The Responsibility of Ministry

On several occasions I have received requests for assistance that I am not able to fulfill due to the nature of the request.  The request often involve being asked to “solve a problem” for the person asking. These requests come from a misunderstanding of what a minister is, and what exactly a minister does, or should do.

Let me first define what a minister is.  The term minister means “to render aid”.  In other words, to be of service, and to help others.  However, it does not mean that I can solve someone else’s problem.

Many people often forget that there is no spiritual law higher than free will.  This means that each individual person, you, me, each and every individual person has their own free will, and responsibility to make their own choices.  It also means that as individuals we must own that responsibility and accept the consequences of our choices.  And this is where we begin to have a problem.

Many people who contact me are not looking to themselves for a solution, they are attempting to hand their problem to me for me to “fix the problem.”  This is not something that any minister, or person of the cloth, can do, nor should they try.  A minister can only guide you to a (potential) solution, but the real answer must come from inside you, your actions, your choices, your responsibility.

As a minister, it is my responsibility to help others.  But it is not my responsibility to solve their  problems.  I can only guide you to to the path.  I can’t walk it for you.