Introduction
A biblical philosophy of ministry is necessary for the
church to fulfill its purpose here on the earth. It helps to lay a solid
foundation for what is to be accomplished, to give a clear direction of how it
is to be accomplished, and to ensure a proper motivation for why it is to be
accomplished. In other words, it succinctly articulates the purpose of the
church in order to then determine the practice of the church. The benefits of
such an approach are truly great. First, it gives a biblical standard by which
a ministry can be evaluated. Second it helps to keep the ministry within the
church balanced and focused on the essentials; otherwise the church takes on
too much and the people become burdened and discouraged. Third, it facilitates
greater involvement of the members as each individual sees his part in the
bigger picture of what the church is accomplishing as a whole. Finally, it
gives a framework by which the relative merits of a perspective ministry can be
gaged.[1]
The following paper will seek to lay out a biblical philosophy
of ministry that is both comprehensive in scope, and simple in structure and
content. The bulk of the paper will be on the purpose of the church; for the
purpose of the church is the grid by which we are to formulate and evaluate the
various practices of the church. The first is necessary for the second. The
purpose of the church is threefold. As we will see, it is to be a worshipping,
witnessing, and working community. The practice of the church is to be limited
to those ministries which best help to fulfill the purpose of the church. As we
will see, they are the ministry of the Word, Fellowship and Care, the Lord’s
Supper, Prayer, Evangelism, and Discipleship.
The Purpose of the
Church
The purpose of the church is to be a worshiping community
that seeks to exalt the Lord, a witnessing community that seeks to evangelize
the lost, and a working community that seeks to edify the believers.[2]
All three of these components are essential to the ministry. While one should
not be emphasized to the exclusion of the rest, there is a real sense in which
worship encompasses the other two purposes. For this reason, the concept of
true worship will receive a slightly more extensive treatment.
Worshiping Community – Exalt the Lord
The church is a redeemed community which exists to exalt and
glorify God (Eph. 1:3-14). The only proper response to the demonstration of
God’s saving grace in Christ towards those who have believed is that of worship.
In order for our worship to be genuine, it is essential that we understand the
basis, object, and manner of our worship.
The Basis of Our Worship
The basis of our worship is the Word of God, for in it God
has revealed Himself to us, and made known the requirements of true, acceptable
worship. “Throughout the Bible, acceptable worship means approaching or
engaging with God on the terms that he proposes and in the manner that he makes
possible.”[3]
Worship is on God’s, not man’s terms. The only way to know God’s terms is
through the Scriptures. Therefore, true worship demands a high view of
Scripture. The Scriptures are inspired, authoritative, sufficient, and relevant
(2 Tim. 3:16-17; 2 Peter 1:20-21).
The Object of Our Worship
The Scriptures teach us that God alone is to be the object
of our Worship (Deut. 6:4; Is. 45:5-7; 1 Cor. 8:4). This demands that we have a
high view of God; one which views Him as holy, righteous, and true. True
worship is “the dramatic celebration of God in his supreme worth in such a
manner that his worthiness becomes the norm and inspiration of human living.”[4]
The implications of this are great. First, this means that true worship is
directed towards God (Jn. 4:24). This guards us from redefining worship in
terms of what pleases us. “Worshipers embark on the enterprise not simply to satisfy
their needs, to make themselves feel better, or to minister to their aesthetic
tastes and social well-being. Rather they worship in order to express and
articulate the greatness of their God.”[5]
Second, true worship focuses on the worthiness of God. This forces us to look
away from ourselves and to the only One who is worthy of praise for what He has
done in creation (Rev. 4:11) and redemption (Rev. 5:12-14). Finally, true
worship recognizes God’s holiness at all times (Ps. 99:9). “The holiness of God
is at the heart of the Christian idea of worship, with the double effect of
awakening in us both a lively sense of our creaturely dependence and a stark
recollection of our frailty (Is. 6:1-9; Luke 5:8). Yet, on the positive side,
the holiness of God can bid us draw near, since the divine character is
attractive and gracious (Heb. 4:14-16).”[6]
Understanding the holiness of God instills within us the importance of church
discipline; because the holiness of God demands intolerance towards sin in the
church. It also impacts our attitude towards how we approach worship, because
God deserves complete reverence and respect. “Worship is not something we
attend in a detached way as spectators on the sidelines; it is an exercise that
should involve our whole selves, engaging our complete interest and
participation. Attention is called for, not merely attendance.”[7]
How could we offer God anything less? Ultimately, we must remember that church
is done for God and not man. He alone is the object of our worship.
The Manner of Our Worship
The manner of our worship can be understood in terms of
personal and corporate worship. There is a real sense in which the first is
essential to the second. Personal worship refers to the intimate fellowship
that an individual has with God through reading the Word and prayer which
results in a life of humble, sacrificial service. “To the degree we worship God
in private, to that degree we will worship God with our families and at
church. To the degree we enter into,
enjoy and express ourselves freely in private worship, to that degree we will
be able to enter in, enjoy and express ourselves freely in family and public
worship. Therefore, if we desire to
maintain and enjoy family worship and public worship, we must maintain and
enjoy private worship.”[8]
The importance of personal worship cannot be overstated. It works in favor of corporate worship, not
against it as A. W. Tozer demonstrates in the following illustration:
Has
it ever occurred to you that one hundred pianos all tuned to the same fork are
automatically tuned to each other? They
are of one accord by being tuned, not to each other, but to another standard to
which one must individually bow. So one
hundred worshipers meeting together, each one looking away to Christ, are in
heart nearer to each other than they could possibly be were they to become
“unity” conscious and turn their eyes away from God to strive for closer
fellowship. Social religion is perfected
when private religion is purified.[9]
As individual believers who comprise
the body of Christ, we are to offer up to God worship in the form of “spiritual
sacrifices” (Rom. 12:1-2). These spiritual sacrifices consist in proclaiming
the gospel (Rom. 15:16; Acts 6:4; Phil. 2:17; 2 Tim. 4:6), living holy lives
(Rom. 12:1-2; 1 Peter 1:13-16), praying (Acts 6:4; 13:2-3), ministering to the
needs of others (Rom. 12:1-8; Heb. 13:16; Phil. 2:17, 30), expressing
thankfulness (Heb. 13:15; Eph. 5:19-20; Col. 3:16-17), and giving financially
(Heb. 13:16; Rom. 15:27; 2 Cor. 9:12; Phil. 4:18).[10]
Corporately, believers gather together on a regular basis
for a worship service. The scriptures describe at least five main elements of a
worship service. First, the Word of God must be the focal point. As the early
church was growing at an extraordinary rate, the apostles determined that
nothing would take precedence over the Word of God (Acts 6:7). The Word of God
was to be publicly read in worship services (Acts 13:14-16; 15:21; 1 Tim. 4:13)
and faithfully preached (1 Tim. 4:14; 2 Tim. 4). Since the main purpose of
preaching is the edification of the saints and evangelization of the lost,
there can be no better approach than expository preaching. In this way the
whole counsel of God is being preached.
Second, prayer is to have a prominent place in our times of
corporate worship. This was a significant component of the early church (Acts
2:42, 46) and a continual emphasis throughout the epistles (Eph. 6:18; Phil.
4:6; Col. 4:2; 1 Thess. 5:17; 1 Tim. 2:1-2, 8).[11]
Different prayers that can be implemented in a worship service are as follows:
1. Invocation: Asking God’s blessing upon the service as it begins; 2.
Adoration: Praising God for His marvelous works; 3. Intercession: Bringing the
needs of others to God; 4. Confession: Asking forgiveness for sin; 5.
Benedictions: Asking God’s blessing upon His people as the service concludes. Each
of these kinds of prayers contributes to the richness of the worship
experience. They also provide an excellent opportunity for different members of
the congregation to participate in corporate worship.
Third, praise through song is to be a part of the service.
The purpose of music is to praise God and edify believers (Col. 3:16; Eph.
4:19). “Worshipful music issues from the heart along with the voice. It is
‘making melody in your heart to the Lord’ (Eph. 5:19), ‘singing with
thankfulness in your hearts to God’ (Col. 3:16). It is an act in which the
worshiper enters wholeheartedly with the spirit as well as the mind (1 Cor.
14:15).”[12]
In no way should it be a mere routine, becoming only lip service which is not
worship at all.
Fourth, giving is to be an important part of the service.
Various principles of giving are articulated throughout the New Testament. It
is to be regular, predetermined (so as not to be under compulsion),
proportionate to the way in which the Lord has blessed you, cheerful, sacrificial,
by faith, and generous (1 Cor. 16:1-2; 2 Cor. 8:3-5; 9:6-11; 1 Tim. 6:18).[13]
Finally, the Lord’s Supper is to be a regular part of the
worship service (I suggest on a monthly basis). This is a time of corporate
fellowship in which we celebrate the New Covenant, remember the sacrifice of
Christ on the Cross, and look forward to His return (1 Cor. 11:17-34).
In summary the church is to be a worshiping community. A
community of believers who hold to a high view of Scripture since it is the
basis of our worship; who hold to a high view of God since He is the object of
our worship; and who are committed to personal and corporate worship since that
is to be the manner of our worship.
Witnessing Community – Evangelize the World
The church is also called to be a witnessing community. Evangelism,
the very heart and soul of the New Testament church, is not an option but a
command given to all believers (Matt. 28:18-20; Mark 16:15-16; Luke 24:46-47;
John 17:18). At its most basic definition, “Evangelism is the process by which
a believer allows the Holy Spirit to use him or her to reach an unbeliever with
the message of the Gospel.”[14] It is not an imposition; rather it is a
loving proclamation of the good news. It is not focused merely on results, but
on faithfulness. As one writer has so aptly stated:
Evangelism
is not a making of proselytes; it is not persuading people to make a decision;
it is not proving that God exists, or making a good case for the truth of
Christianity; it is not inviting someone to a meeting; it is not exposing the
contemporary dilemma, or arousing interest in Christianity; it is not wearing a
badge saying “Jesus Saves”! Some of these things are right and good in their
place, but none of them should be confused with evangelism. To evangelize is to
declare the authority of God, what he has done to save sinners, to warn men of
their lost condition, to direct them to repent, and to believe on the Lord
Jesus Christ.[15]
Therefore, the faithful and loving proclamation
of the Gospel is the key to evangelism. As the church seeks to fulfill the great
Commission, growth should be the natural result.
The following are some crucial principles to consider as it
relates to the effectiveness of evangelism and church growth: The church grows when
it is obedient to the Great Commission and has a firm belief that Christ
expects His church to grow (Acts 1:8, 2:38), when it is actively involved in
preaching the Gospel to the lost through whatever means available, when it is
able to motivate and involve its membership (Acts 8:4-6; 13:48-49), when it is
devoted to prayer in efforts to with the lost for Christ (Acts 1:24; 4:23-31;
12:5), when it is actively seeking to incorporate new believers into the body
of Christ and helping to build them up to maturity (Acts 2:47; 4:32-37; 9:31;
11:24-30), when it overcomes any obstacles that might be hindering evangelism
(Acts 5:14; 6:1-7; 13:1-4), and when it stands for truth and holiness in spite
of persecution (Acts 7:1; 8:2; 9:15-16).[16]
Following these principles is essential to having a sustained ministry of
evangelism in the church. The church should be marked both by local and international
evangelism, with the goal of planting indigenous churches which are
self-governing, self-propagating, and self-supporting. When these principles
are ignored, the church will begin to enter into “maintenance mode” and
eventually grow stagnate.
In summary, the pastor should “lead the way in praying for
new fields, praying for God to thrust out laborers (Matt. 9:37-38), praying
over the selection of missionaries (Acts 13:1-3), and supporting missionaries
and the evangelistic enterprise.”[17]
The church as a whole must be a witnessing community that is deliberate about
evangelizing the lost.
Working Community – Edify the Church
The church is called to be a working community. “The fact
that Christ, the Head of the church, has given believers spiritual gifts
through His indwelling Spirit is of crucial importance to the Biblical concept
of ministry.”[18] In Ephesians 4:11-13, we are told that God has
given gifted men to the church for the purpose of “equipping the saints for the
work of the service, to the building up of the body of Christ; until we all
attain to the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a
mature man, to the measure of the stature which belongs to the fullness of
Christ.” This means that the pastor (as well as the leaders) has the “special
duty of equipping the members of his congregation so that they will discover
and utilize their respective gifts for the spiritual maturity of one another.
(…) The church is designed to be a working community where each individual member
is faithfully serving the Lord by ministering to the rest.”[19]
Therefore, there are no passive participants within the body of Christ. Every
believer has been called to full-time ministry. Every believer is to employ his
gift in serving and edifying the body of Christ (I Peter 4:10-11).
The result of such edification is that those who are part of
the body of Christ will no longer be carried about “by every wind of doctrine,
by the trickery of men, by the craftiness in deceitful scheming”; much on the contrary,
the body of Christ will speak the truth in love to one another, build itself up
in love, and “grow up in all aspects into Him who is the head, even Christ”
(Eph. 4:14-16). “A mature church can thus remain united, firm in its devotion
to Christ, functioning according to the purpose of God, and able to stand
against the attacks of Satan.”[20]
The central way in which unity and love within the body of
Christ will manifest itself is through the “one another” commands found
throughout Scripture. These are all
means of ministry within the body of Christ, means of striving towards
Christ-likeness (Col. 1:28-29). The following is a brief summary of these
commands:
The
epistles command believers to unite together on the basis of their new family
relationship in Christ. Over and over
come the instructions: suffer together (I Cor. 13:26), rejoice together (Rom.
12:15), carry each other’s burdens (Gal. 6:2), restore each other (Gal. 6:1),
pray for each other (Rom. 15:30), teach and admonish each other (Col. 3:16),
refresh each other (Rom. 15:32), encourage each other (Rom. 1:12), forgive each
other (Eph. 4:32), confess to each other (James 5:16), be truthful with each
other (Eph. 4:25), spur each other on to good deeds (Heb. 4:25), and give to
each other (Phil. 4:14-15).[21]
This should serve as a constant
reminder that ministry is not for a select few, but for all believers.
In summary, the church is called to be a working community.
As each member of the body of Christ has a received a grace gift, he must employ
it in serving one another as a good steward of the manifold grace of God. Every
member of the body has an important part to play – a necessary part (1 Cor.
12). “The church is to become a mature organism through the process of
edification so that it will become a dynamic witness to the world and so that
it will honor and glorify God.”[22]
The Practice of the Church
Based upon the purpose of the church as defined above, we
can now look at a few ways in which our philosophy of ministry fleshes itself out
in practical ministry. It is the role of the pastoral leadership of the church
to provide the guidance, care, and oversight of the church in order that it
might fulfill its God-given purpose of being a community of believers that
worships the true God, witnesses to the lost, and works to build each other up
in Christ.
Ministry of the Word
Beginning in Acts 2:41-42, we read that the very first
disciples “were continually devoting themselves to the apostles’ teaching.” It
is clear that right from the inception of the church, the ministry of the Word
was of utmost importance (Acts. 6:4). The church could not exist without it,
for the Word of God is the primary means by which believers in Christ are
brought to maturity in Christ (2 Tim. 3:16-17). The Word of God is foundational
for all of life and ministry (1 Pt. 1:3-11). Everything we do must be guided
and informed by Scripture. Therefore the Word of God must be taught. The
following are a few of the ways in which this can be accomplished: Preaching in
the Sunday worship service, Sunday school, Youth Ministry, Community Groups or
Home Bible Studies, Membership Class or Fundamentals of the Faith class to
learn the core doctrines of the faith, and Men’s and Women’s meetings. Each of
these provides an avenue for expositing the Scriptures.
Ministry of Fellowship and Care
Continuing on in Acts 2:42, we are told that the early
church was marked by genuine fellowship and care. This refers to the unique
relationship which now characterizes the redeemed. They are family, brothers
and sisters in Christ. “Fellowship involves being together, loving each other,
and communing together. Fellowship includes listening to someone who has a
concern, praying with someone who has a need, visiting someone in the hospital,
sitting in a class or a Bible study, even singing a hymn with someone you’ve
never met. Fellowship also involves sharing prayer requests.”[23]
Simply put, true fellowship demands that believer’s be involved in each other’s
lives. We need one another for the purpose of encouragement, exhortation, and
spiritual growth. No single individual within the church possesses all the
spiritual gifts; therefore, we are all dependent upon one another to be
conformed into the image of Christ. The following are few ways in which the
church can implement the ministry of fellowship and care: Community Groups in
various individual’s homes, Hospitality, Home visitation, Hospital visitation,
Biblical Counseling, Benevolence Fund (monthly offering), and Church-wide
activities which encourage genuine fellowship amongst believers. Fellowship and
Care should also extend beyond the local body to other churches that are part
of the larger body of Christ. Inter-church fellowship through seminars,
retreats, and special events are of great benefit to the church (Acts
11:26-30).
Ministry of the Lord’s Supper
The third element of the early church, according to Acts
2:42, was partaking in the Lord’s Supper. This, together with Baptism (Matt.
28:19), are the two ordinances given specifically to the church by our Lord and
Savior Jesus Christ. Each of these
should be done with the utmost care, so as to be meaningful, uplifting, and
edifying.
Ministry of Prayer
The fourth discipline of the early church, according to Acts
2:42 was a devotion to prayer. This is a crucial ministry of the church that
often gets overlooked. Prayer permeates the entire book of Acts and the
epistles. “A praying church will be a victorious, growing, maturing, community.
The wonder of today’s church is that so much goes on which so little praying.
The answer to many of the church’s problems is not more seminars, programs, and
promotional gimmicks but more intercession on the part of God’s people, both as
a group and in the closet.”[24]
This is an exhortation that must forever be ingrained in our minds. The following
are some practical ways to implement prayer in the life of the church both
individually and corporately: Prayers in the Worship Service, Prayer for one
another in Community Groups or Home Bible Studies, Prayer Meeting, and
Quarterly Prayer Breakfast for missions and evangelism.
Ministry of Evangelism
As one of the three major purposes of the church, evangelism
must be a core ministry of the church. We must devote ourselves to continually
be thinking about different ways to encourage evangelism in our church. This begins by having an evangelism class in
which we teach and train our members in evangelism. What naturally follows,
then, is providing various evangelistic opportunities for church members to
engage in. The following are a few ideas: Evangelistic Home Bible Study,
Children’s Club, Door to Door evangelism, Evangelistic sermon at a Baptismal
service for new converts, After School Club, Sporting event in which one of the
athletes gives his testimony and the gospel, Visit the home of church visitors,
and Offer a course to the community on a counseling topic.
Ministry of Discipleship
At the very heart of the Great Commission is making
disciples of all nations by baptizing them and teaching them to observe all
that Christ has commanded (Matt. 28:19-20). There is a real sense in which the
church as a whole needs to adopt a mentality of discipleship (Titus 2). Spiritual
growth should be a pervasive concern of the church. Growth is a sign of life.
When something stops growing it dies. Mark Dever gives the following helpful
illustration to make this point: “Growth may not mean that you negotiate this
rapid in half the time you negotiated the last; it may simply mean that you are
able to continue in the right direction as a Christian, regardless of the
adverse circumstances. Remember, it is only the things that are alive that swim
upstream; the dead things all float along with the current.”[25]
In the Christian life you are either being transformed into the likeness of
Christ or being conformed into the likeness of this world – there is no neutral
position (Rom. 12:1-2). Spiritual growth is not optional; it’s vital. If
believers are to grow in Christ, they need to be instructed in the following
four areas: 1. Personal Life – Reading the Bible, Prayer, Spiritual Disciplines,
and Stewardship; 2. Family Life – Husband/Wife relationship, Parent/Child
relationship, Family Worship; 3. Biblical Doctrine and Theology – Hermeneutics
and Theology based upon the Statement of Faith; 4. Ministry – Spiritual Gifts
and Serving the Body of Christ. The best means of accomplishing this is through
the ministry of discipleship.
Conclusion
The success of a philosophy of ministry is dependent upon the church’s ability to understand and adhere to it. Therefore, it must be comprehensive enough to encompass all that the church is called to be and do, while at the same time simple enough for each individual member of the church to understand and apply it. A philosophy of ministry is not just something for the elders and leaders of the church to know; it is for the entire church. The entire church needs to be familiar with its content in order that the entire church might be actively involved in fulfilling it. A church’s philosophy of ministry is something that should be preached from the pulpit at key times throughout the year, and continually reviewed within individual ministries. May the Lord, who is head of His church, give us the wisdom and grace to fulfill His purpose for the church until He returns to take her home.
[1]
Alex D. Montoya, “Approaching Pastoral Ministry Scripturally,” in Rediscovering Pastoral Ministry, ed.
John MacArthur (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson, 2005), 50.
[2]
Alex D. Montoya, “Introduction to Pastoral Ministry,” Unpublished Class Notes
(Fall 2012), 10.
[3]
David Peterson, Engaging with God: A
Biblical Theology of Worship (Grand Rapids: William B. Eerdmans Publishing
Company, 1992), 283.
[4]
James D. Berkely, Leadership Handbook of
Preaching and Worship (Grand Rapids: Baker Books, 1992), 140.
[5]
Ibid, 140-41.
[6]
Ibid, 141.
[7] Ibid,
142.
[8]
Robert A. Morey, Worship: It's Not Just Sunday Morning (Iowa Falls , IA
[9] A.
W. Tozer, The Pursuit of God (Harrisburg, PA.: Christian Publications,
1948), 87-88.
[10]
Montoya, “Introduction to Pastoral Ministry,” 13.
[11]
Robert L. Saucy, The Church in God’s
Program (Chicago: Moody Press, 1972), 182.
[12]
Ibid, 185.
[13]
Alex Montoya, “Introduction to Pastoral Ministry,” 15-16.
[14] Michael Anthony, Foundations of
Ministry (Wheaton: Victor Books, 1992), 213.
[15]
John Cheesman, et.al., The Grace of God
in the Gospel (Edinburgh: Banner of Truth, 1972), 119.
[16]
Alex Montoya, “Introduction to Pastoral Ministry,” 27.
[17]
Alex Montoya, “Approaching Pastoral Ministry Scripturally,” 54.
[18] Inrig,
Gary J. “Called to Serve: Toward a Philosophy of Ministry.” Bibliotheca Sacra 140, no. 560 (October
- December 1983): 346.
[19]
Alex Montoya, “Approaching Pastoral Ministry Scripturally,” 57.
[20]
Alex Montoya, “Approaching Pastoral Ministry Scripturally,” 54.
[21] Ortlund,
Raymond C. “A Biblical Philosophy of Ministry Part 1: Priorities for the Local
Church.” Bibliotheca Sacra 138, no.
549 (January – March 1981): 8.
[22] Gene
A. Getz, Sharpening the Focus of the
Church (Chicago: Moody Press, 1974), 53.
[23] John
MacArthur, Shepherdology: A Master Plan
for Church Leadership (Panorama City, CA: The Master’s Fellowship, 1989),
54.
[24] Alex
Montoya, “Approaching Pastoral Ministry Scripturally,” 61.
[25]
Mark Dever, 9 Marks of a Healthy Church
(Wheaton, IL: Crossway Books, 2004), 214-15.
