A Biblical Model of Ministry

I came across the following thoughts on ministry by John MacArthur. There is a lot of wisdom here for American pastors who see themselves as entrepreneurial wizards building their churches to greater and greater heights, all in the name of "winning the world" for Christ. Read and heed:

Consider Jesus' ministry. Do you realize that Jesus never left the region of Israel? He basically traveled back and forth from Galilee to Jerusalem. That's it. Now, do you think He had a sense of winning the world? You better believe He did...but He never left where He was. You say, "How could He reach the world if He never left where He was?" Because He knew how to do it. David McKenna said, "Self-styled Messiahs are megalomaniacs. Their sense of mission has no limitations short of conquering the world and conquering it now. At the slightest signal that their efforts are being frustrated, they usually respond with rage and madness." You see, Jesus used an economy of effort. He knew how to do what He wanted to do, but He did it within certain limitations. Jesus limited His ministry. Why? Because the issue isn't how broad one's ministry is, it's how deep it is. God says, "You take care of the depth, and I'll take care of the breadth." Let's look at the limits that Jesus put on His ministry:

a. The Limitation of God's Will
The first limitation that Jesus put on His ministry was that He would only do what the Father showed Him to do. So, the number one limit on any ministry is God's will. Unfortunately, there are many people involved in all kinds of ministries that God doesn't have a thing to do with. Instead of spending their time doing what God wants them to do and what God gifted them to do, they're running around doing what they want to do. Usually it's nothing more than megalomania--an ego problem that gets out of hand. In John 5:30 Jesus said, "I can of Mine own self do nothing....I seek not Mine own will, but the will of the Father who hath sent Me."

So, the first limitation He put on His ministry was the limitation of God's will. The second limitation was...

b. The Limitation of Time
Throughout the Gospel of John, Jesus said, "Mine hour is not yet come" (e.g., 2:4; 7:30; 8:20). He had a sense of timing. Certain things were to be done at certain times--the Father's time. So, unless something was the Father's will and the Father's time, Jesus didn't do it. That put certain limitations on His ministry, didn't it? I'll tell you one thing, though, when it was the right time, and Jesus was able to say, "...Father, the hour is come..." (Jn. 17:1), it was exciting, wasn't it?
The third limitation that Jesus put on His ministry was...

c. The Limitation of a Certain Group of People
The objective of Jesus' ministry when He first came into the world was to reach "the lost sheep of the house of Israel" (Mt. 10:6). You say, "Why would He limit Himself like that?" Because He wanted to tighten the circle of His ministry. And not only was His ministry to the Jews, it was to a certain kind of Jew. In Matthew 9:13 Jesus says, "...for I am not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance." He didn't come to minister to hypocritical, religious ones; He wanted Jews who recognized their sin. So, the scope of His ministry was narrowed even further.

Another thing that limited Jesus' ministry was...

d. The Limitation of a Certain Subject
Throughout Jesus' ministry, people tried to pressure Him into making political statements. When people asked Him what He thought about Caesar, what did He say? Well, very judiciously He avoided any political involvement and said, "...Render, therefore, unto Caesar the things which are Caesar's; and unto God, the things that are God's" (Mt. 22:21). You see, He refused to be forced into political involvement because that was not His purpose. I know He had strong feelings about it, but He avoided it because He had limits on His ministry.

Jesus also limited His ministry through...

e. The Limitation of a Small Number of Disciples
Jesus limited the number of people that He discipled. In Mark 5, after He healed a maniac, the man "implored Him that he might be with Him" (v. 18b). Look at Jesus' response: "...Jesus permitted him not, but saith unto him, Go home to thy friends, and tell them what great things the Lord hath done for thee..." (v. 19a). You say, "Why didn't He take him?" Well, a megalomaniac would have. Megalomaniacs drag around lots of disciples to prove themselves. But Jesus knew exactly how many He could disciple effectively, and that's all He wanted.

The limitations on Jesus' ministry were astounding, yet He affected the world.

Men who affect the world put limits on their ministry that allow them to do it with depth. Paul went back to the same people three times, and Jesus worked with the same twelve people three years. But ultimately, it affected the world. Learn this, people: The scope that you're going to have in your ministry must not be related to how fast or far you travel, it must be related to how deep you plow. You concentrate on the depth, and God will take care of the breadth.

Here in Colossians 1:24-25, we've seen four aspects of Paul's ministry. The source is God; the spirit is joy; the suffering is on behalf of Christ for the sake of the church; and the scope is the whole Word to the specific world that God has called you to, and then by His Spirit, to extend it to the world beyond. Now, those are only four of the features of the ministry. We're going to look at four more in our next lesson. However, if God's people were committed only to those four, quite a revolution would take place in the church, wouldn't it?

You can read the complete message here.

Description of a "Typical" Church

"It is easier to give birth than to raise the dead."

The typical church in America has lost its First Love. In most congregations, the reason for existance has become self-serving and self-centered. The pastor, God’s appointed leader within the body, is many times little more than a paid errand boy. The direction and focus of the church is controlled by the official board (Elders, Deacons, Trustees) or by unofficial power centers (the wealthiest family, the most intimidating women, those with the longest tenure in the church). The pastor is either frustrated by his inability to lead the congregation or he has surrendered his authority and credibility in exchange for a comfortable paycheck and lifestyle. Official meetings (board meetings and annual congregational meetings) are a study in trivial pursuit. Those in resistance to change stand guard over every item on the agenda. Issues involving finances bring harsh discussion and open division. The qualifications for leadership within the church body are many times based in secular beliefs rather than biblical principles. As a result, men (and women) reach levels of considerable influence within the church in spite of their lack of biblical qualification.

Most stalled churches:

• place little emphasis on spiritual growth, prayer, evangelism, and discipleship.
• have worship services that are boring and out-of-touch with today’s needs.
• emphasize tradition and embrace the past instead of the future.
• have a history of short (5-7 year) pastorates.
• have an aging congregation (50 years of age and over).
• have a small core of truly born again, Bible believing members/attenders.
• struggle to meet their basic budget needs.
• have little, if any, missions emphasis.
• receive new members either through birth or same denomination transfers.
• have outdated facilities.
• survive because of the service and giving of less than 20 percent of the congregation.
• have inadequate ministries/programs for today’s needs (Singles, Divorced, Generation Xers who grewup without any church background, Families struggeling financially, children living in a world without moral boundaries).
• have one or more “sacred cows” or dead horses that consume a large portion of the church’s resources (time and money).

Do you see any of these symptoms in your church? How would you diagnose a stalled church? How can you begin to infuse life into a stalled church?

Stages of a Church's Life

New Church/Church Plant. In its infancy a church can be summarized by the word “simple.” Everything, from its facilities to its form of government, is simple. The congregation is madeup of a committed core of believers with a simple vision of seeing their church grow.

The Growing Church. If a church catches fire in a community, growth begins to happen. The church becomes a magnet for transfer growth from older, more formal churches in the area. People are attracted to the new church because it is fresh, it is simple, it is small, and it is free from all the traditionalism/legalism/lack of enthusiasm of the older churches. During this stage growth is easy. Every pastor should have the pleasure of leading a growing church. The future seems unlimited. A growing church is open to change and allows its pastor the opportunity to lead.

The Plateaud Church. A church can plateau at any stage from new church to mega church. When a church plateaus it sees its growth level off. There still may be a lot of visitors every Sunday, but they don’t stick. What causes a church to plateau is the age old question. It may be the size of the facilities or the size of the parking lot; it may be the location; it may be a sense of comfort within the congregation and a lack of desire to grow any larger; it is almost always a reflextion of leadership. This may or may not be the pastor, but in my experience a church will grow to the level of one man’s abilities and then plateau. A plateaued church is the most difficult church to identify from the outside. It may look like a growing church; it may look like a declining church. There may be a sense of excitement about the future; there may be a longing for the past.

The Declining Church. A church that is in decline sees its ministry influence diminish over a period of time. Depending on the conditions that lead to the decline, this may be a short time (as in the case of moral failure within the leadership) or over a longer period of time. A declining church is losing its younger members to other, growing churches in the area. A declining church often begins to feel the financial pressures that will soon become serious problems for the dying church. A declining church begins to concentrate more on itself than on the needs of its community. A declining church begins to lose its vision and purpose. A declining church

The Dying Church. A church that is dying is a sad image for those who love the local church and wish nothing more than to see it flourishing and alive. A dying church is going no where. It’s motto is “the same yesterday, today, and tomorrow.” A dying church is losing its leadership and financial base to other churches. A dying church frustrates its pastors, and hence will see a “revolving door” in the pasonage. A dying church will have more and more difficulty attracting the dynamic pastor with the leadership abilities to turn-around a dying church. A dying church is struggeling financially to meet its budget. If a new church is sybolized by the word “simple”, a dying church is symbolized by the word “tradition.”

The Dead Church. A church that is spiritually dead has lost its biblical reason for existance. A dead church is a social club where tradition mandates that this group of people gather together at specific times during the week. To call the services “worship services” is hypocritical. The preaching is cold and irrelevant, the music stodgy and methodical. The occasional visitor has an extreme sense of discomfort and may even receive uncomfortable glares from the congregation when entering the sancturary. The only “ministry” in the church is serving on committees. You can’t find someone to teach the 3rd grade Sunday School class, but there are enough committees within the church to choke the federal government. Most importantly, the spiritual things of this world have been lost in the wordly.

When to Walk Away from a Dead Church

When to walk away from a dead church.

“When the horse is dead...dismount.”

This has to be one of the most difficult questions for any pastor to answer. This question assumes, first of all that you are already serving at a dead church and have taken the time to carefully evaluate its condition. It’s difficult to walk away from a dead church and not feel a great sense of personal loss and failure. Moreover, there is also a nagging hope within you that the long prayed for revival is just around the corner. Perhaps, you argue with yourself, if I give it just one more try.

I’ve talked with many pastors who have gone through this cycle of surrender-to-leave/renewed hope/disappointment/surrender-to-leave. I believe you must be very careful when you see this pattern developing in your ministry. This world is littered with former pastors who now sale insurance or work in no brainer jobs because they fought the fight too hard and too long. Before you begin to work with a stalled or dying church, establish in your own mind what conditions will demand your resignation and departure. Write them down and keep them in your personal file. Share these conditions with your wife and your accountability group. Most importantly, pray and ask God to protect you from the sin of pride (which makes you think you can “save” this church) and to make you sensitive to His leading throughout your ministry.

If you are candidating for a church, the “condition of the church” will obviously be one of your great concerns. The physically dead church is in most cases easy to spot; the spiritually dead church takes greater discernment. Statistical trends are a good place to begin, but they can’t tell you the whole picture. Pointed questions during your visit to the church will shed more light, but most congregations are on their best behavior for visiting pastoral candidates. How can you be certain you are not accepting a call to a dead church? In a word, you can’t. We live in a fallen world, and as long as we walk with feet of clay we will make mistakes. You can investigate the church carefully, sense God’s leading in the call, receive positive reinforcement from your friends and family, and still end up the pastor of a dead church. The key, as mentioned above, is to recognize the signs and move on.

** Where does the will of God play into this? Does God turn His back on a spiritually dead church? Where does revival enter in? What’s the difference between a dead church and a dying church?

The Scars Of Battle

Perhaps you read with mixed emotions yesterday’s “Memo From Hell.” It’s an illustration–of course–but there is more truth to that memo than many of us would like to admit.

In previous week’s we have looked at “Why We Exist” and revisited our purpose and vision. We have examined the importance of prayer to God’s church and offered some concrete examples to help us build a “House of Prayer.”

This week it’s time to lay the challenge before us: do we really want to be a church that is effectively making a difference in the world, or do we want to join the vast majority of American churches on the road to self-service and inward preoccupation?

Author and Pastor Bill Hull makes the challenge clear:

Today, the evangelical church exists to serve the evangelical Christian. But if our mission is to reach the world, we must begin to think about the unchurched, those outside Christ. We must focus on those who have not yet found their needs met in what the church has to offer. The only way to save evangelicalism from the junkyard of irrelevancy is to put mission first and ourselves second. When this happens, the needs of both the unreached and the evangelical will be met. (Can We Save the Evangelical Church by Bill Hull, p. 7.)

And what’s our mission? Our Lord gave us our mission as He was about to ascend into heaven: "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age" (Matt. 28:19-20).

Howard Snyder drew the line even more harshly: “It is hard to escape the conclusion that today one of the greatest roadblocks to the gospel of Jesus Christ is the institutional church” (Hull, p. 7).

What would draw these men to make such accusations? Consider a startling statistic: in today’s church, one hundred adults and one year are required to introduce 1.7 people to Christ. In short, we are losing the battle. Yes, Evangelical churches have grown in terms of numbers, but as a percentage of total population, they have declined.

Let’s bring this home. How does this apply to Grace Church? How involved in actively ministering to other people are you? Do you see a need and fill it, or do you see a need and write it on your care card for someone else to take care of?

Ask the Lord to search your heart and reveal to you how you can improve both your service and your sacrifice for His kingdom.

From 1995.