Sun, Moon, and Stars of Drama Ministry.

The goal of Drama Ministry is to not only present the life changing message of the Gospel, but also to train men and woman for a lifetime of service and ministry to God and give them the necessary tools to do so. The perspective of Drama Ministry should always be on God and the message to be conveyed. Many well meaning actors and drama leaders can come to the conclusion that it's all about putting on a great show and the performance. While this is a crucial part of any Drama Ministry, it is never to be the central focus of the ministry. Since our work is for the LORD, we need present it as an offering to Him.

Sometimes, when actors appear in countless sketches and drama productions, there is the danger of having it go to there head. They receive compliments and praise for each performance, all telling them how talented they are. If this praise is not reflected to the one who gave the talent, the actor can find themselves on a very slippery slope. The emphasis of their acting changes from an expression of love for God and desire to reach people with the message of Jesus Christ, to a strictly performance oriented job that has little room for mistakes and is constantly in need of affirmation and praise. If these needs are not met, the actor can become depressed, disillusioned and even develop a distaste for their talent. This is why it is essential for any Drama Ministry to have a firm grasp on the idea that it is a ministry above all else.

The job of Drama Ministry is not to create stars. Instead, Drama Ministry should help to develop moons. While a star radiates its own light and is at the center of attention, a moon is a reflective surface and radiates light from another source. This is how each of us should respond to the particular ministry God has given us. In a song by the Paul Colman Trio there is a line that says, "I want to be the moon, cause it reflects the Son. Don't want to be the Star that shines on everyone." We need to be two-way mirrors for God's love. We need to reflect his love out to the world, and then reflect any praise we might receive on this earth back to Him.

We as humans are not designed to handle praise. We can become addicted to it and need it in order to feel self worth. This is not the way God intended us to be. He wants us to give Him all the praise we receive, after all, who is more worthy of praise then God?

We need to be able to put these things into perspective. God is the sun/Son. He radiates the Light/message of love and salvation. We are moons who reflect the Light to a dark world. Drama Ministry can be a complicated place sometimes. Since the messenger is on the stage and the center of attention, it can become easy to start believing one's own press. We can gain the mentality that if the performance was good, then we are good; but if the performance did not go the way we intended, then we must not measure up and are of lesser worth. This is extremely unhealthy and is not of God. We know from the Bible that we are priceless workmanships of a loving father and nothing can depreciate our value. It must be understood that even though we are in the lime light, it is souly for the purpose of giving God glory and preaching His message. Humility in acting is essential. In Drama Ministry, each participant needs to have a firm handle on this.

This is not to say that one should not find satisfaction in their work for God. Nothing is more satisfying than knowing that one is using their talents and gifts for the LORD and His purposes. The job of Drama Ministry is to equip people who share this passion for acting and ministry. More than producing a show, Drama Ministry should give others the tools to go out and start ministries of their own. If an actor in a drama team likes acting, it is the responsibility of the leaders to encourage them in their pursuit to explore their ambitions in acting by giving them opportunities to act in the drama team and also inform them of upcoming opportunities in local theater productions.

Just as Jesus invested into his disciples, we should invest in others.