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Free to Be Me

By Juli Nelson

The class was Preaching 101. The professor handed out the syllabus and I scanned it quickly. I had been looking forward to this class. My stomach tightened as I noted the requirements: read four books (think "thick, heavy books"), report on multiple journal articles, preach two sermons, critique other students' sermons, and listen to or watch 32 sermons by renowned preachers (which couldn't be checked out of the library)! It was the last requirement that left me wide-eyed. Listen to tapes and videos of 32 sermons? Did I need to just move into the seminary?

That last requirement proved to be my favorite, and not just because I heard a lot of great sermons, but because of how my preaching professor asked us to use that experience. I'll never forget her instruction: "I want you to soak in those sermons, but I don't want you to sound like any of those preachers." What? Then why listen to them? "Because," she explained, "I want you to identify what you resonate with, but you must find your own voice."

That professor absolutely refused to produce preaching clones. She just happened to believe that the first tool in everybody's ministry kit should be authenticity. I have come to agree.

So if we're going to talk about sharpening our tools for ministry, we need to start by asking ourselves who we are — who we really are. And then we must decide to take that person, that real person, into every ministry setting. Ministry doesn't need clones, or people wearing masks, pretending to be all things to all people. The work of ministry is too important for that kind of charades.

What is the most transparent version of yourself that you can bring into the pulpit, into the office, into the boardroom? That's the person you need to bring. If you do, you will be perceived as real. But more importantly, you and others will clearly see where your strengths lie, and where you need to depend on others' strengths.

Hopefully, "free to be me" includes humility. No one can do it all and it's an illusion to believe otherwise. So affirming others' strengths, working truly collaboratively, and making yourself accountable to others are really not optional. They are a necessary demonstration of humility, which is an essential tool in everyone's ministry kit. It's a tool in short supply in our culture, for humility is often mistaken for lack of confidence or "being a doormat." Nothing could be further from the truth. Humility means you know your strengths and live confidently out of them so you are not threatened by, but rather can affirm and nurture, others' strengths.

Obviously, I think authenticity and humility are essential tools in ministry. But there's another practical tool that needs to be in everyone's ministry kit, and continually needs to be sharpened. It's called life-long learning. The world is changing, some of people's perceived needs are changing, and the minister needs to be able to connect the gospel to her people in relevant ways. If you're the minister, you need to keep reading. If you're not a reader, go to seminars. Take a class or find a mentor in the skill areas where you need growth. If you're not effective in chairing board meetings, find someone who is, and observe them or ask them to coach you. If you are perceived as too timid or too aggressive, find a voice or drama coach to offer pointers. If you have trouble with time management, find someone who excels in that, and ask them to look at your schedule and advise you. If people sleep during your preaching, form a small committee to give you feedback and suggestions. Needing to grow is not an indictment; it's an evidence of being human — and it's an opportunity!

Do you need to sharpen your ministry tools? Be deeply authentic. Be humble. And be a life-long learner.

You can do it. God wouldn't have called you if you couldn't.

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