Video Transcript: What is a Host Minister?

Henry - So we're back. So I suppose we've been talking a lot about why,  

Abby - right, the why and the importance for everyone to have hospitality as a  Christian. But yeah, we're going to shift a little bit more into what is a host,  minister and ministry hosting, right? What actually is it?  

Henry - So a host minister is a clergy member. Okay, so maybe somebody  who's completed studies at Christian leaders institute a minister, or maybe a lay  minister, someone who's just a minister in but does not want to be clergy, just  maybe a deacon or elder in a church, we call those ministers too. Could even be an active Christian who senses the call to minister, who strategically combines  hospitality with ministry, specifically, even with their ministry role so rooted in the  biblical call be given to hospitality, host ministers, create environments where  individuals can encounter God, experience community, engage in meaningful  conversations about faith, life, healing, you know, and even just in a sense, help  each other, yeah, you know. And we're going to go talk about later, very specific, one specific role that we're going to teach here that maybe could be even  incorporated in other roles as well. In some ways, this is a general concept, but  any minister can specialize in their specific role.  

Abby - How host ministers operate. So a host minister could be connected with  a church or a soul center, with our Christian leaders Alliance, or they could be  credentialed as a clergy in their community. And again, it's just that integration of the ministry and hospitality in a dynamic way, whether they're serving volunteer  or whether it is a part time or full time capacity. This specialization allows a host  minister to perform various roles, again, where that ministry and hospitality are  intersecting. So the roles of a host minister? What is the roles? Dad, well,  

Henry - the key thing to know is there's a common characteristic upon all roles  of host ministers, that is ministry hospitality. They meet. This opens the door to a holistic approach to spiritual leadership, where individuals feel welcomed and  nourished spiritually. Here are 50 potential ministry roles that a host minister can perform. So in other words, it's combining. You're a minister in a certain area,  but we're saying to make core in your strategy, strategically that concept of  given to hospitality. So are you ready? Abby,  

Abby - all right, I'm ready. Okay,  

Henry - well, some of them are obvious. As a small group leader, you can make hospitality central feature, house church planter, a Hospitalier. Maybe most of  you have never heard what is that? Okay, we're gonna actually talk in depth  about that, because there's a specific skills training involved with that. And 

whether you call yourself a hospitalier is not relevant. We're calling it here  because we want to differentiate it between sort of one who is given hospitality  in any other role. So but we'll, let's hold on. Explain more then, you know,  wedding officiant. You know, how can you integrate hospitality as being a  wedding officiant? How could you see that like, let's just say, that role of the  wedding officiant. How could, how could you do? How could you be given to  hospitality? And we'll have a little discussion on this one. So,  

Abby - you know, in my mind, right away comes to mind is, you know, if you've  been asked to do a wedding by this couple, it gives, it creates a unique space  for you to practice hospitality with them. So maybe inviting them over to your  house to get to really know them deeper. And it also creates a space, then for  potential pre marriage counseling, if they're open to that. So I think the more you can practice hospitality with this couple, that might mean something, and then  that can expand beyond, well, hey, you know, Do you have anybody in the  wedding party that you know might be great for you to be hospitable to them as  well? You know, especially if you know there's a non believer or somebody  who's going to be attending a very Christian wedding that you know, maybe you  could invite them over as well.  

Henry - What I love about just this one example, and it applies to everyone,  hospitality is a ministry that's quiet in the background, so you the whole thing  could be about the topic of weddings, of ceremonies, of. Every discussion, but  behind this is something intangible. Someone loves them, someone cares about them. You know, someone's being transparent about their own lives. You know,  then someone is connected. You're connected to them. All this stuff is like a  silent there's no specific content. They're not even knowing that you are given to hospitality, therefore you're having them over. You just are right. It's just a part of it's you've integrated into it, but you've been strategic about how you're going to  do that. So it actually is a ministry specific role.  

Abby - So, marriage officiant. What characterizes that from wedding officiant?  Well,  

Henry - marriage officiant, you could actually be in a marriage ministry and have somebody over, and then they know you're a minister and you share marriage  advice, they're already married for 25 years. And then let's say, you'll say, hey,  let's talk about renewing vows. Mm, hmm, okay, so now we're talking about this.  But again, it's, it's, it's having those blessings and prayers. So wedding is  actually creating the marriage, but a marriage officiant, you know, maybe we  don't really think about marriage officiants anymore, but you know, when I grow  up, my parents had their 25th anniversary, and the minister had them over just 

because of that event itself. Then they had a 25th anniversary banquet at the  church that I grew up with, and they had a table only for my mom and dad to be  honored for their 25th anniversary. The  

Abby - kind of stuff that churches even need to do more. So, yeah, if you're in a  church and you have some work in marriage ministry, those are great ideas that  I think, you know, couples need to experience that hospitality of the church and  

the recognition of their anniversaries and things like that. It just, it means crazy  powerful  

Henry - youth hostman, youth ministry host. You know, I think that is I  remember growing up, the Maansmas were youth ministry hosts. They were not  the minister, they were not the teacher, but they had everyone to their house. I  remember when you were in high school, I felt like mom and I were ministry  hosts for you and all  

Abby - your friends. My friends like to come to our house locks, then we could  walk downtown, yeah,  

Henry - but we would, and I would often bring up, God, yep, you know, because you know, of course, you're coming to Abby's father's a minister, but you did too  then, you know, so then you teach young people. We were teaching you  ministry, but it was silently. It was not like we are now given hospitality as fathers to teach our daughter to do hospitality, you know, no, it was just strategic  willingness to think  

Abby - hospitality is something that really needs to be modeled, to be, you  know, have such an impact on like your kids. So modeling that hospitality is so  important.  

Henry - Romance officiant. You know, we have a role on that. And again,  meeting with people looking for the one, yeah, and have it just a role, the prayer  group leader, a chaplain, a children's ministry host. I'm just gonna go through  those good examples, yeah, what that might look and stop me if all of a sudden  one strikes you, premarital counseling, minister, a crisis counselor, a discipleship mentor, a community outreach leader, a funeral officiant, a job skill minister,  ministry leader, a recovery group host, a cultural exchange host, a Christian  coach, a Christian life coach, a Ministry coaching leader, homeless outreach  host, merit, a marriage mentor that was from similar to the one I said earlier,  church fellowship. Host, you know, new people come to the church, and I  remember that was really crucial in church planting. Hospitality evangelist, you 

know, think about that one. Hospitality evangelist, in other words, my whole  strategy is not to go onto the street and, you know, interrupt people, but my  whole strategy is only one thing, and that's like, I'm inviting people to my house.  Yeah. And I remember, as a church planter in Oregon, I always had this thing,  like. Okay, so I gotta, I have to meet people every day. I just, I was given to  hospitality, and in order to get be given to it, you have to actually meet people,  right? So I would, I remember, I would, you know, close my eyes and put my  back. Then, this was the 1990s really, before smartphones. So everybody had  landlines. So I would put my hand on a name random in a phone book, and I  would call them and, Hi, I'm Henry. I'm a minister in this town. And oh, if they  had any interest, Oh, that's interesting. Most people in Eugene, Oregon were not going to church, then I would say, Oh, okay. Then I would say, Hey, would you  like to come over to our house for a cookout? And people said yes, and we led  people to Jesus Christ, right, based on saying yes to having a burger that I  grilled so and then when they're there, they open up their life. So I just think, like Christians, here's an example where it's a strategic the strategy was specifically  inviting people over to your house, absolutely. Well you can go on grief support.  Minister, healing. Ministry host, adoption and foster care. Ministry leader, elderly  care minister, right?  

Abby - You know, I think on that adoption and foster care, you know, that is an  absolute, like such a way of living out hospitality you're taking into your home  and adopting or fostering. You know somebody else, and they are there, 24/7,  all the time that is a huge you are given to hospitality when you make that  decision well,  

Henry - and that's that early church where they would rescue babies who would die on the road, especially girl babies, because they were not wanted. But they  go the opposite elderly, the opposite side, yeah, spiritual retreat, host even like  something like that. I think retired people could be that kind of a ministry where  they say, we will take in for this specific time, we have extra bedrooms, and we  will take in someone to have a spiritual renewal, a prayer retreat. Same thing,  very similar,  

Abby - new believer, mentor, funeral reception, host, missionary host, job  placement, ministry host, online ministry, host, trauma care minister, financial  stewardship. Mentor, a school chaplain. You know, chaplaincy is a huge role for  hospitality. And I think a lot of times, chaplaincy is an area of ministry where  hospitality is really forefront, and an important thing you need to be given to  hospitality to do chaplaincy, single parent ministry, host, life transition, host child  care ministry leader, Chaplain, again at this hospital, prison outreach visitation,  yeah, I'm 

Henry - gonna go to 43 that prison outreach host, return to citizens. They often  that come out of incarceration, and they're lonely. Their families already rejected  them, and their families embarrassed by them. And if you been into a local even  

ministry that is working. Hey, I would I want to have a returning citizen over for  dinner. 

Abby - Yeah, exactly, inviting them over for dinner even, you know, yeah, you're  right. We went to one of our partners who does ministry in this area, and you  know that was being said a lot at this luncheon, where it's like, they come out  and they feel very much so like an outsider, and, you know, kind of separate,  and nobody wants to do anything there. And I think it's, yeah, so important to  just have them over for dinner, even, yeah,  

Henry - new believer. Mentor, visitation minister, homeless shelter ministry,  leader, Christian business mentor, I know businessmen who really make  hospitality to other businessmen really crucial and Central. Faith Based  counselor, language learning host, I love that 49 we have such a messed up  world now. People are here, they don't know the language, and then say, You  know what we are, we want to invite you to practice English in our house. Yeah,  okay. Oh, and the whole time we're here, we're going to practice English, and  we'll do a little Bible study, but my goal is to help you speak, and we can even  connect you to resources that Christian leaders Institute the literacy classes and go through. We will, through hospitality, teach the Christian leaders Institute free  literacy classes. You. The you know now you can hear, how did you do that? I  mean,  

Abby - come alongside you, for sure. So what is 50 here? That's you. Are you  doing? There's so many more unique things that you could be doing in a  ministry role that really practice hospitality. So  

Henry - if you think about it, so whatever your car is, let's call your calling in  ministry your car, so you give it to hospitality where you're driving the car, that's  100% engagement with your role with hospitality. It's not, oh, we'll do we're  gonna plant a church and sometimes do hospitality. No, that's 100% driving the  car. Or, you know, I'm called to really help some of the you know, people in our  community who you know are new to the community with language skills. Okay,  that's so I drive the car, and really is at your home, if you could, or, you know, at  around again, the places that maybe aren't that important. It's the places your  engagement with them, right? You know, Jesus shared hospitality, whether he  went to someone's house because he didn't have a house, he was just, right,  no, really go to their house, you know. And if you go to their house, you might 

also help the whole family with literacy skills. So it might not even be, come to  my house. It might be, I will come to your house and we will do literacy skills. It's that hospitality, brand and culture,  

Abby - Hospitality plays a vital role in modern Christian ministry by blending  hospitality with spiritual leadership, offering, you know, particular spaces for  Bible study and care and ministry. And so these host ministers are really hosting  these spaces, whether it be a church, whether it be their home, whether it be the person in ministerings home, you know, they're creating an environment where  individuals can encounter God and experience healing through hospitality,  which, again, just embodies the love of Christ in everyday actions. You  

Henry - know, you think this through in a lot of ways. Hospitality host, Minister is all ministers. You know, in why haven't we done this class? You know, in the very first class, this could be the one on one to ministry is to be a host minister, right? You know? And, and that's, I think, this week is to really, this week of training is  

to really help us integrate this intersection of hospitality in every ministry. So at  one level, that's really what this is. As we develop this, we're going to go deeper  in what that means.