The majority of members are involved very little in the life and ministry of the church. This sad fact is illustrated in the architect's rule of thumb that congregations ought to build a sanctuary to seat one third of their membership. The church resolutely needs to face the task of nurturing and developing her own members. This painful confession is forced on the church by experience and some cold statistics. For whereas her prize asset—the members—should be a ready force helping to fulfill her ministry, a majority seems to be a part of the field to be harvested! The church must become more of A grass roots people-movement. The clergy alone can not fulfill the church's ministry.
In Ephesians, chapter 4, Paul speaks to this concept of ministry. Reading it, one senses that verses 4 through 6 form the womb for an embryo that develops as the passage continues, namely, the church's one, united ministry. "Each of us" (verse 7, R.S.V.) has been given something; this includes all "the saints" as well as their leaders to whom the letter is addressed (chap. 1:1). The leadership gifts or offices listed in verse 11 are specific and parallel such other lists of specific gifts as those found in 1 Corinthians 12:4-11, 28-31 and Romans 12:3-8. The New Testament declares that all believers have gifts in varying degrees of fullness (see 1 Cor. 7:7; 1 Peter 4:10, 11). In creation and in the church, God has been prolific in His giving, and what He gives He expects to be used in good stewardship, including the gifts given each believer or servant of Christ.
In His giving, God endowed the church with leadership to help prepare the church for ministry. As it reads in the K.J.V., Ephesians 4:12 appears to say that God gave apostles, prophets, evangelists, pas tors, and teachers for the threefold purpose of: (1) "the perfecting of the saints"; (2) "the work of the ministry"; and (3) "the edifying [building up] of the body of Christ." The prepositions of the Greek text indicate, however, that it is not a series of three parallel phrases, and no comma should follow "saints." Thus, it should read that God gave apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, and teachers for the perfecting (or equipping) of the saints to the work of the ministry and the building up of the body of Christ. The meaning is that oil believers are part of the ministry. The entire congregation has a responsibility for fulfilling the church's ministry, aided and equipped by the leadership.
The answer to the question "Whose is the Christian ministry?" is not apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, and teachers. The answer is, Everyone believing in Jesus Christ. The ministry belongs to the people of God. Pastoral ministry does not comprise the church's total ministry; it is but a pan of that ministry.
What is the Christian ministry? The last phrase in Ephesians 4:12 indicates the ultimate purpose for which God has endowed the church with gifts, and for which the saints are to be prepared for service: "for building up the body of Christ." Verses 13 through 16 (R.S.V.) describe something of what is involved in this building process, and the concluding words speak of growing "in every way," with "each part" carrying out its function.
Most of the gifts or offices mentioned in this passage relate primarily to the internal ministry of the church. The reference to "evangelists," however, highlights the church's external ministry to the unconverted, to whom all saints are "witnesses." (See Acts 1:8; Matt. 28:18-20; 2 Cor. 2:14-17; 3:2, 3; 1 Peter 3:15.)
In 2 Corinthians 5:17-21, every new believer in Christ is seen as having a ministry, "the ministry of reconciliation." All who have been reconciled to God are commissioned to this ministry. The church is to appeal to men and women to turn from their sin, from all that estranges them from God and others. This ministry has several dimensions—divine and human, personal and social, internal and external, qualitative and quantitative— but all is "body building."
In gathering for their inner-life ministry, believers come to be ministered unto, and also, though sometimes forgot ten, to minister to one another. In scattering to their outer-life ministry, they go forth to minister beyond the circle of faith. These two directions depict the ebb and flow of the fundamental ministry that God has given to both pastor and people, one in which everyone has some responsibility in both directions. Together they form the one ministry all believers share, to which all else is subsidiary, the building up of the body of Christ through its entrusted ministry of reconciliation. Everything flows from, or feeds into, the expression and fulfillment of this essential ministry.
It is the theology of the wagon wheel. As the spokes of the wheel get closer to the hub they also are closer together. Like spokes, when God's people come closer in love and obedience to Him, the center of their life, they are closer to one another. Similarly, the closer they come in love and ministry to one another, the closer they are to their Lord. The one movement cannot happen without the other. (See Mark 12:28-31; Matt. 18:20; 1 John 1:3, 7; 2:9, 10; 3:10, 14, 17, 23; 4:7, 8, 11, 12, 20, 21.) When scattered, believers serve in Christ's name, they invite others at the periphery into the circle of faith. Believers are thus in continual movement between God, one another, and the world.
To involve every believer in Christian ministry is a major ongoing agenda item for pastor and parish leadership. Pastors must affirm the validity and worth of this quest, and congregations must own their full responsibility. If only the pastor has this vision, a preaching and educational pro gram is required, and a plan will need to be constructed that takes into account the particular denominational heritage and any peculiarities of the congregation. Where to begin and how to proceed must be given much thought, research, and patient foundation-laying.
A growing consensus is that evaluation is a helpful tool in seeking change and a prelude to good planning. By helping the congregation to assess "What are we doing?" "Where are we going?" "Where do we want to go?" you can help them to consider the current situation and areas that need further consideration. In this process a concern for strengthening and enlarging the various aspects of ministry being currently performed by the member ship needs to be raised. Although all congregations practice some forms of "lay ministry," the full potential is rarely approached.
Another possible starting point is evaluating the pastor's ministry. Here the congregation may indicate more readiness to work at and incorporate change, especially if the pastor initiates the idea. Is the style and performance of the pastor's ministry compatible with and facilitating the spirit of a shared ministry? The leadership style may be too autocratic; performance may foster the notion of a "one-man band."
How a pastor and congregation perceive the pastor's role and position in the life of the church is critical. A pastor's ministry benefits from a clarification of his or her role and functions in and for the congregation. It helps to have some stated priorities and a job description, which is evaluated and revised periodically. Setting down on paper the pastor's role in ministry establishes some intentional goals for which a pastor will want to be held accountable. It also adds another thread in shared ministry, working toward greater congregational involvement in pastoral-parish planning. A logical next step could be working at setting some challenging, attainable congregational goals.
Whatever plan of pursuit is chosen, the pastor has to be serious about his or her role in ministry and guide the congregation into being serious about its share as well; pastor and parishioners must be involved together in ministry. In establishing plans, there probably will be some division of opinion. This must be recognized and dealt with in a spirit of understanding with some friendly, Spirit-led give-and-take regarding what is to be done when and how and by whom. Since setting goals and ministering faithfully do not always produce the hoped-for results, seek progress, not perfection; persevere with patience.
The church is a slumbering giant to be awakened. A priority task of leadership is to arouse her to fulfill the potential promised by her Lord (see John 14:12-14). Pastors can help their congregations realize this promise of ministry and, as well, be helped by their congregations in focusing their own ministry.
Shepherding a congregation in the pathway of an increasingly shared ministry is something that is as much caught as taught. Pastors and parish leaders need to have awareness of modeling Christian leadership and servanthood. Active and flexible pastoral leadership that involves others in a team approach to ministry, which initiates, assimilates, and reinforces the efforts of many, is required. The pastor needs to be something like the player-coach who plays in games and is also responsible for instructing the players and coordinating the offense and defense. The coach has and uses assistant coaches as well. The attitude in leading needs to be one of adult to adults, not one of parent over children.
A sense of shared leadership is crucial to the realization of shared ministry. The pastor is not the only leader in the congregation but a leader among leaders, and of course, a servant among servants. Church leadership must be seen as serving a function that needs to be fulfilled, not as a position from which to lord it over others or as a status symbol.
To share the ministry or not to share the ministry? Neither theologically nor pragmatically is this a live option. The question is: How can pastor and people most effectively fulfill their common calling and ministry? The church must seek to utilize the trained, ordained pastor's skills and all the resources of all her members. This pursuit will produce some new learning and growth in pastors and parishioners to the glory of God and the enrichment of the church. For a fully-shared ministry to take root and blossom in a congregation, pastor and people must possess a shared vision. The pastor dare not be viewed as "doing" the church's ministry, but as charged with overseeing and helping to promote it. Shared ministry is an attitude and a process of recognizing that all Christians are called to ministry; ministry is not some optional phase of Christian living. Though there may be only one "pastor," all members are "ministers." Some churches have incorporated this truth into their services of baptism and reception of members. In every possible way a growing vision and practice of shared ministry must be fostered.
Shared ministry is a multifaceted adventure that seeks to discover and use the gifts of every believer, to help each member mature to the fullest extent of his or her potential. To that end, pastors and congregations need to make the most of all the members already available, to uncover the hidden treasure in their own back yard. Chances are that "acres of diamonds," or at least many precious "gems in the rough," are being overlooked.
You know what your church is. Do you envision what it may become?
