Wednesday, October 12, 2016

Philosophy of Ministry

Philosophy of Ministry Project (December 2004)
 I.                    A Definition and Description of My Pastoral Call
            Preparing to describe my personal pastoral call brings me to think of one verse in Hebrews 10:31, “It is a terrible thing to fall into the hands of the living God.” In one simple sentence we can sum up just about anyone’s idea of ministry calling. The Pastoral Call places me out of my hands, out of the world’s hands, and into the hands of God Himself. Realizing the awesome influence of this verse helps me begin to define my own calling.
            Ministry for me is something all people are meant to do in various areas of their life. It is said that preaching itself is something one should only do if he could do nothing else. No matter how hard I try to run from the feeling, there is always a strong desire in me to fulfill what God has called me to do. My life is meant to be one built around helping to build others and increase in them the knowledge and hunger for God that first began in me.
            Intake and study of God’s word is and has always been one of my greatest passions. There is never a time I do not enjoy spending free time looking through theological books and studying up on various scriptures. From what I have studied, I also learned that we are to give away what we get. By this I believe those who desire to know more about God must be ready to teach and preach that message to others. This combined with my compassion for people slowly integrated to the desire of teaching people about what God has taught me. I found it interesting that the Bible gives a major Pastoral role to that of a shepherd. Since my namesake is that of King David and he was too a shepherd, I was excited to learn more about what it is to be a watcher of God’s sheep.  “The Title of shepherd elevates the pastorate to the highest honor possible, the honor of being the Good Shepherd’s under shepherds” (Lawerance 75). One must take that title along with the honor and use it in humility. Pastors may be leaders but they need to remember they are also servants.
            When I read that the Bible tells me to serve out of a willing and eager spirit, (1 Peter 5:1-4) I get excited. One thing I know the Lord has given me, is the heart of a servant. It doesn’t matter what the circumstance or how far I had to go to get it done, if someone wants or needs something, I am always happy to help. Pastors must never serve out of an obligation or duty before they serve with a willing and giving heart.
            Good shepherds of God’s sheep also need to be holding themselves accountable. Keeping watch over oneself (Acts 20:28) is a Biblical command. Pastors must guard their own hearts and lives so they do not become corrupt or complacent when handling the people of God. I often wonder what would have happened if David started thinking to much of himself and let the sheep wander away without care.
            Shepherds must have compassion on the helpless and harassed (Matthew 9:35). A Pastor’s heart must be for those who are in need and those who require aid and direction from God. I have noticed, how it is always when my week has been bad or tiresome, that I gain so much more from hearing my Pastor/Shepherd on Sunday morning. Just as I need the Pastor to help me, I too must direct myself toward those who need God.
            As Shepherds, the Pastor must be willing to give his life for the sheep (John 10:11). He must dedicate himself fully to the work of taking care of those sheep. It can be difficult for any Pastor to give up their own life, reputation, career goals, and self in order to give their life for the sheep. It is when the Pastor has that mindset, they are truly ready to gather a scattered flock (Ezekiel 34:11-13). Pastors must be willing to go to great lengths in order to bring back those lost and astray from the Church. Pastors are not called to simply forget about the sheep when the hour is late, for even through prayer the Pastor can be helping the sheep in his care. A Pastor must never forget who the true owner of the flock is. “The pastor’s role is that of manager or steward of what belongs to God. Pastors are not owners of the flock. The flock is God’s. God is the owner; pastors are the managers” (Blackaby 11). While shepherds are watchmen they must not forget God is the ultimate Shepherd and Leader.

II.                 My Leadership Style
           
            Leadership style is grown and produced through experience rather than learned skill. Truly there is a good deal of learning that must be done to find our ‘style’ but when we do it is often the thing that has already been active in our lives. There are many kinds of leader character tests and types which all mix together. Of the four particular styles studied there is only one which seems to define me the most.
            In the “let me help you” style I can see my gift of service used strongly. This is the major style for me, as it characterizes my lifetime desire to be optimistic and supportive while trying to help people along with their goals. In contrast to this I have never been much of an action initiating “let’s go” style. I do like to keep careful planning and think through everything with care as the “let’s be careful” style suggests. The final style of “lets stay together” would be the second most that fits my character as a leader. I find myself easy to get along with and one who tries to be at peace with all people when it is possible. Friendliness and service are the marks of my leadership style.
            After developing a leadership style of my own it is good to see what the Bible says in regard to being a servant leader. Jesus came to earth and made nothing of himself but became a servant (Phil 2:7). In this same way every believer and every leader should take on the same nature and not put themselves on a high scale of importance. What Jesus says after washing the feet of the disciples gives an important lesson for all masters or leaders. There is no servant greater than the one who sent him (John 13:16). For all Pastors who have been called as leaders of God’s people, there must be a humble acknowledgment of service to the greater master and leader.
            With my leadership style defined the next thing to do is examine the function of myself as a pastor and leader. Most people follow leaders today because they have a position and the people have no other choice but to follow. It is a slow process to go from this level of leadership through the relationship and into the results levels. Once a leader develops a relationship with people, they begin to work and do things beyond the call of duty. After a while the leader is followed simply because of the things he does for the organization. It is after these beginning levels that one would get into reproducing the work environment and gaining respect. For my position currently, in the very least a beginner Pastor, there is a long way to go before I get to the higher levels of leadership.
            Followers and leaders ask similar questions that must be answered to gain an understanding of leadership. It all begins with us knowing what we are supposed to do and how much authority we choose to delegate. Leaders cannot stand alone and I know I will need a good team to work with me. I have observed my role in the ministry and come to understand the importance of relationship between leaders and followers. The leader must be able and willing to help and encourage the follower. The follower must also be ready and willing to give all they are able to complete goals. Both the leader and follower must serve each other in order for there to be a balanced and healthy working environment. Finally, the ultimate goal of the leader is to follow the model Jesus gave as a servant. Jesus spent more time touching people and talking to them than in any other action. Jesus knew, touched, healed, affected, and mentored the people with a Shepherd’s touch (John 10:14-15; Luke 4:40; Matthew 15:30; Luke 6:40; John 13:15-17). As a leader I aim to follow the model set before me by Jesus as one who reaches out to the people with the hands of a Shepherd.

III.              Biblical Purpose Statement of the Local Church

            During the formation of any church there must be a development of a ministry model. This model gives the Church or organization a foundation of its core purpose and mission. In the creation of my own model for my Church I have laid down three basic elements, which in order, cover the whole. The three areas that form my Church are the worship of God, study of His Word, and reaching to the world. The area of worshiping God comprises the element of Upreach as we move our hands up toward heaven and seek to glorify God in everything. During our study in His word we will focus on the inreach done within the core of the Church body in that we study and fellowship together. The last element which many Churches have neglected is the outreach to the world.
            Worship takes on many forms in my Church as we do emphasize it in various ways. One thing I have always been is a man of prayer. It is a vital part of the life of any church to have constant prayer. Prayer should be a devotion in the Church life (Acts 2:42). Along with prayer there needs to be communion, and dedication to worship. We hold services for just prayer and worship at times in order for people to simply come before the Lord.
            For the practice of studying the Word together, my Church has developed small group meetings where various homes are set up for times of fellowship. I have created the opportunity for lives to be touched on a more intimate level in this form so people can get to know one another. The body of Christ should be working inward to help keep itself healthy and going strong. We are told in Scripture to pursue building up one another. Another thing we have also created is a place in our budget to help families who are having difficulty with paying bills, or cannot afford to send their children to youth retreats. One must exercise the body as well as the spirit in order to be ready for the battles we face in this world.
            As much as I have always tried to avoid the whole missions concept, there is no way as a Pastor I can ignore the nations of the world. There are far too many needs out in the world and in our country that must be met. My Church is dedicated to rise to the call of world evangelism. The cry for preaching to the world comes from Jesus after the resurrection, He commanded us to go into the world (Matthew 28:18-20). The Church is to go and to promote the work of the message, pouring it out into all the earth. We aim to see everyone having help when they need it. All believers have the call to ministry in their own individual way. The Church will work on developing the people with the right gifts and information they need to take the Gospel to the world. 
            A couple of Biblical images of the church stand out when I look at my church
ministry. The body of Christ has been described as a household of God’s people. Everyone is a member of the Lord’s house (Ephesians 2:19-22). Every member is involved together in a family relationship as we are in the same house. All believers are therefore to relate to each other as children and brothers and sisters.
            The second image of the Church goes along with the household of God with another step forward. The Church is one body made up of different parts with different functions; giving each person their own gift and talent to use in the body as whole. Every individual in the church is to use what they have for the benefit of everyone else (Romans 12:3-6; 1 Corinthians 12:27-28). This description of the church helps us to see every person as unique and as important as everyone else. No one person is more important than the other. Every Christian in the church acts with a direct reaction on the other people in the church. We have to all work together or the body as a whole would not work. The Church is to use those things it is given as the body of Christ in order to help one another in the body to grow and work. The gifts given are given to aid.
            My Church is unique among many for its emphasis upon the knowledge and understanding of God and His Word. Within the culture and society of the modern day church there are many various divisions and styles that take place. Of all the different types of churches around, my own can be narrowed down to a mixture of three.
            First and foremost my ministry has been based in the classroom environment. My pleasure is to seek out knowledge and information and develop a way to translate that to the students in the church. Through email devotions, midweek Bible Studies, and other avenues we have quickly gotten a hold of an expository form of preaching.
            A second type my Church ministry fits into is being experiential. In this form we seek to have the people experience God in a whole new level. The desire is to see Christians be empowered and feel what it is to have a real relationship with God outside the guise of religion.
            The third type of Church we relate to most is the family reunion type Church. It is important for us to develop a system that brings the believer out of the world and reminds them they belong to the family of God. The term family and concept of traditional values have been lost in this world and the only place they can truly be restored is within the Kingdom of God’s children. It is there the people can learn they have a place and identity in Christ.

IV.              A Unique Mission Statement for Your Ministry Context

            The current ministry environment for my Church organization is found in the basic small town environment of nearly 16,000 people. Many of churches already located within the city limits are Baptist, Catholic, or Methodist with a handful of others. We are living in the middle of the “bible belt of America” which means Christianity is wide spread around here. This is a community so drenched in the Gospel it might be difficult to find new ways to draw people toward God. I realize the importance of getting together with my fellow colleagues who Pastor in other Churches in town. It is important to have honest and trusting relationships with other leaders who can assist in understanding the needs not yet met and how we can work together for the greater good of ministry.
            For the time being my congregation is filled with either busy college students or hard working parents. Both find it difficult to always meet demands of the Church life. It is these though that I am able to talk to about where they want to go and what the vision should be for the Church. We have set standards and are always trying to develop good ways to work hard in the community. I receive feedback and am always encouraged to hear reports positive and negative on how the ministry is going. I realize there is a great deal of competition for the free time of the people. There are so many things going on in our lives to keep us from wanting to spend even a couple hours attending the Church. I want to move past the feeling of duty into desire. My longing is and will always be for people to take pleasure in working as the body of Christ both to bring aid to the community as well as bring encouragement to one another. Above all it is important for the Church to work toward the fulfillment of its own core values.
            All ministries and Churches should have a developed set of core values that they seek to follow and hold firmly as standards. My first core value is to see the healing of broken and wounded people. My heart breaks for those who have been going through trouble and struggle and I long to reach out to them. Jesus proclaimed “the favorable” year as: a time of release from bondage and healing to the sick and broken. The healing of the sick, wounded and broken is a high priority in a compassionate and loving God. It is a service and act of obedience for us to lead people to healing (Luke 4:18-21).
            With my experience working in a mission organization I have developed the value of providing opportunities for missions. I aim to provide the Church with materials for education and evangelism as well as support world missions as a main goal (Acts 12:1-3). My desire is to send teams out, and at the same time train and expose my church to as many cross-cultural types of ministry as possible.
            Though Jesus said we will always have the poor among us, there is still the Biblical mandate to reach out and care for them (Matthew 26:11). This takes pleace both physically and spiritually. Salvation is for the “whole” man (James 2:14-18) and I believe one of our main priorities is to those in need. We give and love because we are being taken care of by God in all ways.
            Another value is to empower disciples with the teaching and education they need to understand the Word of God and present it to others in the world (Matthew 28:19). So many people think they know the Bible and never take the time to dive into it deeply.
            I desire to create a team driven leadership of elders and people to serve in the Church (Ephesians 4:11-16). We need to have people willing to give everything they have to do all things in order to glorify Christ. A Church working as a hard moving and growing organization will only be effective with a good solid leadership team.
            My church will focus greatly on keeping a solid Biblical prayer life (Colossians 4:2). Many Christians have lost the significance of having a daily prayer walk with God. Our goal will be to bring people back to having a firm hold on what it means to have a relationship with God that goes beyond attending services.
            My Church seeks to have integrity to God and the community as it witnesses of Christ (James 2:18). The people are watching the believers to see if their faith is real and if they can be truly trusted. It is important for us to have a accountable and faithful body of believers.
            A final value for my church is worship that draws people to glorify God (Psalm 68:35). So much of what we do in this world is done to get through the day and not worry about what our relationship with God is like. Our prayers are more requests than praise. This value is to bring people into a worship service which allows them to step into the presence of the Lord and remember who He truly is.
            Our core values undergird the mission of the Church. That mission is to be: prepared to equip, energize, and engage people into relationships with each other and with God. We desire to see growth and life fill every person in the Church, the community, and the world. In equipping, we are teaching and training our people how to witness and evangelize in the world. We want to make them ready to face all kinds of situations and problems they will face when they carry the Name of Jesus. By energizing, we want to fill the people with excitement in their relationship with God as well as desire to make that known to the world. In engaging people there is a bond of fellowship that must take place as the people begin helping one another to grow and make it through life. It is easy to get lost in the world and even the church today, so I have developed my mission and values in such a way to focus on the preparation and growth of the individual to be more like Christ and ready them to go out into the world carrying the Gospel message.

V.                A Statement of Vision that Describes Your Preferred Future

            My vision for my personal ministry is to be in a place where people feel they are growing in their relationship with the Lord. I do not like how many Churches just go stable throughout the years and never appear to change or grow. Often I find myself talking of myself as one who will be a Senior Pastor of an average size Church but one that abounds with grace from the Lord. My Pastoral role will be in an area where I can teach others and watch them get closer to God. I also hope to be doing a great deal more for the Kingdom in areas of prayer, witness, and mission work. God has placed a desire on my heart to preach His Word in a way that is not typical or normal. I intend to find the right place where God wants to use me and stick with complete commitment to the growth of the Church.

VI.              A Declaration of Vision Strategy

            My specific ministry model will employ a three strikes rule which will bring the people into the vision. At the very beginning we have to work on what will draw people into Church and give them a taste for what the Lord is doing. Questions of why they would even want to come, need to be answered. My church will seek out ways to invite people in and show them an environment of kind, loving, and fun Christians.
            After we have drawn people in the second strike will be developing various ministry opportunities. This is first going to require careful planning and qualified leadership to head up the various positions in the church. As a major role, each ministry will be tailored to specific needs. Divorce, singles, anger, healing, youth, and other various classes must be formed to encompass all of the people who call the Church their own.
            After the ministry is laid down the people will begin to develop and mature as Christians. We will offer classes which teach discipleship and early Christians. I want to make sure there is help needed for every situation that arises. Once this step and the others are complete we will see to having our mission complete. There can be nothing else better than to extend God’s love to the people through a passion and compassion.
            After all is put into place and my Church is working on the vision and mission we have laid down, we will have a hard working established plan. Just like a shepherd the Pastor needs to have a reason for what he does with the sheep and a plan for helping them grow. He must know what to do when they fall down and are sick, or when they are in any other kind of need. Pastors are called to watch over the flock and take care of them in the essential role of leading and feeding the people. Without a clear vision we run the risk of perishing. This is why we must have a developed plan of how to take care of the sheep and stick to it as our mission and purpose for being a Pastor.

Bibliography

Blackaby, Henry T. & Henry Brandt, The Power of the Call (Broadman & Holman,
            1997).

Bruce, F.F., Word Biblical Commentary: 1&2 Thessalonians. Waco: Word, 1982.

Hawthorne, Gerald, F. and Martin, Ralph, P., Dictionary of Paul and His Letters. Downers Grove: InterVarsity, 1993.

Lawrence, Bill, Effective Pastoring (Word Publishing, 1999).

London, H.B. & Neil Wiseman, The Heart of a Great Pastor (Regal Books, 1994).

Warren, Rick, The Purpose Driven Church (Zondervan, 1995).



Monday, October 10, 2016

When we said I Do

Hour hand on the one and the minute hand on the fourteen, but the clock itself was still. Time it seemed had frozen in that very moment on the afternoon of June fourteenth two thousand and three. I stood at the top of the altar in a little church north of town. I was breathing slowly, waiting patiently, for this moment. I had waited for this moment since I met her.

She appeared in her flowing white gown as beautiful as she always is. In that single moment I was struck by the awe and wonder of the moment. I asked her to marry me and she said yes. It was simple and yet truly the most amazing moment. And here she was walking down the aisle with purple flower pedals and scented candles everywhere. Our guests lining both sides of the church watching with joy as we prepared to say our vows.

I remember so vividly how she looked that day and how everything else faded in the room at the sight of her walking toward me. My heart was racing. My thoughts trailing back to the first time I saw her in the airport several years before. My head was racing with memories rereading her email she sent me wanting to make a new friend, and all the emails since. We waited anxiously for this moment where our two lives would become one. Together we would be complete.

I think back now at that day as still one of the moment joyful moments of my life. Since then of course there have been many other great moments including the births of our children. As I reflect upon our wedding day though I can treasure each moment and keep it close to my heart for eternity. I remember feeling the huge amount of reasonability I now had and how it all felt like second nature. It was truly second nature to love her, it had been since I met her. Loving her comes as natural to me as breathing our and breathing in. She truly makes my day begin. Not a day will go by where I am not thankful she said I do, forevermore.