As a chaplain for politicians, I’ve learned that showing up is half the battle.
As followers of Jesus, we have the world’s most incredible message to deliver. Still, the message is in danger of not being heard if we don’t give thoughtful consideration to how we show up in others’ lives through a regular, engaged, and unordinary presence.
Let me go back about five years. In the spring of 2019, my young family and I moved from our pastoral charge in Huntsville, Ontario, and I began showing up at the Legislative Assembly of Ontario at Queen’s Park as a legislative chaplain. I had just joined the team of Leading Influence, a national non-profit organization that provides non-partisan chaplaincy and pastoral services to Canada’s elected officials and their staffers. As the Ontario Spiritual Care Provider, I was commissioned to connect with Members of the Provincial Parliament to support and encourage them in their uniquely challenging role of public office.
Since 2007, the ministry model for Leading Influence has specified that we neither have nor seek official status in the legislatures we serve, thus allowing utmost ministry latitude and missional clarity. Simply, our team quietly builds relationships by providing a ministry of presence in the lives of the dear people of Queen’s Park. In my sixth year of showing up at Queen’s Park, I continue to see lives transformed across the political spectrum across the political spectrum.
As I am a full-time chaplain, my presence in the lives of our MPPs has been regular. Almost every day the legislature is in session, I walk the hallways of the House, giving high-fives and handshakes, visiting the public galleries for Question Period and debates, and taking my lunches with them in the cafeteria. I’m determined to be seen doing good things and heard saying good words. This isn’t because I want my presence to be “all about me,” but because I want to follow Jesus’s instructions in Matthew 5:16: “…let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.” (Believe me, this introvert would much rather blend into the surroundings any day!)
Most of us want to make a difference in our world—one that makes significant, quantifiable changes in everyone’s lives. There’s nothing wrong with that, but as time passes, the more I’m reminded that the results and fruitfulness of our outreach endeavours squarely rest with Jesus. (Remember John 15:1–8? He’s the root, we’re the branches.) Few of us will have the measurable impact of the likes of Billy Graham; I’m persuaded that, for most of us (me included!), showing up with faithful, regular presence is foundational.
Beyond being regular, our presence must be engaged, not passive. In legislative chaplaincy, that means I actively learn more about our elected representatives and understand their duties and responsibilities. Engaging means discerning the direction the wind is blowing in others’ lives and then setting our sails accordingly. For example, in the stormy winds of the Covid-19 pandemic, physical presence at the legislature was reduced acutely. Endeavouring to provide chaplaincy ministry during the pandemic felt like captaining a sailboat with no wind. The momentum I had experienced before the lockdowns came to a grinding halt, and the wind was suddenly blowing in a completely different direction. I quickly had to redirect my sail and change up my efforts to find other ways to encourage and support without being physically present. A new opportunity developed for virtual ministry delivery and a new kind of momentum picked up pace. Almost overnight, the ministry was now all about text messaging, Twitter DMs, good old-fashioned phone calls, emails, Facebook Messenger, and WhatsApp. And, who can forget the countless hours spent on Zoom calls on screens across the land?! Ministry flourished in those days in ways it couldn’t have otherwise. When in-person contact resumed, many Members told me how much they appreciated my continuous from-a-distance follow-up, one of them saying, “Thanks for continuing to check in when everyone else disappeared.”
Lastly, when we show up regularly and are engaged, we must also be unordinary. Early on in my time here, several MPPs and staffers were suspicious about me hanging around all the time, as you may imagine. I remember one Member asking me, “Why are you so friendly and kind—what exactly do you want?” In a politician’s life, nearly every interaction involves someone asking for something they need or complaining about something they’ve already received. However, doors swung wide open as I remained soundly non-issue and non-partisan with no agenda.
Our team at Leading Influence often discusses how our chaplaincy care must be given “in a spirit opposite of the culture.” As followers of Jesus, we ought to have the corner on the market when it comes to kindness and grace! The message of 2 Corinthians 2:14–17 is that Christians will be either the aroma of life or the stench of death. Deciding which one to be should be the easiest choice we make each day.
As we thoughtfully consider a more robust theology of presence (referred to colloquially among chaplains as “loitering with intention”), we must remember that it doesn’t have to be a major rewrite of our daily patterns; some minor tweaks here and there could make all the difference. It might mean purposefully leaving 10 minutes early to allow space for meaningful conversations, not just hurried waves as we rush by. It could simply be updating someone’s contact card on your smartphone after a conversation to recall their spouse’s name or a birthday or anniversary later. Or maybe it’s opening your calendar to the day after someone’s surgery or another meaningful life event to jot down a reminder to ask them how it went.
You’re probably not employed as a chaplain, but how can you connect more intentionally with the people you run into on a daily or weekly basis? It doesn’t have to be complicated. Showing up in regular, engaged, and unordinary ways is half the battle.
