A Career in Relationships

I wonder sometimes how to classify myself as a student here in Dubuque. About half of our students tend to be people fresh from college, having known for a while that seminary (and sometimes beyond) was their goal. The other half of our students are what you would describe as second career students. They have spent a great deal of their lives in different fields gaining many life experiences before moving on to seminary. Me, I would probably consider myself a second or third job student. I may have a degree in Business and a past in sales, but I don't know if I ever really had a career before coming to Dubuque.
I have found myself saying a lot lately though that sales and ministry have a great deal in common. Most people think I'm speaking in terms of ministry is a pursuit of selling God to people, but that is not what I mean. Successful salespeople and successful ministers have both learned long ago that what they are really in the business of is making relationships. Neither will ever succeed if they can't comfortably approach somebody, and make them feel comfortable. Sales is about getting to know somebody, and finding out their needs. A bad salesman will try and sell somebody anything they can, but a good salesman will only sell a customer what they need. Much of the time, the customer doesn't even know what they need; they are not experts in what they are purchasing. This customer may love a large leather sofa, but they don't take into account the size of their room, the layout of their house, or the fact that by buying this set they can't remove the cushions like they want to. A bad salesman will still sell them this furniture, but a good salesman will develop a relationship. He or she will find out how they live, what they want to use the furniture for, and where it is going to go. The good salesperson will then find something that really is what the customer needs. This can't happen without a relationship.
Ministry is really the same way. Many people who come into our churches don't really know what they are looking for. They know that this is the place to find it, but need their questions answered. A bad pastor will welcome somebody in and be thankful for another warm body in the pews. A good pastor will begin to form a relationship, and get to know his congregant. A good pastor will find out what is happening in this person’s life, and will find a way to help plug this person into the community of the church. A good pastor will take the time to care one on one.
I wasn't always a good salesman. One of the facts of life in the sales world is the need to have ways to track success. Even good salespeople have to account for sales quotas, and close ratios. Sales is measured not in how many people you got to know, but on how much they spent, and how much product is moved. We often try to judge ministry this way as well, by tracking how many people we have showing up each week, and on how much was given in the stewardship drive. In a business driven world, it's easy to get sucked up into this trap. I know that I do quite often.
Campus ministry has been a little bit like this for me this year. We got off to a slow start, and the numbers of students attending events like lighthouse and chapel are down. I see myself trying to think of strategies to attract more people, and I see other leaders doing the same thing. I had a great reminder last night however that in ministry, numbers are not necessarily what are important. I had a brief one on one conversation with a student when I noticed they were ducking out early on a program. We spent some time talking, and while I don't know that they left feeling any different, I felt that maybe I helped at least give some encouragement and direction. Regardless of that, I at least let this person know that I cared, and that I would be praying for them. Looking back I realize that this is the kind of ministry I want to have. Numbers are nice, but lives touched, even if only briefly matter more. I give thanks to a special friend who was with me, and reminded me of this last night.