Peer Ministry :: Adult Facilitator Support

Student Interviews of Churches that are Using Peer Ministry

#8 Interview APR, 2005

With: Mike Dauterive

Director of Youth and Family Ministry

Gethsemane Lutheran

Interviewed by: Nathaniel Miller

How did you first get interested in the idea of peer ministry?

I went to a peer ministry workshop in August of 2004. Upon arriving home, I went to speak with the pastor. We both decided that the ministry would be beneficial.

What type of community is your church set in?

Gethsemane Lutheran is settled in Chalmette which is a suburb of New Orleans. Our particular parish is generally made up of middle class individuals.

What is the size of your congregation?

The church has a roster of 750. However, there are only about 250 that worship regularly.

Tell me about your staff size.

The church has four individuals. There is a pastor, myself, and office manager that has gone through the peer ministry training, and an assistant office manager.

How did you get into Peer Ministry training?

I learned about it at certification school. From there, I saw that one of the churches was holding an event with Peer Ministry aspects and I signed up.

Why is Peer Ministry needed in your church?

Everybody has peers and everyone could use some form of ministry. One of the drives behind it is that Peer Ministry fosters new relationships. It also strengthens ones that have already been made. There are kids that will come into my office looking for someone who will listen. So, kids are constantly looking for a shoulder to cry on.

How would you define ministry?

It can be done anytime, anywhere. Ministry is essentially anything that can be done to help someone else and it always involves people. It doesn’t necessarily include speaking about the Word of God. Simply listening can be vital ministry.

What excites you most about Peer Ministry?

Relationships! I am very extraverted. I love talking to and listening to people. The beautiful part about it is that is doesn’t even have to be someone that I have an already established deep relationship with.

Why did you start with adults?

The pastor and I decided it would be helpful to start with the adults partially because it was in the middle of the football season. Down here in Louisiana and Texas, football is almost a religion. The goal was that with the adults being trained, they could then help with the youth. It was tough for me to train the adults because I was essentially alone. But, it was helpful later on because I wasn’t alone in training the youth. All have said that the training was wonderful.

How do you invite involvement into Peer Ministry?

We put an article in the newsletter for the adults. We also identified key individuals within the congregation who would serve as good role models. We did the same thing for the kids but with the youth newsletter.

What is happening as a result of Peer Ministry in your church?

People are finding themselves growing spiritually and relationally. Some of them have even wanted to get more involved with other ministry aspects of the congregation.

What do you hope happens in the future?

I am hoping that the youth involved will get excited. It is my hope that they realize that Jesus is not confined to four walls and neither is ministry. I just want them to have a positive and faithful impact on whatever community they may be a part of in the future.

Do you have any advice for someone, or a church, who are looking to start a Peer Ministry?

Simple, you have to have a plan. Otherwise, it will fall apart. Before I ran with the program I sat down and had coffee with the pastor not only discussing the program itself, but also a plan of attack. Be committed to the ministry and be committed to the plan.