College Union

By D. Merricks

It is hard for me to put into words what I learned in my first semester at the Ole Miss Wesley. Probably the most accurate description would be to call it an emotional roller coaster. As each week came and went, there was anticipation, frustration, excitement, disappointment, satisfaction, anxiety, and last of all (at the end of the semester) relief!

My goal for the weeks of our winter break was to prepare for next semester in ways that would allow me to spend more time with students in the spring. While that is a goal I’ve not yet realized, I have spent a lot of time reflecting on what I’ve learned this semester. I have definitely learned about time management, intern relations, student relations, board relations, campus relations, church relations, and relationships with other ministries on campus just to name a few. But the one area that keeps tugging at my heart is how I modeled ministry for my interns and students.

I know that I modeled some form of ministry to my interns and students over this semester, but I also know that I was not the best model. I don’t think anyone would blame me since it was my first semester, but I know I must be more intentional on what kind of ministry I am modeling if I ever expect my interns and students to become ministers themselves. The more I reflected on this the more I found myself asking the question, “What is modeling?” What does it mean to be a model for others, and for others to want to follow your example?

Jesus: THE Top Model

Over this winter break, I have read through the gospel of Matthew, and I saw that Jesus’ ministry was primarily a ministry of modeling. When Jesus calls the first disciples in Matthew, he says, “Come, follow me” (4:19). The Greek word used here for ‘follow’ means to literally come behind someone. So when Jesus says, “Follow me,” he wants them to come behind him and watch everything that he’s doing. Immediately after Peter, Andrew, James and John drop their nets and follow, Matthew tells us what it is that Jesus is doing: “Jesus went throughout Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom, and healing every disease and sickness among the people” (4:23).

In Matthew’s gospel, Jesus is incredibly active - teaching, proclaiming and healing. The disciples, though, are not that active except for when Jesus sends them out in chapter 10. But the disciples are always present. It would seem Jesus was never by himself because everywhere he goes, the disciples are there. The presence of the disciples is important because it means they took Jesus’ call seriously. Jesus called them to come behind him, and so they did. Jesus called them to watch everything he did, and so they did. Jesus called them to listen to everything he taught, and so they did.

Jesus did not call the disciples to these things because he had a superiority complex; Jesus called them to follow because he wanted to model for them what ministry (the kingdom of God) was all about. Though the disciples seem inactive, we know that eventually they put into practice all that they saw and heard (Book of Acts).

The Importance of Watching and Listening

As I think about this past semester, I know that I did not always take the time to watch and listen to Jesus. Watching and listening is tedious work, it requires my full attention and a willingness to be obedient. It also requires me to trust that Jesus is going to show me how I can minister to the students. Before I can be a minister, I must first allow myself to be ministered to by Jesus and by others. I must also be patient. I cannot expect Jesus to show me things right away. Perhaps this is the hardest part of watching and listening to Jesus because inherent in each of these is that it takes time for watching and listening to lead to wisdom and knowledge.

As soon as I was old enough to work in the summers, I started working for my grandfather’s specialty construction company. This was a company that installed any kind of floor (ceramic, vinyl, hardwood, carpet, etc.) and acoustical drop-in ceilings. When I worked I was classified as a ‘helper’, someone who went along with an installer to help them with whatever they needed. One day I might be helping someone tile a bathroom, and the next I might be helping someone else install a twenty-foot high ceiling. As a helper, my job was to watch and learn what the installer was doing, and then help by anticipating his needs so that he could accomplish his task as efficiently as possible.

Some summers I would help different people almost every week, but one summer I did almost all ceilings. If I wasn’t helping with the grid-work, I was helping drop the tile. That summer I learned a lot about ceilings. I learned about layout, how to begin, where to begin, how to keep it level, how to piece together the grid, and how to cut and drop the tiles. I learned almost everything I needed to know about installing a ceiling, mostly by watching and listening to installers. By the end of the summer, I knew exactly what my installer needed before he even asked for it because I had seen it done so many times.

As I begin to settle into my role as a Wesley Director, I begin to see myself not so much as an ‘installer’ of ministry, but as a ‘helper’. The title that I am given is deceiving because it implies that I am the one in charge, but nothing could be farther from the truth. I am only a helper, one who is sent to watch and listen, so that the true installer can accomplish his mission. The more that I watch and listen to Jesus, the more I will understand about what ministry looks like for Wesley at Ole Miss. Then, when I understand more about this ministry, I will be able to model it for my students and interns – so they can become helpers themselves.

Categories: Nurturing the Soul of the Campus Minister
Tags: