Networking in Ministry

When I wrote Making It In Ministry several years ago (still available on Amazon - shameless plug), I suggested that future ministry will require networking.  Fact is, the days when a seminarian could graduate and expect to be called to First Church, County Seat USA and spend a lifetime in ministry reasonably well provided for are gone… at least for many if not most people.  Making It In Ministry arose from the senior seminar I taught in an urban, interdenominational seminary.  Even then it was my dubious privilege to make those students aware they might have to create their own opportunities and approach ministry as a bi-vocational calling.

In my first blog entry, when I talked about what I wanted to be when I grow up, I didn’t say “I want to start a network.”  But, actually, networking is the only way to make some of the other goals come together.

Jabez cried out to the God of Israel, “Oh, that you would bless me and enlarge my territory!”   I Chronicles 4:10 NIV

“Enlarge the place of your tent…”
Isaiah 54:2 NIV

For several hundred years, congregationally governed churches have networked into associations of churches to do ministries and missions and conduct training that would have been impossible for individual churches.  Ministers and staff persons of those churches found some support and training from the associations, but for the most part remained on their own - virtually as individual contractors.

I believe the time has come for ministers to network together in associations of their own.  Without competing with associations of churches, these minister associations would serve to network and resource those seeking to do ministry.  They would also be prayer partners and in some cases provide needed representation in finding placement and raising funds.

It’s “seasoned” (please don’t say “old”) preacher types like me that should probably lead the way in putting these associations together.  We bring experience.  We’re often already placed in ministry and the association should not interfere with existing ministry placements.  We may not be financially secure, but we’re probably enough along in life and have enough of the pressing financial responsibilities behind us that we can take on a new task without having to depend upon it for income.  We ready to have the Lord enlarge our tents.

If you want to follow this line of thinking, there’s a Squid page for that: www.squidoo.com/jabez-project.  I’ve put together the first effort at describing a ministry association I’m launching.  You might want to be more involved in the visioning process or in the association itself.