Over the past 10 years, I have seen many changes in my
ministry environment. I was a full-time
pastor in a large church until 2006.
From there, I went on to serve as a pastoral leader for a team in China,
where we gathered each week in living rooms.
A church building wasn’t an option there.
Then, I served in a Korean church as an associate pastor. I was the only Caucasian in the church,
giving me a new appreciation of what it’s like to be a minority among the
majority. From there, I returned to
Waco—where I served as an elder and bi-vocational minister for years at a small
country church. I worked in insurance,
doing a job that helped me provide for my and the church’s needs, until the
church closed. Now, I am in a full-time
job as a Director of Operations for a communications consultancy.
Several have asked, “Why are you no longer in
full-time ministry?” Actually, I don’t
see it that way. I am in ministry
full-time. I still serve as a pastor to
people, missionary to other cultures, and evangelist to those outside the
Church. Christians are all called to ministry. So, the question is really, “Why aren’t you
in a church job that pays the bills?” I
don’t want to ever view a pastoral role as a “job,” but as a calling. For now, I feel God calling me to serve Him wherever
I am serving (Colossians 3:23-24).
Nevertheless, my view of ministry now has been shaped
by my experiences over the last 10 years. There have been some significant
shifts—in me. Though it’s not really shifts, as much as
seeing and understanding and embracing more of the ministry that Jesus taught
and modeled.
Much of it has been realizing that “there is nothing
new under the sun,” and churches today still struggle with the same issues
since the days of Acts. There is still a
clamoring for celebrity. Church
leaders still want to be cool. It’s
reminiscent of the disciples fighting over, “Who is the greatest in the
Kingdom?” (Matthew 18:1). Jesus said our
earthly position is to be last, not first.
There is still tendency to be cliquish. We still draw man-made lines, saying, “I
follow Paul” or “I follow Apollo” or “I follow Cephas” or the reactionary “I
follow Christ” only to make Him in our image again (1 Corinthians
1:10-17). I think the Apostle would ask
us the same question today: “Is Christ divided?” We must never pledge our allegiance to a
leader or church at the expense of adoration of our Lord and affection for His
universal Church.
Unfortunately, we often find ourselves in the act of condemning, casting the first stones
and praying things like “God, I thank you that I’m not like THOSE people” (Luke
18:11). I have been convicted lately in
remembering that a church should be a “house of prayer for all peoples”
(Isaiah 56:10). The gospel is “good news of great joy for all people”
(Luke 2:10). God calls “all people everywhere to repent” (Acts
17:30). Thus, Paul became “all things to
all people, that by all means” he might save some (1 Corinthians
9:22). God “desires all people to
be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth” (1 Timothy 2:4). Paul urged that “supplications, prayers,
intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people” (1 Timothy
2:1), and for us “to speak evil of no one, to avoid quarreling, to be gentle,
and to show perfect courtesy toward all people” (Titus 3:2). “All people” will know we are His
disciples by our love (John 13:35).
There is no condemnation in Christ Jesus.
And somehow, we continue to take the concept of corporate worship as
the Church, and turn it into the church corporate. The incorporation of the church has resulted
in some unbiblical shifts: a priority shift to corporate-mindedness, above
cause and community focus; a shift from discipleship to programs (relationship
to project); a shift from “whole truth to whole people” to sheer efficiency and
metrics (bullet points over the full counsel of God; a love of numbers over
love for people). Perhaps we could even
call it the commercial church—focusing on production value, slick
resources, consumer marketing, multi-site franchises, polished staging, and
brand building.
This has been the source of much spiritual abuse. Jesus once described the crowds as “harassed
and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.”
Jesus was the good Shepherd.
We’re fine with the fast-talking CEO.
We talk about leadership, as
the highest goal. Yet Jesus taught love as the greatest thing.
Community can be a messy business.
What we learn from Mary and Martha is this—sometimes you have to be okay
with the mess, in order to sit at the feet of Jesus. God is still on His throne.
Now, certainly there is need for organization, for health of the
community and advancement of the cause to the ends of the earth. God is not the
author of chaos. He indeed gives order to things. Some have pointed out that, when the church
grew in Acts, the apostles appointed deacons to serve tables so they could
focus on the ministry of the word and prayer (Acts 6). Yes and amen. But does this mean the pastor
is justified in putting boundaries upon layers upon walls between him and the
people?
Not if we understand that ministry of the word meant going from house to house, and the ministry
of prayer meant laying on of hands
for those in need of healing. It wasn’t
less interaction with the sheep—it was more focused
ministry to the sheep. It was being with the people. While that doesn’t mean constant availability
(as even Jesus withdrew for time with the Father)—it does mean accessibility. The Shepherd knows his sheep, and the sheep
recognize his voice. Where have all the
shepherds gone?
Here’s how all that has played out in my heart and mind over the last
10 years:
- Ministry should be less “building a platform,” more building up people. Less ascending, more descending
- Ministry should be less "organize people to do church tasks," more "order my life to equip saints for their work/His calling" (Eph 4:10-12).
- Ministry should be less making people come to you, more meeting people where they are.
- Ministry should be less being “lonely at the top,” more being with the people. Less CEO, more shepherd (Mark 3:13-14; Matthew 9:36-38)
- Ministry should be less reliant on “spiritual authority,” more relational as servant leadership.
- Ministry should be less “leading the leaders,” more serving the servants (Mark 9:35).
- Ministry should be less standing on soap boxes, more washing of feet (John 13:13-15)
- Ministry should be less of me, more of Him (John 3:30).
Several friends have suggested I’m unrealistic in
sharing these ideals. However, I would
say it’s not so much being unrealistic, as believing in things only God can do. It’s
impossible without Him, and I need to trust Him and ask for His help daily. When did we settle for doing church man’s
way, instead of being the Church that God desires?
“You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them. It shall not be so among you. But whoever would be great among you must be your servant, and whoever would be first among you must be your slave, even as the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many” (Matthew 20:25-28).Yes, Lord Jesus.
Books that have helped shaped ministry for me also include: “Learning to be Last: Leadership for Congregational Transformation” by E. Lebron Fairbanks and Stan Toler; “Jesus-Driven Ministry” by Ajith Fernando; “Escape from Church, Inc” by E Glenn Wagner; and “The Master Plan of Evangelism” by Robert E Coleman.
