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Philosophy of Ministry

I hope you enjoy my Philosophy of Ministry. It differs from my Bible Theology for a this of reason.

A document of this sort is all about how I approach my ministry. Bible Theology is what I believe.

Over the years my Philosophy in the area of Ministry has changed. As I face real people with real issues and real life, my approach to ministry is constantly being challenged.

You could say that my way of doing the Lord's work is evolving.

I hope you enjoy this article.

The Nature and Purpose of Ministry

This Philosophy of Ministry revolves around doing the job that God has called His believers to do. All believers have been called to be Ambassadors for Christ (2 Cor. 5:20), defenders of the faith (Phil. 1:7), and servants to Christ's people (2 Cor. 4:5). Therefore we are all to be in the Ministry.

Ministry is not intended for the trained or schooled. When a person becomes part of the body of Christ, each member is responsible to do their part (Rom. 12:4,5). According to my understanding of Scripture, no one is exempt from being in ministry.

The gospel is the heart of any Philosophy of Ministry. It is in Matthew 28:18-20 where this goal of the ministry is put into perspective.

Christ has commanded us to “Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”

My Philosophy of Ministry is about reaching out to unbelievers everywhere, converting and baptizing them, then teaching them to do the same.

The Nature and Purpose of the Church

Contrary to popular belief, the church is not just a building or a place of fellowship. Instead, the church is the people of God (1 Pt. 2:9).

My Philosophy of Ministry says that the church is the assembly of called out ones (by faith from sin to salvation) who work together for the glory of God both locally (Acts 8:1; 13:1; Rom. 16:1) and in a universal sense (Matt. 16:18; Eph 1:22,23). This combination of local and universal church make up the body of Christ.

The reason that the church exists is to express the great commandments of loving God and your neighbor (Matt. 22:37-40) by applying the great commission (Matt. 28:18-20).

If this happens, then the church will be making disciples of all nations through evangelism, baptism and teaching. The church will be helping the people who have called God their King fulfill their ministry obligations.

The Individual Believer

Each person who is part of the church is in essence committing themselves to the fulfillment of the great commission. Yet in order for the church to be effective, all believers have a role to play. Believers need to strive to grow personally as well as work together with other members of the body of believers.

My Philosophy of Ministry agrees that when a person submits to the authority of Christ (salvation) and gives of themselves for the service of Christ (John 12:25; Rom. 12:1,2) they will be transformed. It is at this point that the believer begins the quest to become Holy (Heb. 2:11; 1 Pet. 1:2; 2 Pet. 1:2-4). This process call sanctification is finally accomplished the day that individual meets Christ face to face. A believer who has submitted to Christ will be know to others by the fruits their lives produce (Gal. 5:22,23).

While an individual believer has a responsibility to grow in Christ, they also have a responsibility to help the body of Christ grow. Each believer has been given spiritual gifts (Rom. 12; 1 Cor. 12) that are intended to be used to benefit the body of Christ by preparing God’s people for works of service (Eph. 4:12,13). Each local body of believers has access to all the gifts mentioned yet there is no person who posses all the gifts. That is why it is vital for the church to work together to fulfill the commission set forth by God.

The Nature and Purpose of Leadership

The scriptures make it very clear that from the early church, leadership was very important. Leaders in the church are individuals who have a growing spiritual and personal life (Acts 6:1-7; 1 Tim. 3:8-13) as well as have a servant like attitude (Matt. 20:17-18). These individuals in the body of believers are also given gifts that will allow them to be more directly involved in church leadership. These gifts at times may receive the most attention yet the gifts the leaders are of no more important than the individuals which work in the background.

Among the leadership gifts are overseer (Rom. 12:8), pastor/teacher (Eph. 4:11), faith (1 Cor. 12:9), teaching (1 Cor. 12:28; Rom. 12:7), administration (1 Cor. 12:28), and preaching (Eph. 4:11; 1 Cor 12:10; Rom. 12:6). These leadership qualities are a special gift from God. In fact, there are those who feel that if a person is given these gifts, they will be held accountable for how these gifts were used.

The three formal leadership positions for the church are the apostle, the elder and the deacon. These are generally the individuals who possess the leadership gifts but that is not always the case. These elected individuals who are chosen for leadership each have their own set of responsibilities.

The apostles in early church times were the men who led the Jerusalem church and then appointed deacons (Acts 7). If there are individuals in the twenty-first century church who have assumed this position it would be missionaries and church planters. It seems though that the official title of apostle has been gradually phased out and is still part of my Philosophy of Ministry.

The role of the elder can be found in 1 Timothy 3:1-7 and Titus 1:5-9 and the deacon’s role is found in 1 Tim. 3:8-13. Elders have the responsibility to oversee and shepherd (Acts 20:28) while the deacon is more responsible for administration and related duties.

Leaders in the church need to remember that there is a difference between authority and power. As appointed individuals, it is imperative that leaders have a servant attitude (Matt. 20:17-28). Jesus was the type of servant that was transparent, humble, honest obedient and had a sense of security (Matt. 26:36-46; John 13:1-17). These are the qualities that leaders should have. He must remember that he is in the business of building up the body and reaching others for Christ (Eph. 4:11-13).

There will be times when an individual in the church may need to be disciplined. While this is not a desirable position for a leader to be in, my Philosophy of Ministry agrees with Matthew 18:15-17 which lays out the steps needed to properly discipline. The leader should confront the person who has done wrong. If there is no repentance, bring two or more with you to confront the individual again. If there is still no repentance, bring the person before the church to confront them. Then if still there is no change, throw him out of the church.

If it is the leader who had done wrong he needs to humble himself and then make the situation right (Matt. 5:23-26). If there is ever a situation that evolves in which a person in leadership comes into a confrontal situation with another person, they should act like Christ. Simply act in a wise compassionate way (Mark 10:17-25).

Organizational Structures

We do not know all that we would like to know about the early Christians but the general pattern of their life together is clear in my Philosophy of Ministry. Using individual houses (Acts 17:5; 18:7), the church body met on an appointed day (Acts 20:7; Rev. 1:10) and under designated leaders they would read and study scriptures (1 Tim. 3:13), sang hymns (Col. 3:16), offered prayers to God, and received offerings (1 Cor. 16:1,2). The money was used to help the poor and the widows (Acts 6:1) as well as to support the leadership (1 Tim. 5:17,18). New converts were baptized (Acts 16:33) and the whole church joined in observing the Lord’s Supper (1 Cor. 11:17-26).

Denominations have become very much a part of the Evangelical church and my Philosophy of Ministry. Christ Himself would never have endorsed such division among believers (1 Cor. 1:12,13). Yet, because of the corruption which grew in the early Catholic church, it was inevitable. There is nothing that I can do about denominations. All I can do is work as if there are no divisions between believers in Christ. We need to remember the goal of the church and preach the gospel.

There is evidence in scripture (Acts 11) that there was indeed a form of church government in the early church. The church in Ephesus was known to have elders (Acts 20:13) and Titus appointed elders in every town. These facts on the form of church government show that Biblically speaking the most accurate is probably Presbyterian. This type of government uses a board of elders elected from the congregation to oversee the running of the church.

The Role of the Pastor

My Philosophy of Ministry says that the role of pastor/teacher is a gift that is given to certain individuals within the body of Christ (Eph. 4:11). It is a role that should not be taken lightly. There are some who feel that a pastor is above the others in the congregation yet he is basically an elder who has been called to “shepherd the flock” (1 Peter 5:1-3). He is responsible to the church to provide care, protect and guard, and also teach and instruct. Even with these specialized responsibilities, all the requirements that elders adhere to are also relevant to a pastor (1 Tim. 3:1-7; Titus 1:5-9).

It is also important to understand that a pastor cannot do everything. There are some who do not agree with this Philosophy of Ministry but each local church is blessed with individuals that have different gifts and abilities. These individuals with gifts need to use them to help with the shepherding of the flock. Generally a pastor will take the responsibility of preaching/teaching but may oversee many of the other needs in the church as others work in areas which exercise their gifts. A pastor will have a different “job description” depending on the church he is serving in. In one church he could be the janitor and the next that same pastor will be the secretary.

The key to pastoring is serving. The servant attitude is what Christ showed us as He walked on the earth and it is this attitude that we should adopt (Mark 10:45). I am convinced that a pastor who makes service of his congregation his number one priority will be able to do the great things to further the kingdom of God. This is attitude of serving is important in my Philosophy of Ministry. Pastoring will not be without its ups and downs, but the attitude in your heart will speak volumes as you represent Christ.

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