Build a bridge; turn on a light. I don’t know who originally made the point that all ministry can be broken down into these two elements. But if no one emerges proclaiming authorship of those terms, I am going to claim I coined them. No two phrases dissect the inner workings of ministry more than those two. Ministry must have both. You cannot turn on a light in people if you first do not build a bridge to them. If you build a bridge to people and do not turn on a light, then you built a bridge that will not take people anywhere. Bridge plus light equals ministry.
Build a Bridge
Ministry starts by connecting with people. Jesus set the pace. He built bridges to Jews and gentiles, men and women, old and young, rich and poor, healthy and sick. He built bridges to tax collectors, thieves, prostitutes, and people like the Samaritan woman He met at the well. Jesus never issued proclamations from a monastery or even published a book. He spent His ministry engaged in the daily lives of people. Except for His claim to be equal with God, nothing made the Pharisees angrier with Jesus than His choice of friends. His social calendar drove them silly. He was a consummate bridge builder.
Children’s ministry should be no different. We do what we do to connect with children. Room décor, engaging games, funny skits, prizes, cool music, etc. are the building materials that bridge us into a child’s world.
Turn on a Light
After building a bridge we have to do something to make the bridge worth the effort. The bridge must take us somewhere. If week after week we fail to turn on any lights, ministry did not happen. Merely gathering a group of people together does not guarantee that ministry took place. The question must always be: What did we do to turn on a light this week? Did we lead people across a well-constructed bridge only to leave them in the dark? Or did we turn on a light or at least make a flicker? But, and this is the real issue, how do we do that? How do we turn on a light in people?
I believe the “knowledge of God” is the filament in the light bulb. Just as that thin wire thingy in the middle of the light bulb is what makes it glow, the knowledge of God is what makes light in people. And I have a simple, not-overly-spiritual, easy definition of the knowledge of God. The knowledge of God is simply an understanding of what God is like. People have harmful ideas of what God is like. Change those ideas with the Word of God and hearts will change. When people finally grasp what God is really like, the light comes on.
Satan tricked Eve into believing that God was insecure and for that reason did not want her eating from a tree that would make her as wise as Him. She did not know what God was like and that mix-up made her vulnerable to disobedience. In Jesus’ parable of the talents, the man who buried his talent was too afraid of the master because he thought he was a “hard man.” He did not know much about the master (God) and that misunderstanding empowered his failure. God made it clear in Malachi 3:13,14 that you speak “harsh words” against God when you say He is the type of God who will not reward you. Hebrews 1:6 says God is a rewarder. There is a reason why the Bible constantly refers to God as “Father.” Fathers have their kids’ best interests at heart. And Jesus made it clear that God is a “good Father.”
Understanding what type of God we have is the launching pad to a productive life. But how do we know when we have done that?
The Win
How do we measure success? How do we define a win? What is our homerun, our touchdown, our slam dunk? How do we know when we have turned on a light in someone that helps them know more clearly what God is like?
First, I am not motivated by lofty aspirations such as “reaching the world,” “bringing America back to God,” or even “winning our city to Christ.” Grandiose objectives may inspire in the beginning but in the end they frustrate. And they are not scripturally sound. I cannot get my arms around a vision so big it dooms me to failure before I get started. I need a definition of a ministry win that is within reach.
For me, there is only one way to define a triumph in ministry. A ministry win is when someone…somewhere…somehow…responds to God. Responding to God is the authentic result of bridge-building, light-turning ministry.
When someone responds in some way to something God did for them or to some attribute of God’s character; that is a score. That is a slam dunk. We are not called to tell everybody how to live. We are, however, called to tell people about God and let them respond to Him. Sometimes that may result in someone publicly receiving Jesus as Savior and Lord. Sometimes it may be less dramatic like a young lady acquiring hope when before she had only discouragement. Sometimes it may result in a man gaining victory over a sin that has dogged him. Sometimes it may result in a grandpa forgiving a relative who hurt him years prior.
When people discover that God is a loving Father who forever forgave them through Jesus, the light comes on and they experience freedom. When they discover that God is personal, they respond by talking to Him. When they discover how smart God is when it comes to life choices, they respond by listening to His Word for direction. When they discover how powerful God is, they respond by trusting Him to impact their world. When they discover how committed God is to them, they respond by wanting to be committed to God. And so it goes.
When an adult or child responds to God in some way because you built a bridge and turned on a light, you can rightly call that “ministry.” Or like me, you can call that a “slam dunk.”
