One of my many side hustles while working part-time for the church was guiding fly fishing trips for a mountain resort in Blowing Rock, NC. As a fly fishing guide, one phenomenon always amused me—when I guided married couples, often the spouse who was less experienced in fishing would out-fish the experienced one. The reason was simple: the less experienced spouse would listen to their guide.
For those of you who are not aware, fly fishing is quite different than traditional fishing. It requires a different set of skills and motions. The experienced spouses knew enough about fishing to be dangerous, thinking they didn’t need the expertise of a local. I had fished that river hundreds of times. I knew what flies to use, how to cast on a skinny creek covered with rhododendron, and what rocks the trout liked to rest behind. But pride kept them from accessing that knowledge. “Go ahead and fish your way, Tom. If you need me, I’ll be over here netting all the fish your wife catches.”
Impactful community ministry begins in a prolonged process of spiritual listening: listening to God and listening to your neighbors. Your community is filled with guides—it could be the mayor, the barber, a local songwriter, the person on the street corner “flying sign,” the nosy neighbor, or the school social worker. Will you listen to your guide? Or will the pride of “I already know my community” get in your way?