We were young, newly married, and happy. But we also sensed that something was missing in our lives—something fundamental and basic. We tried to please God, but guilt constantly plagued all our deeds, even the best ones.
We desperately wanted to get rid of the guilt because it marred our dream of inner happiness. For a while we thought that maybe guilt was just part of Christian "happiness." That was until these words stopped us cold: "There is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus" (Rom. 8:1). We finally saw the right picture. We faced the total inadequacy of our existence. The Lord helped us to understand that the only way to Christian happiness was complete surrender to Jesus, a full reliance on what He had done for us. Because we longed for forgiveness and peace, we dared to give our inadequacy to Jesus. On our "passports" to heaven Jesus didn't glue the real picture of ourselves, but a new picture, a picture of Himself and His perfect righteousness.
Joy and peace far beyond our dreams filled us. We then knew we were right with God because Jesus was our substitute. Salvation was no longer a vague, abstract, theological theory, but a practical reality. God loved us—not for what we were—but for what He is! Through this wonderful, liberating truth, our dream of inner happiness became true.
The next question was, what now? What about our future? What were we going to do with this wonderful truth? Then our local church pastor asked: Have you ever thought of pastoral ministry?
Of course not!
But the question stayed, lingering on the edge of our consciousness, day and night. God had put a fire into our bones. We tried to quench it, but all our dousing was in vain. We wrestled with God; we tried to negotiate—but the next thing we knew, we were both studying theology at Newbold College, England. God wanted us to tell others about the happiness and freedom in Christ we had experienced.
Thus began our team ministry.
Team ministry
The principles of our teamwork took shape during our studies. From Newbold we moved to Andrews University. Although we took the same theology courses, we chose different topics to study in each class. We learned to concentrate and work together in the same room. We learned to share homemaking duties. We also learned to endure the stress which comes as two persons in the same room study simultaneously for a graduate degree. It was important for us that both succeed equally well. We each had strong points, and we assisted each other in our struggles with our weaker points. There was no competition or jealousy. What we learned in those college years formed a basis for a growing experience in team ministry.
From Andrews University we re turned to work in Finland. Finland has a long history of wives working with their husbands in ministry; indeed, the church employs many wives. Thus, it was not unusual that we entered minis try together as husband and wife. The only difference was that, in our case, we both had the same formal education.
We began our team ministry, inexperienced and carrying the load of several churches. Yet that never stopped us from pursuing our main interest: soul winning. At that time, during evangelistic campaigns, Klaus did the preaching, for that was his gift, while I was better at visiting with people and getting them to make decisions for Christ. God has given me the gift of persuasion and motivation.
Sixteen years ago, when we began, women didn't have the same possibilities to serve in the church as they do today, which is why the responsibility for church ordinances and much of the church administration fell on Klaus. We worked around these limitations the best we could. Besides my Sabbath preaching appointments, midweek meetings, and counseling sessions, I used my gifts in organizing church pro grams, motivating laity, finding new talents in people, and encouraging them to use their talents for God's glory. I held seminars—for deacons and deaconesses, for child workers—on how to make a friendly call. I taught and instructed members for church offices on how to make worship services more meaningful and how to facilitate in gathering.
Who does what?
Although we both are interested in evangelism and pastoral work, we have never struggled over who does what. Each situation determined our roles. In an effective team ministry, you need to know each other well enough to work effectively. You plan together, you change appointments in emergency cases, and you know exactly how the other wants you to do it. In this kind of team ministry there are always two hearts rejoicing or weeping together. Our work requires a total commitment from both, and a sound and healthy self-reliance on the part of each. There is no room for competition; there is room only for mutual support and co operation, so that each one wants the other to succeed. If this spirit prevails, the ministry will be a joy.
Currently we work as a pastor-evangelist team in Tampere, Finland. We co-pastor the Tampere church, the largest church in Finland. In addition, Sibrina, with commissioned ministerial credentials, pastors a medium-sized church in the same city. Her role before she received credentials was a mixture of pastor and pastor's wife. Her new role gives us the possibility to broaden our ministry. In fact, this spring she ran an evangelistic effort that culminated in both of us performing numerous baptisms.
A fascinating opportunity
After 16 years in team ministry, we still believe that God has called us to work together. Our team ministry has given us a fascinating opportunity to serve God, who has time and again provided the strength needed for any situation. We know we can face the untrod ways of life without fear, for He is with us. We want to encourage all couples in the Lord's work to create their own team ministry, one that suits their specific gifts, family, timetable, and church. A humble spirit, a willingness to be taught of God, and a denial of self are the crucial prerequisites. The rest, if it's the Lord's will, will fall into place, in time, with prayer and supplications and surrender.
