Using One's Life Story In Ministry

Life Story & Ministry

     A life story “gives definition to the experiences of the past.”[1] God uses a lifetime of unfolding events, circumstances and relationships in the life of a preacher/teacher, to mold him or her into a tool for  spiritual development (personally and corporately).[2]It is interesting how God is never surprised by the path taken by any of his children. “He is never captive and will write his story in and through his instruments regardless of the circumstances.”[3] Since part of the role of encourager in chief (the preacher/teacher) will be to create and promote a community in which life stories can be freely and [4]

safely expressed (catalyst for change), then it is important that he or she is fully aware of his or her own story. The preacher becomes that catalyst for change after coming to an understanding of how he or she fits into God’s big picture. Before Peter the fisherman became the apostle Peter, bishop of the New Testament church, his Lord told him, “But I have prayed for you, Simon, that your faith may not fail. And when you have turned back, strengthen your brothers” (Luke 22:32). His life story became his catalyst for change under the direction of the Holy Spirit. Peter’s influence and ministry after his last personal encounter with Jesus (John 21:15-18) set the pace for the latter half of his life, to the benefit of all of Christendom. All of his past was fuel for his future, and the same principle holds true for the preacher/teacher. It is “the preacher’s story, intersecting God’s story, for the purpose of God’s ongoing story.”

                Practically speaking, Seidel suggests five questions to guide future ministry endeavors: (1) Has the preacher embraced their personal life story? (2) What has been the response to insights gained from the life story? (3) What is the resulting calling? (4) How does the story bring greater devotion to God? (5) What brings delight with this new-found understanding of a Christ image bearer?[5]Keeping these questions as a guide, the preacher should then be empowered to embrace the mission of transforming communities. This involves properly preparing him/her self to deliver the life transforming message of the Gospel to the hearer. Perhaps, Haddon Robinson describes the task best: “Through the study of the biblical text, the Holy Spirit transforms the preacher, who in turn is used to bring change to the hearer.”[6] Like the apostles of the New Testament, it is essential that necessary delegation be given to capable and faithful people in order that the proper effort be given to this all-important task of preaching. It is through preaching God’s Words that we realize spiritual change, and it remains one of God’s primary channel of spiritual change.[7]  Time spent in the Word, and in prayer, with the intent to connect with the author of all human life stories will become the fuel for the preacher’s journey and transforming truth for those seeking change and renewal (including the preacher).

     Since a great deal of the ministry responsibility involves the communication of God’s Word, then it is important that a preacher/teacher understands his or her own life story and  that of the general story of the congregation. One of the advantages of a local preacher is that he becomes familiar with the life stories of the people he shepherds. Harry Sheilds  makes the point that on any given Sunday, everyone comes to church with a belief system that impacts how decisions are made.[8] It is the role of the leader to impact that belief system by appealing collectively to life stories. In doing so, the hearer will experience an aha moment that helps them see “how this all fits into the big picture of what God is doing and move towards a change.”[9] In this way, the preacher moves the hearer from the kingdom of darkness into the kingdom of light (Colossians 1:13).  Composing a life-story exercise  and using utilizing the related tools then, becomes a powerful means for conducting ministry and achieving greater spiritual maturity.

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[1]. Gail Seidel, “Life Story And Spiritual Formation,” in Foundations of Spiritual Formation, ed. Paul Pettit, (Grand Rapids, MI: Kregel Publications, 2008), 220.  

[2]. Ibid., 220.

[3]. Ibid., 241. 

[4]. Ibid.

[5]. Ibid., 242. 

[6]. Ibid., 250. 

[7]. Ibid., 250-251.  

[8]. Ibid., 260. 

[9]. Ibid.

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Written by Kevin A. Hall.