|
Concepts of Ministry
The
best way to find out how to have a spiritually healthy and dynamically growing
congregation (and what pastor in his right mind doesn't want that?), is to look
at the congregations that are dynamically growing, both spiritually and
numerically. The next step is to emulate whatever they're doing that is
Biblically sound and correct--right? Jesus told Peter in John 21:15-17
"Feed my lambs...tend my sheep...Feed my sheep." Healthy, well-fed
sheep reproduce and produce more sheep. Healthy sheep are sheep that are being
properly fed and given water. Christians are the sheep of Jesus. Jesus through
this statement to Peter was showing him what His chief concern was. Paul in a
similar manner told the Ephesians "And He Himself gave some to be
apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers,
for"--What?--"for the edifying of the body of Christ, till we all
come to the unity of the faith and the knowledge of the Son of God, to a
perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ; that we
should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every
wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness by which
they lie in wait to deceive, but speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all
things into Him who is the head--Christ--from whom the whole body, joined and
knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working
by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying
of itself in love." We see by these verses that Paul is stating the main
purpose of the ministry--whether apostles, prophets, evangelists or
pastor-teachers--is for the express and central purpose of the edification of
the body of Christ. Bringing unity of the faith and the knowledge of the Son of
God is also a purpose of the ministry, to bring unity to the body. So we see
the office of the ministry has been created by Jesus Christ for the edification
of the body of Christ. One of the central philosophies of the fellowship that
wrote the two accompanying articles is that the ministry is for the express
purpose of fulfilling Ephesians 4:11-16 which was just quoted. That is also the
central purpose of this web site.
You
may notice that many of the studies in this web site--the expository studies of
Paul's letters, and an expository study on the Book of Mark--are studies based
on expository sermons given by one of the fastest growing Christian revivals of
this century (or they are actual transcripts, used by permission). These
expository sermons go forward, verse by verse, chapter by chapter, through
whatever book of the Bible that is being taught from. This particular Christian
revival, as I stated, is one of the fastest growing Christian revivals going
right now, and they have accomplished this growth by the simple Biblical
formula of "feeding" their sheep by this methodical process of giving
expository sermons--no gimmicks, no come-ons. One more important point about
their method of giving expository sermons is that they will start an expository
study, say, on the book of Mark. They will continue on that study, covering
maybe a chapter a week, until the series of sermons on Mark is finished. This
adds an essential continuity to their preaching. I call this the
connective expository sermon. This form of teaching is a key component
of their philosophy of ministry, a key component which helped propel their
spiritual and numeric growth often to the 1000 percent level. So be sure to
read the other two articles that make up this section called Powerful Concepts
of Ministry. One is titled Philosophy of Ministry and the other Principles of
Ministry. These concepts are all things this Christian revival has learned over
the past thirty years under the able leadership of their senior pastor. So if
you're a struggling pastor, contemplating throwing in the towel, the two
accompanying articles are especially for you--and your congregation. Applying
them to your ministry will enliven your congregation beyond your wildest
dreams. Jesus placed you over the sheep in your congregation. You are
responsible for their welfare and growth, even though they are Jesus' sheep in
the final analysis. The accompanying concepts will help you effectively feed
those precious sheep. They will help you bring about the unity and maturity
within your congregation that Paul talked about in Ephesians 4:11-16. So click
on Philosophy of Ministry. Read it through. Then click on Principles
of Ministry. I guarantee that when you apply these concepts to your
congregation, you will not be disappointed with the result. These are, by the
way, Biblical concepts. They are not some fancy quick-fix gimmicks. They are
solid Biblical principles and philosophies of ministering to the flock of Jesus
Christ, principles you'll learn to shape your ministry around for the rest of
your career as a pastor.
Another important concept is that you and your healthy sheep have to have a
heart to reach the lost, the unsaved. This website has a whole section
devoted to that vital subject titled "What is Evangelism?". So once
you learn how to effectively feed and water your sheep, evangelism will help
you bring in new sheep for Jesus. A friend of mine in commenting about how one
church he knew of was aimed at only attracting the spiritually healthy, and
young married couples, had this to say, "I am convinced that this approach
to evangelism will virtually ensure two things--their church will not grow
quickly and that if it does, it will comprise only respectable married
families. That is hardly the approach we want to follow. Chuck Smith really
impressed me when he described how he and his wife would sit on the beach and
watch the hippies pass by. They were filled with compassion for these
"freaky" kids who were wrecking their lives with drugs and trying all
kinds of things to fill their emptiness. It is hardly the respectable
folk--especially the high and mighty--who acknowledge their need for Christ.
Some people are too impressed with big cathedrals, lovely architecture, and the
culture of the well-bred. This makes it hard for them to roll up their sleeves
to get the work of evangelism done. They have become set in their ways. You are
right about this congregation we're talking about with the big beautiful
building, their model of ministry is hardly the example we want to follow. In
fact, I am beginning to wonder if traditional church buildings will ever again
draw most young people into their midst. Perhaps our whole physical location
needs to be rethought. Could you imagine the pastor in this particular building
saying--as one pastor did in a Calvary Chapel--tear up the carpet if that is
causing a problem for the trampling feet of the hippie "types" who
are in our midst?" I think you can see my friend's point. Ministry must be
relevant to those you are reaching out to for the Lord to save. And who are
those the Lord wants to save? Matthew 9:10-13, "While Jesus was having
dinner at Matthew's house, many tax collectors and "sinners" came and
ate with him and his disciples. When the Pharisees saw this, they asked his
disciples, 'Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and 'sinners'?' On
hearing this , Jesus said, 'It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the
sick. But go and learn what this means: 'I desire mercy, not sacrifice.' For I
have not come to call the righteous , but sinners.'"
My
friend (a divinity student at a major prestigious university) also had this to
say about the connective expository sermon format. "I am in agreement with
you about the need for connective expository sermons (though I think we should
be flexible so that on special occasions we can speak on a topic for that day
or season). There is no better way for people to get a better appreciation for
the Holy Scriptures' meaning than through connective expository sermons.
But those who give them must stick with them and be consistent. This approach
is far more preferable and beneficial than merely subscribing to some ancient
creed or confession and rigidly adhering to its strictures. We must be free to
re-engage the Scriptures in their original context, but also willing to bring
them to life for our time..." And his recommendation for those wishing to
try this format: "Here are some suggestions: start with the gospel of
Matthew and when finished, take on the other Gospels--contrasting and comparing
their distinctive contributions. " And then..."start with the NT
letter that is the earliest written (1 Thessalonians--around AD 50 or 51). Then
from there go through each of Paul's letters based on their age. That way we
can see the development of Paul's thought. We could also view Paul as a living
example of 2 Peter 3:18 (growing in grace and knowledge). His progression in
understanding (at one point thinking that Christ would return in his lifetime)
should especially inspire WCG. We should also study Acts and cull the many principles
from it so that we can practice them now (of course we have to be discerning as
to what applies directly to us and how we see those parts that speak to our
situation). In the process, anyone following this connective expository format
will be giving their members somewhat of a seminary education, a tour and
deeper understanding of the ancient world, and inspiration from the Word of God
(which transforms lives and motivates us to be better Christians). These are
the benefits. I recommend the following approach: 1) study the original context
(recipients, purpose of letter, author and his life story, surroundings, and
reason for the letter or book); 2) meaning and theology of text on its own
terms; 3) contemporary application (that is, how does it apply to our present
situation?). That would mean we would have to cover a certain portion of a
letter in any one sermon (say Romans 1:1-15), give a sense of its meaning to
its original hearers (for example, Paul dealing with Jesus' role in God's plan
and his desire to share spiritual gifts with the brothers and sisters in
Rome--and the Gentile-Jewish issue), and think hard about how this might apply
to us in the light of Romans and the rest of Scripture...This method should
also help members think about effective ways of interpreting the Bible when
they are in the privacy of their homes. This would have the benefit of giving
people the discernment to avoid esoteric or tangential issues. In any case,
these are just some suggestions that I think would be helpful in sorting out
what we could do to improve our preaching."
To
learn more of this model of ministry be sure to log onto the other two articles
in this section, "Philosophy of Ministry" and "Principles of
Ministry".
Another vital concept of ministry, one of the most vital, is to not leave
God out of the picture. To maintain a growing and vital ministry and church it
is essential to promote member participation in corporate prayer as well as
educating your members in the biblical essentials of private prayer. This
website has a whole section devoted to prayer, corporate and private. This is
one of the most vital concepts of ministry there is, because worship is all
about our personal and corporate contact with the Lord, with God the Father in
Spirit led and filled prayer. Be sure to log onto the section "What is
Prayer?" and apply those vital concepts, teach those vital concepts to
your congregation. Read about the miracle of the Brooklyn Tabernacle and how prayer,
corporate and private, transformed this tiny dying congregation into a vital
congregation of over 4,000 people in the heart of Brooklyn, New York.
So to recap, what are the vital concepts of ministry we must apply to our
congregations to foster growth?
Make
the pastures within the congregation green and lush so your members become
spiritually healthy and nourished, and thus removing all desire they may have
to move to greener pastures. (Read the other two articles in this section.)
- Make sure you make prayer,
private and corporate, a vital part of your congregation. Educate them
about prayer. (See section "What is Prayer?")
- Evangelize to those in your local
community who aren't born-again. The two vital parts of evangelism, two
legs it walks forward on are:
a. Evangelize verbally and in print with the Word of God
b. Evangelize through your Good Works of service to the needy and hurting,
the lost, in your community. Without putting your actions and money were
your mouth is, God's Word will be hollow to them because they won't see
you living it through servant ministry.
“Ministry
Principles” Section Site Map
Powerful
Concept Of Ministry
https://unityinchrist.com/pom/index_1.htm
Principles
Of Ministry
https://unityinchrist.com/pom/prinofmin.htm
Philosophy
Of Ministry
https://unityinchrist.com/pom/philofmin.htm
Psalm
23
https://unityinchrist.com/pom/AShepherdLooks.htm
|
