The Power of Serving
– by Kent Wagner

Advancing the Kingdom by Living for God and Loving People

It was 2003, I was sitting in my office working on planning some event for my youth ministry when this 80 year old man walked in dressed head to toe in FUBU clothes that were way too baggy for him and a hip flat bill hat on.  He came in and said, “Kent, I’m trying to connect with the teens in our church, but I’m just struggling.”  See, at the time, I was the Student Ministry Director in charge of working with High Schoolers and overseeing our middle school director.  Terry, this 80 year old man, had joined my team of volunteers and desperately was wanting to make a difference in the lives of the teens we served as a church.  He had gone out and bought a whole new wardrobe, thus the FUBU and hat, and had been trying to connect with the teens by becoming like them.  He had stopped in my office that day because he was struggling feeling like he wasn’t making much of a difference.  Terry and I talked that day for quite awhile, and as I listened, I shared with him how those kids didn’t need him to be “like” them, but to be “with” them – to be present and to care about them.  Terry changed his approach with the teens that day (although he didn’t change his wardrobe back – he still wore FUBU as long as I knew him) and took some of the pressure off of himself about having to make an immediate impact, and he started to see real success in ministry.

All these years later in ministry, I still am amazed at Terry.  When everyone else was focused on retiring and living the easy life, Terry was giving his life away to these teens trying to make a difference with the time he had left.  I’m amazed by the humility and character it took to Advance God’s Kingdom like this and to learn a whole new way of making a difference.  Terry became one of my best, most committed ministry team members and a personal hero of mine – I want to be a Terry when I’m in my 80’s.

So, what was it that gave Terry the fire to give his life away like that?

Here are 3 things I saw in Terry that all of us can learn from:

1. Terry saw the need and responded:
   Terry got involved with our student ministry because of a plea I had made to our congregation for adults to get involved in the life of teenagers.  It was uncomfortable and out of Terry’s wheelhouse.  But Terry saw the need and asked the question, “if not me, then who?”
   I think for a lot of us, we see the needs but we think, “well, surely there is someone else more qualified to fill that need than me.” or maybe we think some version of, “I know they need the help, but I just don’t have the time.”  Trust me, I get it.  Time is probably one of our most valuable commodities right now.  Truth be told, Terry didn’t have the time either.  At 80, he was still running his own business and had clientele constantly beating down his door.  But terry understood he didn’t have to give everything, but just give what he had.  Which leads us to point two…
2. Terry gave what he had:
   Terry wasn’t trying to be superman.  Actually, when he started, he was pretty reserved about how much he was willing to give.  He asked lots of questions about time requirements and what exactly I was asking of him (which are great questions to ask).  But, as Terry got more involved, he moved from serving out of a sense of obligation to serving out of a sense of ownership in the ministry.  He started connecting the dots on how the little things he was doing (even cleaning up after an event) was leading to kids coming to know Jesus.  Terry never got up on a stage and spoke, never led worship, never ran the soundboard.  Instead, Terry gave what he had – himself and his time.  Terry would meet with students in small groups and listen to them talk about their day.  He lead some discussion and most of all, he took the ministry serious and made it his.
   I think there is a misconception that those who are in ministry or who seem to have a gift for it have some super power that enables them to give that time away and get so involved.  It simply isn’t true.  The only thing they have is a willingness to restructure their life in a way that allows them to serve and give.  Terry lived that out in a way that challenged me personally.
3. Terry had a teachable spirit:
   This was a piece of Terry that still challenges me.  When he walked into my office and asked my advice that day, I wasn’t the super wise (I joke, I joke) leader that I am today.  I was in my twenties.  Literally the age of some of his grandchildren.  I was pretty arrogant and cocky at the time and thought I knew more than I really did.  As I’ve grown older it has become apparent to me just how rare what Terry did was.  He humbled himself and asked the questions that would make him better.  He didn’t pretend to know what he was doing so he could impress me.  He just said, “teach me,” and he actually digested and lived out the lessons we talked about.  Terry had a teachable spirit.

I’ve done ministry for a long time now (literally since the 1900’s 🙂 ) and I’ve learned a lot since that conversation with Terry.  But I’ve never forgotten the lessons I learned watching this 80 year old man serve, wearing his FUBU and giving his life away to some smelly teens.

How about you? 

You may not know this, but since Covid hit way back in 2020, the regular conversation I have with every one of our ministry leaders is how their ministry struggles because so many ministry team members left and those positions have been hard to fill back up.

Just take a look at the list below…

• Kids Ministry (there are volunteers who are serving two Sundays a month – during the worship service – so that our kids can learn to love Jesus and live for Him.  Some volunteers are serving every Sunday.  The kids ministry needs at least 10 more volunteers to be fully staffed. “How do I know if I’m a fit?”  Do you love kids?  Do you see the need for the next generation to know and love God?  Do you have one Sunday a month you could give to listening to and leading a few kids?  Then you might be a great fit!)
• Production Ministry (our Production Team – sound, computer, lights, camera’s, etc. have been running on a pretty tight crew since we had to shut down in December of last year.  Dean and his team do a great job making it look like there isn’t a shortage, but that’s literally because their hands never stop moving to make sure everything is covered.   The production team needs 6 people to help fill out their ministry team. “How do I know if I’m a fit?” Do you enjoy techy kind of stuff?  Do you have see things others don’t see?  Do you enjoy listening to music?  Do you like directing how things will go?  Then you might be a great fit!)
• First Impressions (our Greeting Team is working hard to try and make sure everyone who walks through our door is greeted with a smile and has a cup of coffee put in their hand.  But there are times where people are having to scramble from one area to another to cover for the lack of help.  The first impression team could use 5 more for greeting/welcome desk and 5 more to help with the coffee ministry.  “How do I know if I’m a fit?”  Do you know how to shake a hand?  Do you have the ability to smile?  Do you enjoy making others smile?  Then you might be a great fit!)
• Care Team Ministry (our Care Team ministry meets every week to pray over all the concerns in our church, to call and check on people who are in need, to visit those who are ill or grieving and to provide care for the hurting and broken.  The Care Team is also in charge of the Barnabas Card ministry that sends cards to folks in need and prays over them.  In a church our size, you can imagine, the need is huge.  There are a tremendous amount of people who are grieving, struggling with health issues, or more.  Likely, your life has been touched by this team at some point – even if you didn’t realize they were the ones doing it.    The Care Team Ministry could use 8-10 more people interested in making a difference between the care/prayer ministry and our card making ministry.  “How do I know if I’m a fit?” Do you have a heart for those who are hurting?  Have you been through some serious tough times yourself?  Do you pray when people express the need for prayer?  Do you enjoy making crafts?  If so, then you might be a great fit!

These are just a few of the areas in our church that are looking for a “Terry,” someone who will see the need, give what they have, and enter the opportunity with a teachable spirit.

Could YOU be the next “Terry?”

What is your next step?  If you are interested in getting involved in one of these ministries, your next step is simple.  Fill out the form below to get in touch with the leader of the ministry you would like more information from and start a dialogue like Terry did with me years ago.  PS – the good news is, you don’t have to wear FUBU if you don’t want to 🙂 .

Take a Step Towards Being a Terry!

Back to Top Menu

Back to Top Menu