Ministry is too important to leave in the hands of the professional. Besides, that was never the way God intended ministry to be done. One of my favorite passages in the Bible is Ephesians 4: 11-12 that teaches us that God has given the church certain people (often referred to today as ministers) to equip the saints for the work of ministry. For the past several decades the church has got this confused. The church believes that the work of ministry is to be done by the paid help while the rest of the congregation gets to sit in the pews and keep score. Nothing could be more unbiblical. Pastors and other leaders in the church are to train the church members so they can do ministry. This role reversal that exists in too many of our churches is one of the reasons so many of our churches are in decline and why the church has so little impact on our society today.
One writer has noted that the first Reformation gave the Bible back to the people, and he believes the second Reformation will give the ministry back to the people. I pray he is correct because that's where it belongs anyway. Scripture teaches that God has given every believer at least one spiritual gift which is to be used for ministry. Furthermore, God has called each believer to minister. Pastors are often ordained, or set apart, for ministry, but the truth is that every Christian has been set apart for ministry. Another writer suggests we should view our baptisms as also our ordination into ministry. Baptism represents the death and burial of our old nature and the resurrection of the new person in Christ. But, what are we resurrected to to? We are resurrected to serve God and others, and that is ministry.
Regardless of how talented your pastor may be, he or she can only be in one place at one time doing one thing. What would happen if you are part of a church of 50 people and each of them understands they are to be engaged in ministry and have been equipped to do so? Now you have 50 ministers in 50 places doing 50 different things. Which do you believe will have the greatest impact for God's Kingdom? If your church is among the 80 percent of the churches in America that is plateaued or declining, and you're tired of it, there is a simple solution: get more people in your church involved in ministry.
However, one of the things that must happen is that we need to redefine ministry. It is not setting apart one evening a week to knock on doors and pass out tracts. It is not standing on a street corner warning of the end of time and urging people to repent. It is not the addition of yet another Bible study program in your church. Ministry happens when we spend time with people addressing the challenges they have in their lives. A teacher ministers when he or she encourages a child that may come out of a difficult home environment. A small business owner ministers when he or she writes off a debt owed by someone he or she knows is struggling financially. A person eating in a restaurant may minister to a server who is struggling at home with a smile and a generous tip. The thing that is often overlooked in the Great Commission is the tense found in Jesus' words when He says, "Go therefore...." The word go is better translated "as you are going." In other words we don't fulfill the Great Commission just when we do special "church" things. We fulfill it when we connect with people as we go through our daily lives. Through those connections we may eventually find an opportunity to share our faith with them, and if we've consistently ministered to them we will have earned the right to do so.
As some of you know, I recently earned an auctioneer's license. Some have asked why I would do that at this stage of my life. I really see this as a way to serve people, a way to expand my ministry. There are many people who use the services of an auctioneer, but one group who often calls an auctioneer are people who need to deal with an estate. They have all this personal property that they need to dispose of, and many of them are overwhelmed by the task. I met such a person last week who is the executor of her mother's estate. Losing a parent is bad enough, but having to deal with settling the estate and disposing of the personal property just adds to the pain. That is what this person was feeling. After she and I talked for awhile and considered all her options she felt that selling everything through an auction would be the quickest and least stressful way to deal with this property. During our conversation she learned I am a minister and we talked about how essential faith is during a time of loss and grief. While there I had the opportunity to minister to her by helping her find ways to reduce some stress in her life and I had the opportunity to talk about how faith in Christ makes a difference in one's life.
We need to help every Christian understand that they can do the same thing. As they are going through their daily lives they are in contact with people who are hurting and need someone to minister to them. Rather than crossing over to the other side as in the story of the Good Samaritan, believers need to understand God has called them to minister to those people they encounter who have been beaten down by life. When the church gets this perspective on ministry we will begin to see things change for the better in both our churches and in our culture.
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