You’re In Ministry Right Where You Are

When I was five, some well-meaning adult asked me what I wanted to be when I grew up.

“A grandmother,” I said.

Ironically, at thirty-eight, I still want to be a grandmother. I looked forward to having babies my whole life, and part of me is already sad that I’m exiting that stage. (My youngest is three, y’all. Dramatic much? Yes. #leavemealone.) And one reason I felt like our family wasn’t complete after our two daughters were born? Because I wouldn’t get enough grandbabies from only two kids. Not kidding.

Before I go any further, let me just say: if you’re not a mom, don’t give up on me yet. This isn’t a mom post. It’s a woman post. But please humor me as I return to the mom part for just one more paragraph.

Before I had kids, I wanted to be a stay-at-home mom. I thought I’d work for a few years after I got married and then stay home with my littles. After all, my life’s goal was to be a grandmother, right?

I wish I knew exactly when that changed. I ended up getting my degree in accounting and finance, and I passed my CPA three days before my wedding. (I passed the exam the hard way—back when you had to take it all in two days. I cannot talk about passing the CPA without telling you this, because it was that stressful.) I started my career at a large accounting firm, and somehow I have been there for fifteen years now.  My career has taken various twists and turns, but I’m now a finance director and (most days) I really love it.

So, that’s the work part. Now let’s get to the ministry part. We went to church every Sunday when I was growing up, and I thought (after a certain emotional youth group night) I’d marry a youth pastor. Well, my husband isn’t a youth pastor, so I was wrong. When we got married, he was a psych major with unclear future goals. By the time we’d been married five years, he was a marriage and family therapist. We both loved Jesus, but we really didn’t get the idea of “ministry as life” or think we were in ministry. Then God called us (through a much longer story than I can tell here) to plant a church. (Um, what?!)

Over the last three years, God has rocked our world. But here’s the thing: even though we’re now in “formal” ministry, I’ve realized we were always in ministry. We didn’t need to plant a church to be in ministry or for our lives to have value.

Another major thing I’ve realized? We Christians use too many boxes. We decide women must have kids to be valuable. Rubbish. Then we decide only women who stay home with their kids are valuable. Rubbish again. Then we decide that ministry only happens in a church-like setting. More rubbish. (By the way, I’m not British. I’m from the South, y’all. But isn’t rubbish such a great word? I feel like when you say it the British way it’s even better.)

When we start viewing all of life as ministry, we see that our value—our identity—is in Christ alone. Our value is in whatever he made us to be, whether we are called to be mothers or doctors or a cashier at the grocery store. Personally, I have learned that I was made to work. I couldn’t adore my kids more, but I find fulfillment and value in my work. And my work has allowed us to plant a church. My work supports us financially. So many church planters begin with the need to gather support (and I highly encourage to you to prayerfully support them). We didn’t have to do that, although both ways are God-honoring.

And if God allowed it all to fall apart tomorrow? He would still be good. And we would still trust. And if you think I’m any less of a “pastor’s wife” because I work, you’re wrong. My way of serving may be different from that of other pastors’ wives, but I’m serving my family by working and serving our community by planning shopping sprees for precious women in need and having the girls in our missional community over for wine and hot tub nights.

So. Are you a working woman with no kids? You are in ministry right where you are. Are you a stay-at-home mom? You are in ministry right where you are. Are you a working mom? You guessed it. You are in ministry right where you are.

Are you putting others into the boxes? Let’s just throw the boxes in the trash, shall we?

Because they’re rubbish.

Amy Wiebe is a Jesus follower, wife, mom of three, church planter, finance director, and lover of sarcasm and deep conversation with friends. She also loves camping, rafting, skiing, sewing, and having people over. Amy blogs with her husband at fringechurch.com.