Ministry or Monument?

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Human beings have an "edifice" complex-an urge to build something permanent. When Peter went with Jesus to the Mount of Transfiguration, he felt compelled to build a shrine, but that was not Jesus' plan. The meeting had served its purpose when Moses and Elijah returned to heaven. It was time to move on.

When the disciples marveled at the architecture of the Temple, Jesus contrasted its ephemeral nature with the glory of His resurrected body, the eternal temple of God. He could make the same comparison with any of the imposing structures that serve as churches today.

I once got involved with a ministry to soldiers in Iraq. We packaged gifts and sent them to the field with personal notes and words of encouragement. The program was so successful that Gary Sinise of CSI New York fame threw a concert every July to help us raise funds. When the war began to wind down, the leader said she would find another reason to keep the program going. Why the need to continue? It had served its purpose admirably. She just felt the need to memorialize the ministry.

Programs can easily become monuments to their founders. Perhaps they met a very real need at one time though that need has ceased to exist. Some needs may not be large enough to organize into a program or they may not be a priority for leadership. Some people are not joiners and will not voluntarily participate in a church program. Some people are shy about sharing their needs. Nonetheless, once a program has become part of the church schedule, it takes on a life of its own. Mere activity gives the impression of progress. Rarely does anyone stop to ask whether a program is actually achieving its purpose.

There should be an avenue of service for every believer, but church programs built around specific agendas seldom provide a ministry role for everyone. What is to be done for the person whom God has called to some other role or for whom the need doesn't fit the agenda? A better approach, in many cases, would be to form a ministry task force. The job of the task force would be to identify individual needs and allocate the resources to meet them. Rather than formalize a response with a one size fits all program, the ministry task force would be able to tailor its response to each individual need. Once the need gets met, it could move on rather than institutionalize the program.

The Apostle Paul's Ministry Partners*

Paul had some thirty seven different ministry partners. Some of these partners worked alongside him, others supported him, and still others served jail time with him, but they all united with him to reach those who had never heard the gospel. Each partner or combination of partners performed different roles depending on the nature of the ministry. The fact that Paul had so many partners indicates that his ministry was constantly changing with the needs on the ground. No church program or formal agenda handcuffed him.

The early church made a practice of caring for needs we entrust to the government and social welfare agencies today. Providing meals for widows was one such ministry. The Apostles chose a committee of seven men to ensure that both the Hebraic widows and the Greek-speaking widows in Jerusalem got their fair share of food. Paul took up a collection from the Asian churches to meet the needs of the suffering saints in Jerusalem, and believers of the church at Jerusalem sold their possessions to provide for the needs of the less fortunate among them.

Due to the affluence of our American society, needs may not be so apparent as they were even fifty years ago, but individuals still experience misfortune, families still suffer loss, and the elderly still struggle with loneliness and disability. Just because the modern church has gotten out of the practice of meeting practical needs does not mean there are no needs. The church may not be able to manage all of these needs but they can encourage their members to root out the needs and minister to one another in practical ways. The Internet allows people to make their needs known from the comfort of their own homes even if they cannot get to church. Given the sophistication of modern communications, there is no excuse for overlooking the needs of the church family. Church leaders just need to be flexible enough to adapt their ministries to the changing needs of society and their own members.

* Paul's Ministry Partners:

Aquilla, Luke, Lucius, Tychicus, Apphia, Andonichus, Marcus, Urbane, Aristarchus, Archippus, Nymphus, Onesiphorus, Carpus, Barnabus, Phebe, Philemon, Epaphras, Demus, Priscilla, Secundus, Erastus, Epaphroditus, Silas, Sopater, Jason, Gaius, Tertius, Timothy, Justus, Junia, Titus, Trophimus, Tyrannus

Ministry Task Forces Posted by Craig on Feb 25, 2012

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What Did Earth Look Like Before Noah?

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Many secular institutions provide avenues for their employees to openly express disagreements in a constructive way. For example, my wife's company does an anonymous online survey every year that gives employees a chance to offer constructive criticism of their superiors. There is still one institution, however, that stifles dissent. That institution is the church. Most church leaders would be horrified at the prospect of an anonymous review. They would view it as insubordination. You won't find an op-ed page in the church newsletter.

I have told a number of church leaders about my disappointments with the church. One accused me of 'church bashing.' When I told another that the church was due for revival he said he didn't like the word, 'revival.' His comment made no sense to me. After all, the word just means to 'revitalize' or bring back to life. Then it occurred to me. To say the church needs revival would mean that he and his seminary brethren hadn't been doing their job! Although I am sure he wouldn't admit it, he considered the church a work of his hands rather than a product of the Holy Spirit.

I have never belonged to a church that had a mechanism for providing feedback to leadership. So leaders have no idea whether their ministries are achieving their objectives. Without regular feedback, what would stop errant leadership from continuing to stray? But voicing a difference of opinion with church leadership is generally frowned upon.

Where does this 'brook no dissent' mentality come from? I believe it comes from the mistaken notion that leadership is ordained by God and their decisions are gospel. So anyone who disagrees is challenging the will of God. That would be a legitimate viewpoint if human beings were guided by wholly altruistic motives. But the fact is that we all have hidden agendas and promote our own self interests. Sometimes it is difficult to know how much this agenda influences our decisions. That voice we hear in our head may not be the voice of God, but our own. That is why we need to hear different viewpoints. Proverbs 15:21 says, "Plans fail for lack of counsel, but with many advisers they succeed." Leaders must be willing to hear all sides of an issue.

There hasn't been a nationwide revival in the United States since before the Civil War. By the time the Third Great Awakening had run its course, it had spread from coast to coast producing over 50,000 converts per week and a total of over one million new believers. Nationwide, the population of the churches had been increased by ten percent. There was a return to public morality as taverns were closed and businessmen paid off their debts. Charities and volunteers multiplied as faith found expression in humanitarian work.

Why don't we see this kind of outpouring of the Holy Spirit today? It is because church leaders have replaced reliance on the Holy Spirit with human methods such as church growth and management techniques. The church has been subjected to scientific methods in order to produce a type of synthetic growth characterized by a church full of hangers on who seek the status and prestige of church membership but are not prepared to sacrifice in the service of Christ. However, because leaders will hear no criticism of the way they do things, the church just keeps drifting farther and farther off course.

If we ever want to see God pour out his Holy Spirit upon the church in revival, our leaders need to be receptive to constructive criticism, turn from their reliance on man-made methods, and depend on the Holy Spirit build His church.

Take a look inside the book The Casual Christian at: http://casualchristian.net/book-site.

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Book Review of "Honest Reflections From an Open-Minded Christ Follower" by Ed Gungor

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Although scripture clearly states that a "double minded man is unstable in all his ways," open-minded Christ followers have to agree - there are some issues about Christianity that create discomfort. It is not a stretch to admit that a truthful Christian grapples with a certain amount of doubt along the journey. Denying the potential of doubt is being intellectually dishonest. The question is - are you alone in your doubts or are others having similar debates?

Ed Gungor's candor in What Bothers Me Most about Christianity is admirable. His prose is easily followed and his development of key issues evidences sufficient thought and study. Pastor Gungor is to be commended - his selection of pivotal issues speaks to the doubts of which thinking Christians struggle. It is refreshing to read of a popular pastor's doubts and see honest reflection. Such transparency only elevates the author's authenticity.

Not satisfied to talk about trite issues, Gungor tackles some of the bigger things which plague Christians. For example, one issue dealt with is the idea that Jesus Christ is the only way to a relationship with God. Since post modernity seeks all things pluralistic, the exclusivity purported by Christianity's claims cause some to feel the sting of unfairness. Could a loving God banish the faithful of religions contrary to Christianity to utter torment? If the Bible is truthful then a Christian has to concede that God would respond according to scripture. Gungor seeks to bring balance by admitting that the nuances of saving faith are not easily understandable and that Christians should only convey this message with the undergirding of love. In his response he never denies the truthfulness of the issue but makes it clear that an audience of mutual respect is best for dialogue.

Thinking Christians will benefit from reading about the other issues with which Gungor wrestles. Classic debates, such as "Why is there Evil in this World?" and "How does one reconcile reason with faith?" are presented in logical fashion. Gungor's desire is to share his reflections which enables him to write candidly about how thinking Christians struggle to explain something as prevalent as evil.

Faith is a journey. If you would enjoy a cogent development of such issues - this book is for you.

What Bothers Me Most about Christianity: Honest Reflections From an Open-Minded Christ Follower. [Soft cover]

by Ed Gungor

256 pages, $15.99

ISBN-10: 1416592555

Nonfiction

Review by Steven King, MBA, MEd