Teaching as Ministry
In part one of this two-part series, I identified the need for this cultural and educational moment to step into our students’ world as we help them know and be known. In the following post, I will focus on constructing a framework to help us achieve such a lofty and timely goal.
My perspective is informed by more than twenty years of vocational ministry, primarily in the role of music minister/worship pastor, and nearly a decade of Christian university teaching experience. Often, church musicians are involved in teaching church laity musical skills so that they may use music as a means of expressing personal worship and/or leading others in corporate worship. In short, my experience is that “teaching” is built into the ministry of music. Biblically speaking, to teach is to disciple, and discipleship is at the heart of what it means to be a minister.
Teach –> Disciple –>Minister
Understandably, many faculty see “discipleship” as the work of the church or “professional” ministers. But is not disciple-making at the heart of the Christian life? In Matthew 28:19-20a (CSB), Jesus gives us the great commission to “Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe everything I have commanded you.” Jesus calls us not only to make converts but to build up Christians, and there is no exception clause based on pedigree, discipline, or career.
As one who has lived what feels like a bifurcated life of “teaching” and “ministry,” I know firsthand the tension of when to wear the appropriate hat. Yet, in recent years, I came to the realization that this is a false dichotomy. In ministry, I have enjoyed teaching (discipling) those individuals involved in the worship ministry. In my university teaching career, I have been able to truly lean into my calling to minister (disciple) through my role as a teacher—to view my students as those under my care (“sheep,” biblically-speaking) who require attention and guidance. And is this not the work of those who are “ministers” by title? So, what if we could apply that understanding to the teaching podium as well as the pulpit? This, I believe, is the elusive path that can help faculty step into the lives of students desiring to know and be known.
Guiding questions in this work might include:
- How can we shepherd our students well?
- How can we help illumine their path so they may find the way forward?
- What life lessons are we teaching (directly or indirectly)?
- What professional skills are we modeling?
- How can we arm and empower students to be able to defend themselves against the prowling wolves lurking in the field of emerging adulthood?
A common mistake in vocational ministry is to have a mindset of doing things for the people under our care, when we are really called to do things with the people in our care. What if we adopted the same mindset in our teaching? How can we come alongside (with) our students to help them as they find themselves—not to escort them to their preferred destination, but to help light the path into adulthood. This is the heartbeat—the “withness”—of teaching as ministry. A model that demonstrates this approach is found in the centuries-old apprenticeship system. Even recently, some universities have expressed renewed interest in the apprenticeship model of education.1 The renaissance of such a historic approach to learning speaks to the value of closer proximity and the desire for greater transparency and vulnerability. There is a diminished value in the face-to-face, “sage on the stage” lecture-based approach in favor of a shoulder-to-shoulder, “guide on the side” mentor-based approach.
Throughout the gospels, we see Jesus applying this model with the disciples and crowds of people. He was practicing an “as you go…” approach to ministry, which is also the model we see in the early formation of the nation of Israel (Deuteronomy 6:4-9). As families lived in community, they would teach their children throughout daily life (“when you sit in your house, walk by the way,” etc.). The community was the classroom and daily work, worship, and play served as the curriculum. This approach is, admittedly, uncomfortable, intimidating, perhaps even scary when considering the application at a Christ-centered university. But we need not be afraid. Our call is to put on a mantle of leadership that balances disciplines and discipleship; to teach in a way that is less about information and more about transformation. The apostle Paul endorses this work as an act of worship:
Therefore, brothers and sisters, in view of the mercies of God, I urge you to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God; this is your true worship. 2 Do not be conformed to this age, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may discern what is the good, pleasing, and perfect will of God. (Romans 12:1-2, CSB)
The call to reframe and renew the role of a liberal arts education is urgent and holy—to commit ourselves to the transformation of our students’ hearts, hands, heads, and habits through the power of the Gospel. In every classroom and conversation, may we live out the truth captured by Abraham Kuyper (1837–1920): “There is not a square inch in the whole domain of our human existence over which Christ, who is Sovereign over all, does not cry, ‘Mine!’”
This is more than theology—it is an invitation. An invitation for our students to ask, not just intellectually but experientially:
What does it mean to be a [insert job title] or do [insert discipline] in a Christ-animated way?
This kind of integrative thinking is countercultural. It does not come naturally. But through the ministry of teaching, faculty are uniquely positioned to offer students more than content—we offer a way of seeing, living, and serving. We help them think critically, contextually, and biblically about their vocation and their place in the world. In a culture that is fragmented and disoriented, students long for meaning—for voices that speak both truth and love. As faculty, we are called to be such voices: to shepherd students through complexity with the clarity of the Gospel and the witness of our lives. May our teaching be a ministry. May our classrooms be places where students are not only informed but transformed. And may our students come to know and be known by Christ—the One who animates their calling, equips them for His mission, and claims every square inch of their lives.
Part 2 was as good as hoped! I love this approach as a blend of genuine coaching, mentoring, self reflection (so often only students are asked to ponder their ways!). Thank you for making embodied faith practical through teaching.
PS! The as you go philosophy brings to mind Dallas Willard’s approach to “gentle art” of discipleship. It’s a gift to ponder this inside of higher education (not just in church settings). Thank you.