I Would Rather Be An Entertainer

The battle rages from nearly every ministry across our country. The war is neither won nor lost, and the enemy often hard to identify as both sides march under seamingly the same banner. One group stands on the platform of ministry while other appears to cross the border into entertainment.

You have heard one opponent shout messages of “ministry.” “Well, OUR church or OUR music group is ALL about the ministry. We are NOT about entertainment;” Generally followed by a cheap shot at a church or group that seems to “entertain” more than they “minister.” Generally these shots are fired out of insecurity and jealousy, in an attempt to rationalize small numbers and disengagement.

Have the "entertainers" ever fired a shot across the “ministry border? Have you ever heard a group say they were all about entertainment and not about the ministry? Could it be that these entertainers truly believe they are ministering on behalf of Jesus? Could there really be some validity to these groups that seem to assemble the masses?

I think before we choose a side, we ought to evaluate the terminology.

Ministry is carrying out the acts of a minister. Ministry, then, is defined as an agent working on behalf of another. In our spiritual context we recognize that the ministry is about representing Jesus Christ, and sharing the message on His behalf.

Entertainment means “to hold the attention of, pleasantly or agreeably. To have as a guest. To admit into the mind. To hold the mind. To divert and amuse.

So, my question is, can a minister do his job apart from entertainment? Yes. Preachers can preach and singers can sing without entertaining an audience whatsoever. They can stand on platforms and speak with people and never engage a single mind or touch a single heart. Ministry apart from entertainment then becomes a noun, pointed solely at the minister rather than a verb that fulfills a commission. A message that does not entertain the mind will not allow the mind to entertain its message.
An effective minister realizes that the message will change people’s lives when they receive it. He will do everything he can to hold the people’s attention in a pleasant manner. Excellence only serves to better represent His Excellence, the King of Kings. An effective ministry seeks to invite outsiders to throne room of God, pointing their attention away from today’s struggles and holding it at eternity’s Savior.

I want to be an entertainer presenting a message people will entertain. I long to see people pause to entertain the thought that Jesus loves them more than I could ever explain. I hope worship in an environment where the musings of the world disappear as we direct our attention to One greater than I. Amused and amazed.

Yes, it is possible to separate ministry from entertainment. But should we?