Define "Minister"

When I was about 16 or 17, a young woman at our church told me that she thought I'd marry a minister or a missionary. I really didn't like this comment. I have to confess that at the time, it didn't set well with me because I had no desire to go to some other country or to be the poster child of some church. No thanks, I'd pass. But as I've matured, this comment has still rankled, but for other reasons. And much of it has to do with the definiton of "minister."

According to Dictionary.com, a minister is:

1. a person authorized to conduct religious worship; member of the clergy; pastor.



2. a person authorized to administer sacraments, as at Mass.


3. a person appointed by or under the authority of a sovereign or head of a government to some high office of state, esp. to that of head of an administrative department: the minister of finance.


4. a diplomatic representative accredited by one government to another and ranking next below an ambassador.


5. a person acting as the agent or instrument of another

Now, most of us think of the first definition when we think of a minister, don't we? Someone who is on staff at a church. Their name is listed on the website or on the back of the church bulletin you receive when you walk in the door. But I really like the simplicity of definition #5. And take a look this: "Not that we are competent in ourselves, but our competence comes from God. He has made us competent as ministers of a new covenant --- not of the letter but of the Spirit" (2 Corinthians 3:5-6a).

So, you see, I am a minister. Being a minister is the equivalent of being a Christian. In the past few years, verses such as those listed below have come to mean a lot to me, as I've learned what all this God/church/Christian thing is all about.

"He has showed you, O man, what is good. And what does the LORD require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God" (Micah 6:8).

"Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world" (James 1:27).

As I was growing up, it seemed that the more you talked about God, the more godly you were considered. But as our pastor pointed out last night, sometimes people do too much talkin'. I'd rather my actions, behaviors, and supernatural peace be the product of my faith, not how much I talk about the Bible and "churchy" topics.

So speaking as one minister to another, let's start doing and quit talking quite so much. As my mother always said, people don't care what you know until they know how much you care.