explored what Paul meant by being an expert builder. Just before this, he introduced the idea of being a servant and now he's able to see himself as an expert. That in itself is pretty cool - to be humble and, at the same time, honest with his gifts, skills, and abilities. What's really struck me with this passage, though, is what is says regarding ministry excellence. Paul, in his efforts to influence the Corinthian church, put his best effort forward. You can see this in how he wrote this letter and how he structured his response to them.

I don't get the sense Paul allowed mediocrity with his ministry. Pretty good or good enough wasn't acceptable to him. He brought everything he had to the table. I get the sense that Paul intentionally honed skills (rhetoric, logic, debate) to allow his ministry to be more effective. He took the extra time to respond well to the church.

He's also very aware that God is the transformational force in the world and he (Paul) is one tool used vs 6 - "I planted the seed. Apollos watered it, but God made it grow." Even though God is the only one with the power to change someone, Paul still brings it all to the table.

It's got me thinking about how we approach ministry today. Do I/we fully engage our gifting and skills to our ministries? By ministry, I mean the life/service we are called to as Christians. Are we taking time to leave fine craftsmanship in our wake or are we just doing things good enough? When someone else sees the work we leave behind, do they ask, "What was he/she thinking? Were they thinking?" By work, I mean conversations we have with others, chances to speak into someone's experience or serve them, opportunities we have to lead, decisions made and actions taken... I can't say I have and I can definitely say that I've been on the receiving side of things where I've asked those questions of others in ministry. I think maybe we should try on Paul's perspective of himself, see ourselves as expert builders capable of building into people in a way that let's others admire God being present in the process and result. I get the sense that if I spent a little extra effort to pursue excellence in my interactions with others, maybe God would be honored and the recipient of my ministry would have less baggage to work through down the road. I don't want to get caught up in my ability or what I can do - I just want my work to reflect the value I place on my relationship with God.