Productivity of Ministry

It seems like oftentimes ministry is not productive. You visit people, you eat lunch with someone, you sit and you talk with them and at the end of the day you have nothing in your hand to show for it. This is such a foreign concept to me. There are no items on your to do list or they get pushed aside. They explained the ministry of being in the interview saying it might be hard to get used to. I actually feel guilty for it sometimes though. It’s not productive so I don’t feel like I’m doing any actual work. I’m paid a stipend for ministry. So, I feel like I’m paid for not being productive. After I swam around in this idea for awhile, I came out of the water with this notion that ministry is as much about being as it is about doing. So I listen and they feel understood; I eat with them and they feel less lonely. To let people know they are cared for is a big accomplishment. I’m just not used to these kind of accomplishments. These types of things are new to me. They are different from completing a set of reports, making a set of business calls, restocking a shelf or a cold case or even finishing this week’s inventory list. Yes, ministry has a less productive face, than jobs I’ve held before, but it is teaching me a whole new set of skills. I’m learning how to talk to people, and how to listen better.