MINISTRY PHILOSOPHY | BIBICAL FOUNDATION
Biblical instruction is the foundation for determining direction and vision for the church. In the following section, key passages are considered, along with a short comment on their relationship to the church.
Matthew 28:19-20
Matthew speaks of the necessity for making disciples, and he addresses the discipleship curriculum as teaching for the sake of action.
"Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you: and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age."
Acts 1:8
Christ informs
us that there is a spiritual dimension or prerequisite for ministry,
namely the power of the Holy Spirit. We also learn that reaching
others is a deliberate action.
"You shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth."
Acts 2:42
Luke provides
us with some necessary elements to add to the corporate life of the
body of Christ.
“And they were continually devoting themselves to the apostles' teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer."
I Corinthians 12:4-7
The Apostle
Paul instructs us that ministry is a team approach. Instead of spectatorship,
Paul encourages everyone to be focused on the “common good.”
"Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit. And there are varieties of ministries, and the same Lord. And there are varieties of effects, but the same God who works all things in all persons. But to each one is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good."
Ephesians 4:11-12
The pastors,
along with other leaders, are like coaches helping the players (church
body) on the field join and enjoy the mission. Spiritual leadership
is synonymous with servanthood.
"And He gave some as apostles, and some as prophets, and some as evangelists, and some as pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of service, to the building up of the body of Christ."
Colossians 1:28
The final product
of the church is not measured by the size of the buildings or how many
are in the congregation. The job of the church is to facilitate
an environment that is conducive to Christ-likeness.
"And we proclaim Him, admonishing every man and teaching every man with all wisdom, that we may present every man complete in Christ."
II Timothy 2:2
Ministry of
the church should not be strictly a “one to many” format where a
crowd comes to hear a polished speaker. When ministries are focused
on such an approach, they end up being impersonal and ineffective in
establishing meaningful, authentic relationships in the church.
There can be no lasting change unless modeling is done in an up-close
and personal fashion. Without the context of personal relationships,
how effective is spiritual reproduction? We want to take advantage
of various environments at CCC including one-on-one, small groups, and
a corporate setting.
"And the things which you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses, these entrust to faithful men, who will be able to teach others also."
I Peter 4:10
Peter communicates that all members of a body are ministers. The church is not one minister with many spectators, but many ministers with leaders who serve the members.
"As each one has received a special gift, employ it in serving one another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God."
While these verses do not provide a complete examination of the task for the church, they do provide enough information to give an idea of the general direction for Christ Community Church. Any activity or program within CCC should reflect the above biblical injunctions.
No program of CCC is in cement. If we make a “sacred cow” out of a program, we are in danger of losing sight of the original intent. It is critical that the intent of each ministry is clearly understood. Every ministry should have specific goals that are consistent with the scriptural injunctions for the church. Gene Getz in Sharpening the Focus of the Church, is helpful here when he says:
We must therefore understand why people resist change. But we must also understand that Christians sometimes have “double-trouble.” Because we believe there are things that should never change, we often confuse non-absolutes (those things that should change) with absolutes (things that should not change). Often, this resistance is rooted in insecurity and fear, and it leads to rationalization. After all, what better way to rationalize than to think we are standing for the truth of scripture? However, many Christians resist change because they are honestly confused. They don’t understand the differences between absolutes and non-absolutes. They put “beginning the service with the doxology” in the same category as the “virgin birth”. Or they think that “meeting at 11 o’clock on Sunday morning” is just as significant as what the Bible teaches about the “second coming of Christ.”
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