Introduction
Jeff Lacine of Desiring God Ministries describes the local church’s ministry in this way, “The role of the local church leaders is to equip the members for ministry by teaching and shepherding. Then, the ministry of each member collectively builds up the church.”[1] The goal of any local Church ministry is to be effective in their mission of discipling as many believers as they can to become more like Christ. The local Church is the place where believers are supposed to come to grow into full maturation of the image of Jesus Christ. Church ministry’s main goal should be to effectively lead believers into a deeper knowledge of Jesus Christ as Lord. Throughout both Biblical history and church history, there have been many examples of ministries which have been effective at stirring the affections of believers for Jesus Christ. As Michael Mitchell notes, “Fostering growth and development in individuals and in the groups of which they are a part produces complete and mature persons who contribute to the establishment of a Christian community.”[2] If this, however, is the Church’s main goal of ministry; how does one ensure an “effective ministry”? How does a Church ensure that their discipleship ministries will indeed be “effective”?
Biblical Examples
The Bible (particularly the New Testament) is full of examples of effective ministries which have been blessed by God to meet His purposes. Building up believers in their love for Jesus Christ is the main to be the main emphasis of the Christian church according to the New Testament. This was Jesus’ main purpose of ministry as well. Mark 3:14 says Jesus “appointed twelve (whom he also named apostles) so that they might be with him and he might send them out to preach.” The preaching of Jesus was the first ministry He gave His original disciples to accomplish. Preaching was the original ministry of the first disciples, and that preaching no doubt was aimed at growing the earliest believers in their understanding of who Jesus is and what He has done. Obviously, their ministry was successful as well. It is obvious that this was the main emphasis Christ wanted his disciples’ ministry to be focused on, because in Luke 10, when Jesus sent out the 70 messengers on virtually the same mission, they were shocked by Jesus’ response to their joy. Luke 10:17-18, 20 says, “The seventy-two returned with joy, saying, ‘Lord, even the demons are subject to us in your name!’ And he said to them, ‘…do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven.’” The ministry which they were to be excited about, according to Jesus, was not the ministry of supernatural power, but the ministry of ordinary conversion (and subsequently discipleship).
This effectiveness in ministry continued into the early church as well. After Peter’s Pentecost sermon in Acts 2—the first sermon after the ascension of Christ—it is said that “those who received his word were baptized, and there were added that day about three thousand souls.” (Acts 2:41 ESV) Upon the continuance of these believers in daily fellowship, it’s said in Acts 2:47 that, “the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved.” Acts 4 gives a picture of what the Apostles’ example appeared like to outsiders. Acts 4:13 says, “Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were uneducated, common men, they were astonished. And they recognized that they had been with Jesus.” The Apostles’ message and ministry were supported by the fact that they had been “with Jesus.”
The Apostle Paul also had an “effective ministry” in the early Church. I Thessalonians gives a deep insight into the ministry style of Paul as he ministered within the early Christian Church. In I Thessalonians 1:5, Paul explains that the message of the Gospel, “came to you not only in word, but also in power and in the Holy Spirit and with full conviction. You know what kind of men we proved to be among you for your sake.” The message which Paul proclaimed within the Churches which he ministered was not only a message of dead words, but of living power through the power of the Holy Spirit, and the conviction which came with the message. In 2:6-10, Paul explains that he and his companions not only preached the Gospel, but also spent their lives in hopes that the Thessalonian believers would grow in their knowledge of the Gospel. Paul and his companions, as well as the other Apostles, proclaimed the message of Jesus Christ and His saving power in order to build up Churches throughout the Roman Empire with very effective results.
Modern Application
If the early Christian Church was able to effectively minister to the Churches of their day, how is the modern Church to minister effectively within its context? George Barna offers five models which offer effective methods of discipleship within the current church context. According to Barna, “Each model has great potential to produce zealots for Christ—people who ‘get it’ and who live it.”[3] The first model is the “Competencies Model,” which focuses on the fulfilling the Great Commission and the Great Commandment through devising “ten core beliefs, ten core practices, and ten core virtues”[4] which allow the members of the congregation many opportunities to grow in their understanding of Jesus Christ. The second model is the “Missional Model,” which is a model based on “help[ing] people become spiritually mature as manifested in six core qualities or competencies.”[5] These competencies are implemented through the use of small groups, “fundamentals” classes, and specialty classes. The third model for effective discipleship is the “Neighborhood Model,” which is committed to growing groups of believers by having them group together with others who live in the same “neighborhood” so that they may “stir up one another to love and good works.” (Hebrews 10:24) The fourth model of effective discipleship is the “Worldview Model,” whose purpose in Barna’s words is stated as such: “The primary thrust of the Worldview Model is the impartation of biblical wisdom that leads to personal transformation.”[6] This model follows a two year process of learning the distinctive of the Christian worldview and how they apply to real life situations. Finally, Barna notes the “Lecture-Lab Model,” whose primary growth technique is the use of the sermon for growth, and small groups to more deeply understand what is being taught through the sermon. Each of these models has the potential of building disciples effectively, with the right implementation and perseverance. Dr. John MacArthur has 3 thoughts related to building a long-lasting effective ministry within a local church: “1. Don't arrive unless you plan to stay… 2. Learn to be patient… 3. Don't be afraid to change.”[7] Joseph Hough, Jr. suggests the following, “In the first place, the ‘documents’ of the congregation, living and written, available to the theologian must be examined in order to present, concrete working understanding the congregation has of itself…. Second, the theological analyst must examine the self-understanding of the congregation together with its practice in light of the broader convictions about the nature and purpose of the church.”[8] This analysis is important for the church to recognize where it fits as a part of the entire body of Christ across the globe and throughout the span of Christian history. Christian Schwarz offers the following, according to Dempsey, “Leaders of growing churches concentrate on empowering other Christians for ministry. They do not use lay workers as “helpers” in attaining their own goals and fulfilling their own visions. Rather, they invert the pyramid of authority so that the leader assists Christians to attain the spiritual potential God has for them.”[9]
Conclusion
The goal of every Christian church is to effectively lead believers to become more like Christ as much as is possible within the local church context. Churches have great examples from the Apostles as to what an effective discipleship ministry looks like, and they have many examples of what effective ministry looks like from the pages of Christian history as well. Effective ministry can come from different formats, but the main focuses should be consistently the same—helping God’s people to understand God’s Word so that they may better know God’s Son and better understand God’s Plan. Effective ministry will be carried out by those who are committed to working diligently and patiently at the task—those who are committed to helping others become leaders who can then help others to love Jesus Christ in a deeper way. This is how effective ministry is accomplished within the local church.
[1] Lacine, Jeff. The Local Church: Training You for Ministry. August 3, 2010. http://www.desiringgod.org/blog/posts/the-local-church-training-you-for-ministry (accessed April 27, 2011).
[2] Mitchell, Dr. Michael R. Leading, Teaching, and Making Disciples. Bloomington: CrossBooks, 2010. 354
[3] Barna, George. Growing True Disciples. Colorado Springs: WaterBrook Press, 2001. 134-35
[4] Ibid, 135
[5] Barna 140
[6] Ibid, 148
[7] MacArthur, John. Practical Thoughts on an Enduring Ministry, Part 1. http://www.gty.org/Resources/Articles/A223_Practical-Thoughts-on-an-Enduring-Ministry-Part-1?q=ministry (accessed April 27, 2011).
[8] Hough Jr., Joseph C. "Theologian at Work: Theological Ethics." In Building Effective Ministry: Theory and Practice in the Local Church, by Carl Dudley, 112-132. San Francisco: Harper & Row, Publishers, 1983. 112
[9] Dempsey 8
No comments:
Post a Comment