My Ministry vs. My Ministry

I realize that the title might be confusing, since you probably can't infer the inflection I intend it to be heard with. I intend that you will read the first with an emphasis on "my" and the second on "ministry." Why, you ask? Because I believe that too often those of us whose paychecks are signed by the Church conflate two distinct if overlapping realities. The way in which we are called to minister and the ministries which we are in charge of at a parish may not, and perhaps should not, be one and the same thing.

At our jobby jobs, which is to say the places that employ us as full-time workers, we are expected to head up various ministries of the Church and ensure that they run smoothly. That means making sure the budget is balanced, the calendar is accurate and up-to-date, the primary stakeholders are informed of what's going on, and the target audience is, well, ministered to. And while there are a plethora of Church ministries - PSR, sacramental prep, youth ministry, fish fries, ministries to the sick and homebound - each follows essentially these same protocols.

On the other hand, your ministry, as in the way in which we as individuals serve God's people, is not exhausted by our ministries in the parish, nor is our ministry the fullness of those parish groups and events. We have unique gifts and talents and vocations. No two DREs are built the same. Each parish is structured differently, with different histories and cultures, different needs, different staffs. It's unrealistic to think two ministers could minister in exactly the same way.

Let me give you a case study. A local youth minister has a background in counseling but began working for the Church because, in her heart, she knew God wanted her to speak about Him explicitly to young people, and not in a vague, shadowy fashion as she had to as a counselor. She is a young wife and mother with skills in dealing with disabilities and hard cases (both by temperament and experience) and a passion for working with young people. In order to work for the Church full time, she becomes a "Youth Minister" whose duties include running Confirmation and High School Ministry, as well as other duties "as assigned by pastor" - which include cleaning the restrooms during COVID and a plethora of other tasks.

What her ministry looks like will be different from any other singular ministry in the world. At it's best, it will be a place of healing and validation, where teens and their families are affirmed in their goodness and challenged to be both holy and whole. They will be both consoled and convicted by such saints as Mother Teresa, staying close with her maker even through the dark night of the soul, and Terese of Lisieux, who affirmed that holiness consists in doing God's will and being just who God made us to be. It will be a ministry of personal sacrifice, of love, and of dedication to the mercy and healing of God practically rooted in the best practices of the Church and the world.

At it's worst, it will prioritize personal relationships over practical necessities like having a robust budget or an evangelization strategy for the wider parish. It will lean heavily into mystical prayer and spiritual warfare, perhaps leaving less room for the "average" parish teen who just needs to complain about a boyfriend or an upcoming math exam.

But that youth minister has two overlapping ministries: her work at the parish running two programs and her personal apostolate fulfilled to some extent within those ministries but also necessarily exercised outside of it. God has given all of us gifts and talents, and, as St. Paul says to the Ephesians, "The gifts he gave were that some would be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, some pastors and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ" (Eph 4:11-12).

So what's the point? For those working in a parish or discerning that vocation, we must take into account our unique giftedness and call from the Lord. You will likely not find a perfect fit for all of your skills in a singular job. So, if you have a deep desire to disciple young women and be a part of a robust young adult community, but don't have skills for organization or small talk, you may not be right for the secretary position at your local church. Or, if you have a heart for teaching, you may make a great youth minister, but need to surround yourself with others who can relate better to teens on their level and leverage your skills for other parish ministries as well.

Use the gifts that God has given you to their fullest extent - just don't expect a church to tailor your job to your skills. We need a diversity of talents to build up the kingdom: exercise yours to strengthen the Body of Christ. Even if it isn't you "job."