Ministry of Presence
I just became a Chaplain for the Detroit Police Department. It’s an honor to be serving these brave women and men who protect us with their lives. I finished the training last month and have been assigned to Precinct 12 serving under Commander Littlejohn. It’s a volunteer position and only is a few hours a week, but I feel it’s a wonderful way to represent Mariners’ Church as being a ‘house of prayer for all people’, including our city’s sworn officers of the law.
One weekly ministry I do as a Police Chaplain is going to the station’s “role call” at the beginning of a shift. I pray with the 20 or so officers who are being assigned their cars and going out on patrol. It’s dangerous work they take on every day, so I pray for them to have wisdom in handling difficult situations and they would come home safely.
There is an important concept spoken about often during chaplain training called “The Ministry of Presence”. The concept is simply to be present when an officer needs to talk. Ministry of Presence means not always approaching someone because you think you have wisdom to give; not to stepping in when unasked; but simply be present.
Have you ever had a person who was always just there for you. Perhaps it’s a spouse, a family member, or a good friend. They are someone you call when something good or bad happens. Their’s is the Ministry of Presence.
To be present with someone in a time of need is a gift. It doesn’t require any special words of wisdom. Your presence is enough. Paul spoke about this type of ministry to the church in Corinth.
1 Cor. 2:1 – And I, when I came to you, brothers, did not come proclaiming to you the testimony of God with lofty speech or wisdom. For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. And I was with you in weakness and in fear and much trembling, and my speech and my message were not in plausible words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, so that your faith might not rest in the wisdom of men but in the power of God.
When this scripture says, “I know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified” doesn’t mean that all you ever need to tell someone is how Jesus died for them (as I thought as a young man). No, it means that I know nothing except the example that Christ gave to us – looking not only to our own interests, but also to the interests of others. To be willing to lay our lives down as a sacrifice for others.
This passage in Corinthians should be an encouragement to each of us who may feel inadequate for the situation. We don’t have to fill space with our words of wisdom, but to bring God’s presence into the situation is enough. Christ is what they need, not us and our clever words. If Christ is in you, then Christ comes with you to every situation you encounter.
As a police chaplain, there will be occasion for me to respond to emergency calls at a scene after officers have secured the area. It may be a domestic issue where the family doesn’t have a pastor of their own. A Chaplain may be helpful to them. I, by no means, am an expert in these type of situations. However, God is with me so I go with His presence and power. Sometimes a simple prayer, a wordless hug, or just showing up is enough.
Who is God calling you to serve with The Ministry of Presence? Maybe it is a neighbor who seems to spend most of their time alone; or maybe a co-worker who is going through a difficult season with their health. Ask God to show you who you can simply be present for this week. Then make that phone call, walk across the street, or visit that friend. You could be a presence that makes all the difference to someone who is struggling. You can show the love of Christ to someone today. Ask God to commission you into The Ministry of Presence.
Blessings and peace,
Rev. Todd