Not all ministry looks the same

‘Ministry’ is probably not the first word people typically associate with the area of Professional Standards.

However, to Dave Biar, who recently retired after 12 years as a Professional Standards Officer for the LCA, that’s how it should be regarded. The leader of more than 300 congregational training sessions about ethical behaviour and child safety, and the church’s related policies and procedures, has viewed his work as much more than a job.

‘For many people, when they hear “ministry”, they think of a worship service or pastoral care,’ Dave acknowledges. ‘Professional Standards doesn’t sound like ministry. But it is, and it certainly has been a ministry to many in this church. And because of that, it has been more than just a job to me.

‘You just have to look at Scripture to see how extensively it talks about how we treat others. What matters is not just what we say, but how we behave.’

Over his time in the role, which has spanned both LCA District and Churchwide Office-level responsibilities, Dave has helped hundreds of Lutheran congregations understand that safe practice isn’t just about compliance – it’s being Christ-like.

‘Some forms of training, like the government-mandated ones, are only focused on ethical behaviour,’ he says. ‘If you look at safety training as compliance, then it’s hard work. But once you bring it back to Scripture, and the message of the gospel … [the outcomes are] going to exceed any government requirement.’

Dave admits, though, that the role came with its share of emotional weight. He’s read court documents and heard abuse survivors’ stories firsthand. ‘But the hard parts have also been the most important,’ he says. ‘We’ve walked with congregations through difficult moments and supported them in developing safer practices. And we’ve seen good changes. Congregations now proactively seek out training.’

Most of all, Dave says the best moments came when healing began. ‘Encountering someone who had been hurting and seeing them start to heal, because someone listened, because something changed, that made it all worthwhile,’ he says.

Even so, it’s a role that drew on every bit of his previous 33 years working in business in the audio-visual industry. ‘I’ve used all of it: technical knowledge, people skills, relationship-building,’ he says. ‘But more than that, it’s grown my faith.

‘While I didn’t avoid sharing my faith in my previous roles, it was not something that would have been tolerated if I did it in an overt, unprompted way. But when I started working at the SA–NT District, it was an entirely different culture … and that rubbed off!

‘I started sharing much more openly about what God was doing in my life. I started listening much more closely to what God was doing in others’ lives. And my casual conversations with God became more frequent, and more about others.’

Fittingly, Dave’s inspiration to work has come from something many in the LCANZ know by heart: the church’s tagline, ‘where love comes to life’. ‘It might sound corny to some, but it has real depth,’ he says. ‘When our work is grounded in love, it transforms everything.’