Andi Lynch

Office of the Christian Teacher

Nov 24, 2014

Philosophy of Ministry Paper

To be called means following Gods desire to use the gifts that He

has given you to do the work that He has set up for you to do. In a
way every Christian is called and has different work to do. Parents are
called to raise their children in the knowledge and strength of the Lord,
likewise as Christians we are living our lives to show the glory of God
and to go and make disciples of all nations. However to be called into
ministry means following Gods desire to use the gifts that He has
given you into public ministry. My view of ministry encompasses a wide
variety of different actions that help continue Gods Kingdom. I think
that ministry uses the gifts from both men and women. However I
believe that the office of public ministry is the pastoral office and is
held only by men that are called by God. I think that all ministries
come out of the pastoral office and therefore the pastor is still the head
keeper of all ministries. This means that as a family life director my
ministry is still under the guidance of my pastor at the church I work
at.

My parents are one of the biggest influences in my life. Both my

mother and father made God a priority in our lives, we always went to
church and they were very active in different ministries. Even though
growing up I didnt always appreciate the fact that I couldnt go out on
Saturday nights my parents dedication to God and His Word are now a
part of me today. Growing up with God was normal for me and we as
a family incorporated Him into our daily lives. My church has been like
another parent to me. I grew up in my current church Christ Our King
Lutheran church since I was three years old. I have had many
members of the congregation teach my Sunday school classes,
participate in different retreats with me, and generally help me grow
up (even if I didnt like it at the time.) When I went to a church event I
was always encouraged in what I was doing and I was invited to do
more and more. Now that I am in school to be a professional church
worker they have been nothing but encouraging. They love to have
me teach Wednesday night classes, or give the childrens message.
One of my biggest role models is my churchs family life director Dawn
Rupe. She has been an inspiration to me since she came to our
church. Dawn has a way of creating great personal relationships with
people, building a growing ministry for families, and has managed to
manage her household of three little boys and a husband. She has
been so encouraging to me (especially about me going into ministry)
and has been the person I go to when I am struggling with lifes

struggles.

The biggest lesson that I learned from her is that God

works through our mistakes, even though we try to plan every little
detail there will be things that go wrong we just praise the Lord that He
is forgiving and keep on trying. So far I have been blessed with the
path God has planned for me. The hardest part for me is to let my own
plans go and to listen to Him. God has already used many different
kinds of people to influence me to work with children and especially
the families of children. I fully believe that because I was blessed with
such a great childhood I want to help parents create that kind of life for
their families.
Growing up I was always a part of a team. I played many on many
different sports teams in high school and loved the team mentality. As
a member of the team you always wanted to do your best to help
better the team, and no team was stronger than their weakest link. As
a team you worked together and build each other up and you
appreciate the gifts and abilities that others have. Now that I am on
church staff and in full time church work I take the same principles that
I learned in high school and live them out in my job as a DFLM. This
time instead of trying to win games as a ministry team we are working
to increase Gods kingdom and become fishers of men. I love being on
a ministry team that builds you up in what is most importantChrist.
Not only am I a member of my churchs ministry team but I am also a
part of the LCMS church body. The LCMS works very hard to help its

ministry workers complete the work that God has called us to do

make disciples of all nations.
I have to admit I do not know a lot of scripture by heart, I wish that I
did because that would make my life a lot easier but I do not. However
there are some key verses in the Bible that I have kept close and give
me a lot of encouragement. The first one is my confirmation verses
which is John 10:27-28. My sheep hear my voice, and I know them,
and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they will never perish,
and no one will snatch them out of my hand. This is the primary
verse that I always fall back to when I am spiritually low. In this verse I
remember that even if I mess up I am one of Gods sheep and no one
can take me away from my Lord. The second verse that I love is Isaiah
41:10 fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God;
I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous
right hand. This verse calms me down when I am afraid to do
something because once again God is promising me that He will never
let me go. This verse also shows me that God works best through my
weaknesses, and that even though I may be weak God is always
strong. The last verse that is very close to me is very familiar and
popular, it is Jeremiah 29:11. For I know the plans I have for you,
declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a
future and a hope. Now before you grown let me tell you why I love
this verse so much. First of all this verse tells me that God does have a

plan and when my best plans fail it is important for me to know that
my life has a plan and a purpose. Another factor is what is the plan?
Because of the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ I have a final
destination when I die and that destination is in heaven. I may not
have a great and healthy life on earth (though looking back I realize
that I have abused this verse for that reason) but I know that God is
making glorious plans for me in heaven and that is where I will be
someday.
My understanding of a Christian ministry professional is a person
who has a heart for God, people, and service. I believe that any
professional knows facts about their area of expertise and that they are
willing to look deeper into more facts when they give out information. I
also have an expectation that any professional is well kept for their
specific field and that is no different with a ministry profession. I
expect that as a family ministry professional I will dress and act in an
appropriate and caring fashion that still allows me to catch children
when needed. I expect a Christian ministry professional to have great
people skills and patience. Truly when I think of professional ministry
workers I imagine someone who has even more grace toward people
than the average person because they are working with hurting people
in a very sinful world.
God cares for all of His people and this also includes the people who
are in His ministry. As a called church worker it is really easy to spend

so much time taking care of other people that you do not take care of
yourself. However if you stop taking care of yourself then you will not
be able to do the work God has set out for you to do. One really
important precaution to have as a church worker is proper boundaries.
It is so easy to take your work home and never give yourself a break.
However even God rested from work on the Sabbath day! As a
professional church worker it is important to have a break and make
home time home and family time while keeping work (even though it is
work for the church) at work. Proper boundaries also help others too,
through learning those boundaries people will learn not to lean on you
but on God for their lives. It is also important for myself, my family
and others that I put my family first over the ministry of the church. I
cannot equip families to faith formation if I first do not lead my own
family.
I think it is very hard to find what you will not budge on until you are
in a situation in which you have to decide if you value something or
not. However as a DFLM you will hear many different opinions and
perspectives on issues and have come up with some non-negotiables
of my own. First of all I will not do anything that is illegal (unless they
are in opposition to God, see Romans 13:1-7.) For example I will refuse
to give minors alcohol or any other substances that are illegal because
it is against the law and have terrible repercussions for a childrens
director. However I will not accept any abortion services even if the

government says that I have to because abortion is killing another

person and going against the Lord. Another big non-negotiable for me
is I have to have the ability have an open relationship with my pastor
and be able to ask questions with out being looked down upon. As a
DFLM I have been in classes where I have learned a good deal about
my job, however I do not know everything and I need help. For me I
have to have that open relationship with the staff at the church in
order to be a part of the team and work my hardest. I do not want to
be afraid to ask questions or state my opinion because I am such an
open kind of person.
At this point of my life I feel called to focus on children and their
families. God has given me the ability to work children with all of their
energy and business with a joyful heart. I also have the great ability
and grace to work with parents as they try to help their little ones grow
and learn in the world. In todays world most parents know that it is
their primary responsibility to bring up their childthis also includes
bringing up their children in the amazing gift of faith that God has
given us. Most parents are excited for this opportunity but do not
know how to raise their children up in the faith. I believe my job, as a
Director of Family Ministry (DFLM) is to help prepare parents for their
faith formation roles of their children. At this time in my life God has
shown me through struggles that I am not ready to work directly with
teens. I have learned that I am to empathetic for all of the hurt many

teens face and I have to learn how to put up healthy emotional

boundaries before I start working directly with teens. I fully believe that
God will put me in ministry with teens at some point in my life and I am
excited for that, however for now I feel that God is calling me to focus
on children and their families.