The Observant Minister

A single value can either lead to infirmity or vibrancy within the scope of church life, the point of decision is invariably crucial and just as important is the foundation upon which that decision is made. A common mistake is to pragmatically reduce the vast networks of relationships a minister must keep track of into simple, task-oriented associations. Alternatively, a minister may decide to navigate the bevy of churchgoers by tracking relationship connection points and fields of interest. Thus, to take the fundamental value of noticing people and extrude its possibilities from each of these two modes may result in extreme disparateness.

The task-oriented mode will build upon the fundamental value of noticing people by defining the action of noticing within a quantified scope of tasks, hence the evaluative inquiry will manifest as Did Jane do this? or possibly Will Jane do this? within the task-oriented mode. It follows logically that Jane’s perceived value depends upon her presence and participation, and possibly even the quality of her performance and reputation of consistent accomplishment within the given range of tasks.

However, the relationally-observant mode will augment the value of noticing people by defining the action of noticing within an abstraction of related people and possibly the conditions which relate them. Hence, the resultant inquiry would manifest as something like What does Jane prefer? or Who does Jane prefer? This would result in layers of networks that place Jane in groups such as skiers, writers, wine connoisseurs, and fans of Dylan Thomas. Knowing this, the minister would resolve any issues related to Jane’s spirituality by studying the influences upon her as well as her peers, and the success of helping Jane to resolve difficulties would be satisfied by returning her to a normal state of interaction and emotional satisfaction.

Yet with the task-oriented mode, it is inevitable that the state of Jane’s spirituality is measured by the activities in which she participates. Problems are identified by her poor performance, decreased participation, and even absences. Consequently, Jane may not reconfigure her schedule to reduce her time serving as a sound grip for the church to take Pilates classes without suffering the stigma of “walking away from God.”

In terms of relative value, the minister may evaluate Jane’s value to him through either method. In a task-oriented mode, Jane’s relationship to the minister is as valuable as her ability to perform a task or accomplish a goal. In a socially-oriented mode, they are as valuable to each other as they are willing to interest themselves in the other person, regardless of common activities or even other related interests. Obviously, Christ’s commission to the church is best fulfilled by the socially-oriented ministers who develop disciples, not laborers.

So how are you discipling?