Disqualified

Disqualified
“High risk, not safe, disqualified.”
Just a few of the reasons I hear them say.
Once more, a willing heart denied,
Because of a tainted past that’s not today.

Forgive me, but I must ask this,
Where is the line between our safety and God’s grace?
I wonder if there’s something we may have missed?
Can’t God use them in spite of all their mistakes?

I understand, safety’s needed,
No room for risky people in ministry.
But what makes me squirm where I’m seated,
Is didn’t Jesus take a bigger risk on me?

Can’t we look deeper than who they were?
Couldn’t we consider God’s great redemption?
Realize how God has made them pure,
How he might use them for kingdom expansion?

Please take some time to ponder and ask,
Would the Apostle Paul, with all his sins,
Horrible crimes, and treacherous past,
From your ministry, be disqualified?



Explanation:
I was prompted to write this poem because I got to thinking about some of the qualifications some ministries put on their volunteers. Recently, I know of someone being turned away from working with a ministry because of a criminal record that was just too recent. I firmly believe that this friend is changed and would have been a wonderful asset to the ministry. So I’m wondering, what’s the line between protecting our ministries but also realizing that God redeems and transforms people.

The harsh reality is that many modern churches would have disqualified the Apostle Paul from working in their ministries. God didn’t need Paul to wait a couple years before being far enough removed from his past to start his ministry. God had an encounter with Paul and then he was ready to start serving God. Through the great redeeming that God did with Paul, the persecutor and murderer, he was able to become one of the most influential missionaries in the faith.

So where’s the line? Where does consequence meet redemption? At what point do we disqualify people from working in ministry if they have a past with criminal records? If God can transform hearts and truly change people and Christianity is in the redemption business, then why do we disqualify people because of their past?

I suppose the best answer to that is relationship. Rather than blanket rules and qualifications, we should contact people who know the individual in question and see if they are truly a risk or not. Who are we to say that a background check should disqualify someone from working in ministry? What if that ministry is exactly what God wants to use to raise someone up to be a strong Christian leader expanding the kingdom of God? We should be less concerned about the number of charges in the past and more concerned about the heart in the present moment. 

If we look at only the past, the apostle Paul himself would have been disqualified from working in ministry. But when we look at the heart, we are able to examine what God has done instead of focusing on what that person has done.