So, how's ministry going?

Hello, friends!

One of the questions that I get asked pretty often is "So, how's ministry going?" Most/all of my friends and family know what I do and it's an easy way to start a conversation. Consider it the missionary version of "How's work?" or, "How're the wife and kid?" (For the record, I get that question a lot too).

A few days ago I was asked that question again and for whatever reason, this time I decided to stop and actually try and quantify "how the ministry was going." It led me down a very interesting rabbit hole of sorts.

Back when my sole job was ACF, answering that question was relatively easy. There were always different areas going well and other areas not going so well but usually everything was pretty simple to calculate and stuff was correlated so when one area was going well, it usually meant the chapter was doing OK.

Now that I have 4 chapters that I work with, 2 staff I supervise, 1 staff team to lead, and a host of other responsibilities (like this conference I'm directing next week), there are more levels to consider. If stuff with one chapter is going well but not with another, how do I answer the question? If campus stuff is going great but the conference planning has been difficult, does that mean ministry is going well or not so well? Should I just go with "net positive" and assume that if I add up all the plusses and minuses that it'll all work out?

In one sense, it doesn't really matter. I was praying a few days ago about different areas of ministry and the word that kept coming back to me was, "I require faithfulness, not results." I'm reminded of Psalm 50 where God reminds David that he doesn't actually need anything from him. I go back to one of my favorite stories from scripture where Jesus reminds the 72 after they come back from missions work to rejoice only because their names are written in the book of life. All said and done, I'm doing the best I can, following where I believe God is leading me, and trying not to focus on the results as much as the process.

The other side is that I want to be honest and transparent. Meg will tell you that honesty and integrity are two values I hold very high. When I started ministry, I said from the jump that since I was working in Missouri but most of my base was in California, I was going to be as transparent as possible in ministry. That means that the question to me is less of a rhetorical device asked with no care for the answer; it is a chance to re-evaluate, assess, and analyze, in hopes that it gives glory to God.

What does that mean for y'all? In short, it means don't worry if I take a second to answer that question. I'm just searching for the right answer. =0).

Have an excellent day!

~Adam