I like to think of myself as a person who enjoys partnering and sharing resources between ministries. I work as the Campus Life Director at a school. I communicate with churches in my area, I partner with the youth workers at those churches, and we share resources and pray for one another. I am even on great terms with CRU and Young Life Directors in my schools. I believe whole-heartedly that, in order for us to be successful, we need to all see each other as part of the Church instead of the separate little kingdoms we can be prone to build. I believe so strongly in this approach that I even encourage my students to go to the churches in the area. I mean, this looks pretty good so far, right?
Well, I believe God knew I had this type of mindset and gave me a unique challenge to test my own back-patting. A couple years ago, I started doing ministry at the high school in my area, and I was in desperate need of ministry leaders (aka volunteers). I had gotten a good base of female leaders but I was coming up short on getting any male leaders to jump into the ministry. Finally, I had one guy I knew would be great at serving youth. I took him out to coffee to get to know him and pitch my idea of him serving with us. In his story he told me about how he came to know Christ in college through a friend inviting him to CRU and how much CRU had meant to him and how that was a ministry that really helped bring him into the church and ultimately come to know and serve Christ. What my selective hearing heard was a little different. I heard, "A friend invited me to a parachurch ministry" and "I love parachurch ministries and want to see other people that wouldn't necessarily go to church right away to have a good way to enter into the church." With that selective hearing, I thought that Campus Life is a parachurch, it's practically the same thing, so we're a perfect match! Yet, he talked about in our meeting that he loved CRU and would love to serve with them some day. Here's the problem though: I needed a male leader! So, I was pitching hard on Campus Life and serving with us, when I knew full well that my fellow brother in Christ in charge of CRU in my school district needed leaders just like I did.
I was confronted with a sobering fact: out of abundance and growth, it's easy to partner and share, but in our need, our desires out of necessity shows us a little more of what we may believe deep down in our hearts. I had a necessity for male leaders, so that whole idea of partnership for me went flying out the window. In reflecting on this, I am reminded of the story of all of those people giving money out of their wealth and then the woman that came up and gave two copper coins. She didn't give out of wealth like the others, giving for them wasn't really hurting all that much, but she gave out of her poverty. I was in poverty of leaders and withheld information, even knowing that his heart was leaning towards a particular ministry. I chatted with him more and decided to tell him about CRU and even the Young Life ministries in the same school I was in and told him that they were some amazing guys. I sent him their contact information and told him that not only should he come and check out one of my clubs or small groups, but I told him he should contact those two guys and see theirs as well. It was not the easiest decision at first, but I know it was the right thing because Campus Life and my individual ministry I serve is not the only ministry out there promoting God's Word.
Honestly, to this day, I do not know if he ever contacted those other ministries. I like to think he did, but ultimately, he began serving with me at Campus Life. Truthfully, if he did choose any of those two or another one, I really did come to a place where I would have been extremely happy for him. The reality is that no matter what he chose, he would be a key and crucial part in building God's Kingdom, not Campus Life, not CRU, and not Young Life. No matter who he chose or went with, he would be serving the Lord.
I think when it really comes down to it, it's out of our necessity that we can oftentimes shift to selfishness and all that talk about serving and partnering to build God's Kingdom becomes challenged in our hearts, minds and actions. What it really comes down to in the end is a lack of trust in God that His plan is bigger than any of us. If this guy would not have worked out, then there would be another guy that God would have brought along. Truth is, I was never going to lose a ministry leader to something else, I would have gained a brother-in-arms no matter where he went to serve. He would have been doing the same thing, just under a different name of an organization. So, my challenge for you all is this, what necessity is holding you back from being willing to partner and share and do you trust the Lord enough to not give up, but rather share?