Your Ministry Bio Is Not About You

The Maker and the Minister

Only recently did I really understand the purpose of a ministry bio. For years, I thought ministry bios were about the minister. And many people do use them as a place to list accomplishments, establish importance, impress people, or maybe even prove that they belong in the room.

I don't see the purpose of a ministry bio that way anymore. I believe the bio is about the Maker of men and how He has formed the minister for His purposes. After years of writing my bio the way I'd seen others write theirs, Holy Spirit gave me an understanding of its purpose.

Understanding the Purpose of a Ministry Bio

When we are preparing to purchase something, especially something costly, we look at the specifications. We want to know What was it made to do? What is its capacity? How was it made? What is it made of? Where did it come from? And so it is in the realm of the Spirit. When I read a ministry bio, I want to know: How has God put you together for His use? And why does that matter? Because knowing the specifications helps us know what to expect.

You don't drive a V8 engine the same way you drive a four-cylinder engine. You don't expect the same performance from a professional camera with a full-frame sensor and high-end lens that you expect from a basic point-and-shoot camera. You don't expect a commercial-grade mixer to have the same capacity as a small handheld mixer.

The specifications tell you something about what has been built into something and what it has been equipped to do. I believe God wants His people to understand something about the gifts and graces He has placed in the vessels He sends among them so they can have an expectation for what He desires to release through those vessels.

Everything will not be written in a bio. Spiritually discerning people should receive revelation directly from Holy Spirit about what someone carries. But a ministry bio can give us some of the specifications. And when I understand something about the grace God has placed upon a person, I can pray accordingly. I can put an expectation on heaven. I can place a demand, by faith, on the grace God has made available for that gathering or assignment.

What Should a Ministry Bio Reveal?

So tell me about your gifts and graces. Tell me about your mantle. Tell me about your message. How has God used you? What fruit or track record has followed your service? And yes, tell me something about your spiritual pedigree. Whose tables have you sat at and eaten from? Who helped form you? Who are your mothers and fathers in the Lord? I intentionally say mothers and fathers, plural.

Apostle Joshua Selman has described himself as a “compendium of graces” because he recognizes that he stands on the shoulders of a plurality of elders. God uses many people to contribute to our formation. Spiritual fathers identify, affirm, and stir up what God has placed in you. Spiritual mothers provide a womb-like environment for nurturing, development, and growth.

And strangely enough, in the realm of the Spirit, I have learned that these functions are not tied to gender. A woman may “father” something in you by identifying, affirming, and stirring up what God has placed upon your life. A man may “mother” something in you by providing a safe and nurturing environment where what God has placed in you can be developed and matured.

But I digress. Back to the bio.

Education can matter too. Not simply because of the letters behind someone's name, but because the seminary or Bible college one attended, or the fact that one attended neither, may tell us something about the theological stream that helped shape the person. And yes, Bible college and seminary aren't the same. Seminary generally involves graduate-level theological education and academic study, while many Bible colleges combine biblical education with practical preparation for ministry.

The foundational principles and beliefs of the institution matter too. An evangelical institution may reflect one theological stream. A school rooted in Black liberation theology may reflect another. A Pentecostal or charismatic institution may expose someone to yet another. But the BEST preparation occurs in the School of the Spirit. But I digress again...

These things don't tell us everything about a person. But they can tell us something about the streams from which they have drunk and the tables from which they have eaten. Their diet shapes their health, strength, and spiritual vitality. The ministry bio gives us some understanding of how the Lord has formed, equipped, prepared, and used a vessel. That understanding can help God's people discern what He has made available through that vessel and approach the ministry moment with faith and expectation.

I'm not sure why I'm sharing this. Maybe there is a young minister somewhere struggling with what to include in a ministry bio. My counsel would be: Pray first. Ask Holy Spirit what He wants to reveal about how He has put you together for the Body of Christ. Then highlight those things.

And your bio does not necessarily have to be identical everywhere you go. When God sends you to a specific people for a specific purpose, He may want to highlight a particular part of your mantle, message, formation, or ministry because it is important for that audience. Your ministry bio does not need to tell people everything you have ever done.

Your bio should give the people enough information about the specifications of God’s design for you so they understand how God has prepared you, what He has placed upon your life, and what they might believe Him to release through you for their benefit and His glory.

A Challenge to Ministers of the Gospel

Ministers of the gospel, may I challenge you to prayerfully review your ministry bio, line by line? Don't simply ask, “Is this accurate?” Ask Holy Spirit, “Is this what You want highlighted?” For every title, credential, accomplishment, affiliation, and experience, ask: Why am I sharing this? What does this reveal about how God has formed me? Does it help people understand the grace God has placed upon my life? Does it stir their faith for what God desires to release?