The Ministry of Presence: Showing Up Authentically

We explore the profound impact of authentic presence in ministry, emphasizing how being fully there can transform relationships and create real connections. Listeners will reflect on their own experiences and consider ways to ask, "Who needs my presence today?" 

• Power of being present rather than well-crafted sermons 
• The risk of distractions in leadership roles 
• Embracing silence as a form of support 
• Importance of consistency over crisis in relationships 
• Reflective question: Who needs my presence today?

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Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:08

Have you ever sat across from someone who was there but not really there? Maybe their eyes were glued to their phone, maybe their mind was just you look at them and their mind was clearly somewhere else. That's frustrating, right? No, flip it. I mean think about a time when someone showed up for you, fully present, no distractions, no agenda. They were just there. It felt different, didn't it? That's the power of presence, and in ministry, it's often not what we say, but how we show up that makes the biggest difference and the biggest impact, and we're going to talk about that today the presence of ministry or the ministry of presence. How being fully there can change absolutely everything.

Speaker 1: 1:00

Hi, my name is Todd Rhodes. I'm one of the co-founders over at chemistrystaffingcom and you're listening to the Healthy Church Staff Podcast. Okay, today I'd like to have you think about the moments in ministry that have impacted you the most. Was it a perfectly crafted sermon? A perfectly crafted sermon? Was it a well-written leadership email? Probably not. My guess is that it was more personal than that. It may have been a person who just sat with you when life got tough. Presence is powerful, and it's what Jesus modeled for us. He didn't just send messages, he was the message. He showed up for the woman at the well, he showed up for Zacchaeus. He was there for the blind. He was there for the broken, he was there for the grieving. His ministry wasn't just in his words, it was in his presence.

Speaker 1: 2:08

But today, in ministry, we often get caught up in doing things rather than being present. And there are things that we all have to do. Right, if you're a senior pastor, you have to prepare sermons. Right, you have to structure programs, you have to lead meetings, but sometimes the most impactful thing you can do is to simply be present with somebody. Okay, so today I want to talk about three ways really to embrace authentic presence in your ministry, and the first is just to put aside distractions and be fully there. Put aside distractions and be fully there. It's hard, it's hard not to grab my phone when I'm with my wife or when I'm with someone else, or when I'm with a pastor, and check my email. It's really hard not to be fully there. Have you ever had a conversation where the other person was nodding along with their eyes were checking their phone? Don't be that guy. Don't be that guy, don't be that gal. When you're in the room, be in the room. No distractions. Your undivided attention is a gift and you think people won't discover that, or they won't notice that they will because it's so uncommon. So keep your phone in your pocket. No distractions, undivided attention. Be fully there.

Speaker 1: 3:33

And sometimes you just have to embrace the ministry of silence. Sometimes the best response doesn't seem to be a response at all. It's just sitting with somebody. You know this if you're a pastor. Sometimes you don't know what to say. Sometimes there are times when you just should say nothing. It's just sitting with someone. It's your presence, it's being there in their pain, in their grief or in their uncertainty. You don't have to fix everything Matter of fact, uncertainty. You don't have to fix everything Matter of fact. Sometimes, if you talk, it's the wrong thing to do. Just sit there and be quiet and embrace the ministry of silence, because just being there is often enough.

Speaker 1: 4:16

And then I think this is important you need to look at consistency over crisis. Okay, consistency over crisis. Don't just show up when things fall apart. You need to be as a leader. You need to be a steady, faithful presence in people's lives. A ministry of presence is about the long haul, not just the emergencies. The emergencies are going to happen and you need to be there for the emergencies, but the ministry of presence isn't just about the emergencies. The emergencies are going to happen and you need to be there for the emergencies, but the ministry of presence isn't just about the emergencies. It's about being there in the bad times and the times where you've got to be there. It's about being there in the good times and support during the good times as well.

Speaker 1: 4:57

So how do you apply this to your life? What's my bottom line for you today? It's a simple question Ask yourself who needs my presence today. It's a simple question who needs my presence today? Maybe it's a staff member who's struggling. Maybe it's a simple question who needs my presence today? Maybe it's a staff member who's struggling. Maybe it's a volunteer who is feeling unseen. Maybe it's just somebody in your church who's been going through a really tough time.

Speaker 1: 5:29

Whoever it is, and I'm sure that if you ask that question again, the question is who needs my presence today? I'm sure that if you ask that question again, the question is who needs my presence today? I'm sure that if you ask that question, god is going to put somebody in your mind. And whoever God puts in your mind, take one small step today Show up. No agenda, no advice, just be there. Just be there. And I'm not saying just go in and sit in somebody's office and just sit and stare at them. No, but you know what I'm talking about Just the presence. And it's not going to be you're going to go and just be silent. You're going to go and you're going to just give them five minutes of your presence, without distraction. It's going to make them feel important, it's going to make them feel needed and it's going to help you to feel like you're making a difference in people's lives. You know why? Because you will be making a difference in people's lives.

Speaker 1: 6:18

I'd love to hear your thoughts on this. Maybe there's been a time when someone's presence made a difference in your life. I'd love to hear your story. I love hearing people's stories. So shoot me an email. Every email I read, every email is private and confidential. You can shoot me an email anytime, 24-7. Podcast at chemistrystaffingcom. And if your church is going through any kind of staffing issues, looking for ways to make your staff healthier, I would love to have that conversation with you as well. See if there's any way that myself or someone on our team at Chemistry Staffing could help you. Shoot me an email anytime. Podcast at chemistrystaffingcom. All right, thanks so much. Remember to ask that question today. It'll make a huge difference in your life. It'll make a huge difference in the life of somebody that you have. A pleasant day.