Ministry in our current church context within the broader Christian world is somewhat confused. I grew up where everyone on a church staff was called a minister. The senior pastor or preaching pastor was a minister. I was fortunate to be in a church that could hire several staff members. So, FBC Borger had a Minister of Music, a Minister of Education, a Minister of Youth, a Single’s Minister, a Children’s Minister, and a Minister to Senior Adults. Most of these ministers in our church were ordained to Gospel ministry by our church or some other church.
Today many churches have those same kinds of roles and have transitioned the title to be Pastor. All ordained staff are the Music Pastor, Youth Pastor, Children’s Pastor, etc. In some sense that makes sense but confuses the Biblical role of pastor. It then leaves in question the idea of being “called to ministry.”
You have the Biblical passage of Ephesians 4:11-12, which says, “And He gave some as apostles, and some as prophets, and some as evangelists, and some as pastors and teachers, 12 for the equipping of the saints for the work of service, to the building up of the body of Christ.” The “work of service” is ministry. Ministry is service to God and service to others in Jesus’ name. The admonition of this passage is the training of the Christian to be about the work of ministry. Pastors equipping members for ministry is a necessity for healthy, functioning New Testament churches.
So, hired church staff does ministry. Ministry is the work of pastors and deacons. Ministry is the service of Christians to God and to one another. All of that is true, but it can sometimes confuse us as to who is responsible for identifying the ministry that needs to be done, who is responsible for organizing and planning for that ministry, and who is responsible for seeing the ministry put in practice or the need of the person being met. Confusion usually leads to paralysis. How can we think about ministry that will avoid confusion and paralysis and will lead to an Acts 2 level of ministry care?
“And all those who had believed were together and had all things in common; 45 and they began selling their property and possessions and were sharing them with all, as anyone might have need. 46 Day by day continuing with one mind in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, they were taking their meals together with gladness and sincerity of heart, 47 praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord was adding to their number day by day those who were being saved,” (Acts 2:44-47).
Without oversimplifying this there is a familiar passage that we need to consider, that we may not usually think about regarding the question of our personal ministry to God and to one another. “Then He said to His disciples, ‘The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. 38 Therefore beseech the Lord of the harvest to send out workers into His harvest’,” (Matt. 9:37-38). We normally think of these verses as evangelism verses. But this phrase of being “sent out” does not only refer to being sent to witness or to preach the gospel. We are sent out into ministry.
Who does the sending? The Lord of the harvest. The words literally mean, “to throw out.” God is throwing us out, scattering us out like seed, to be everywhere He needs ministry. Where does God want to send you or cast you into ministry at CHBC? Where has God placed you currently? What set of circumstances are you in right now? How may God be intending to use you with your current age, with your current job, with your current set of relationships, in your current small group, near the place you sit on Sundays, with your current schedule, or living in your current home?
God has “sent you” there. Ministry is not a profession for a few, but a reality for all of us. Pastors have a ministry they must fulfill. Hired staff, ordained, or not ordained have a ministry they are called to perform. Every Christian is to serve God and serve others. Let us not be confused. Embrace the fact that God desires to send out workers into a harvest of ministry needs.
By His Grace and For His Glory,
Pastor Mark
