Category Archives: Ministry Focus & Equipping

Having the right ministry focus & equipping involves many factors that all must be done in the power of God to His glory out of love for Him and people.

All of Who You Are?

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The Finding Your Best Fit in Ministry section of this site uses the analogy of a puzzle to describe how to arrive at your ministry profile. By bringing the various pieces of your life together, you’ll begin to see a big picture that gives you an idea of how you might best serve. Sure,

  • You can serve anywhere needed simply because you love God.
  • You can find and do many tasks that use your spiritual gifts without having a passion to do it.
  • You can serve where your heart is drawn in ways that don’t fit your spiritual gifting and feel good about it.
  • You can successfully accomplish a task based on the strengths of your personality temperament without being gifted accordingly.
  • You can do something well because of past experience in it yet not be drawn to it or gifted for it.

But, think of the difference it would make if you found a way to serve that incorporates all of who you are.

Putting All of Who You Are Into Serving to Find Your Best Fit in Ministry

Each part of who you are affects the other parts and contributes to how God wants to use you. Here is what each part contributes to the way you will serve:

Your walk with God motivates you for ministry.

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Your spiritual gifts enable you for ministry.

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Your heart passions give focus to ministry.

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Your personality expresses itself in ministry.

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Your life experiences help develop you for ministry.

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Learn what steps to take to bring all these parts together to form your ministry profile, where you might best serve. Go to: Tools for Developing Personalized Ministry Profiles

Finding Your Best Fit in MinistryEven better, order the Finding Your Best Fit in Ministry Download for yourself, or to work through with a group (very low quantity pricing available). This book will help you look at each part individually and then blend them together to identify your ministry profile.

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Fulfilling God’s Purpose to Love

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Training Category: Church Purpose

Loving God and people, what Jesus identified as the Greatest Commandments (Matt. 22:37-40), has always been God’s intent. What has changed, however, is that the Christian has a greater motivation, a greater power, and a greater confidence “to live a life of love,” as commanded in Ephesians 5:1-2, than those in previous ages. While we will always have more to learn about loving as He loves, it is possible that our “love may abound more and more” (Phil. 1:9-11).

The Church’s Ability to Fulfill God’s Purpose to Love

Our Motivation:

Prior to the church, people could only look forward to the highest example of love — the death of Jesus. We stand on the other side of the cross, looking back at what He has done. We have a fuller understanding of what love is which becomes a source of motivation for us to love as He loved.

This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers and sisters. (1 Jn. 3:16)

Our Power:

Before ascending into heaven, Jesus promised His disciples the Holy Spirit who would come and permanently dwell within them. The Spirit always existed and always worked but in the Old Testament time He came on people temporarily as the occasion required to do a work for God. As we live by the Spirit within us, we will “not gratify the desires of the sinful nature” but rather exhibit the fruit of the Spirit, primary of which is love. We have a Helper within us unlike those in previous ages.

So I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. (Gal. 5:16) But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. (Gal. 5:22-23)

Our Confidence:

When Jesus died, the veil to the Holy of Holies was torn in half symbolizing the direct access we now have to God. We no longer must go through the human agent of a priest. We are direct recipients of all God has to give us. That builds within us a boldness to approach God’s throne and a confidence to love as He loves.

And so we know and rely on the love God has for us. God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in them. This is how love is made complete among us so that we will have confidence on the day of judgment: In this world we are like Jesus. There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love.(1 Jn. 4:16-18)

Do the Greatest Commandments to love God and love people form the basis of your church purpose?

Learn to Fulfill God's Purpose to Love in the Church Purpose Ministry Manual

Learn more about God’s purpose for us to love God and others in the Church Purpose Ministry Manual. There you will find the content in this post as well as benefits of making this your church purpose, obstacles you might encounter, using a purpose statement, the practical outworking of this purpose, plus more.

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Best Structure for Ministry Programs?

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Often churches base how they structure ministry programs on the following:

  • tradition …. the way we’ve always done it
  • imitation …. the way another church or ministry does it
  • limitation …. the way the leader knows how to do it
  • stipulation …. the way the leader is allowed to do it

A better approach may be to let the structure grow out of a ministry assessment wherein you base what you do on how you can best meet the purpose of that ministry given the resources you have to work with. Of course, this process must be embedded in prayer, trusting God for wisdom and understanding to get you on the right path (Prov. 3:5-6).

Example of Determining the Best Structure for Ministry Programs

As an example, let’s consider Christian Education. We often have a number of programs in the church for this ministry. Within each of those programs we need a structure that best fits the purpose of each program. To determine what model to use, we need to consider the following factors:

The Students: how many people participate in the program and the age breakdown of those people

The Workers: how many workers you potentially have and what type of workers they are (i.e., leaders, teachers, helpers, etc.)

The Curriculum: how rigid you must be in using a certain curriculum and how adept leaders or teachers are at developing materials or adjusting curriculum to fit your setting

The Facilities: how many rooms you have to work with and what is the size and flexibility of each room

Your answers to the above factors will guide you in determining which model would work best in a given program.

Learn about Best Structures in hristian Education Ministry ManualFor additional help with determining the best structure for this ministry, consider ordering the Christian Education Ministry Manual which looks at various models you might use in light of the above factors. It will also help you evaluate if you are using the best model for your programs.

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Bible Verses about Ministry Qualities

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When it comes to ministry, skills do matter but God cares most about our heart qualities for who we are affects what we do.

Ministry Qualities Matter to GodBrothers and sisters, think of what you were when you were called. Not many of you were wise by human standards; not many were influential; not many were of noble birth. (1 Cor. 1:26)

The LORD does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart. (1 Sam. 16:7).

Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it. (Prov. 4:23)

As water reflects a face, so a man’s heart reflects the man. (Prov. 27:19)

A good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and an evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For the mouth speaks what the heart is full of. (Lk. 6:45)

Ministry Qualities Needed to be Effective

The Bible provides a list of specific traits that will help us be both effective and productive.

For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, mutual affection; and to mutual affection, love. For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. (2 Pet. 1:5-8)

The Ministry God’s Way Discipleship Tool highlights some important ministry qualities and emphasizes how character development needs to be grace-based and a growth process. This resource looks at nine key elements to doing ministry God’s way with ministry qualities being one of those elements.

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Pastors are Also Sheep, Not the Chief Shepherd

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Training Category: Shepherding Ministry
Pastors not the Chief Shepherd

Sometimes in the Church we elevate pastors and other leaders, above everyone else. Is that biblical? Two points must be considered:

  1. Pastors are also sheep, members of the body, with responsibilities different from the rest of the sheep.
  1. Pastors are not the Chief Shepherd so we must be careful of placing them on a pedestal.

Implications of Pastors Also Being Sheep and Not the Chief Shepherd

Since pastors are not the head of the body, pastors must be careful of using phrases like “my church” when talking about the church. It is not their church. The sheep are not their flock. All belongs to the Chief Shepherd — Jesus Christ (1 Pet. 5:4), who is the Head of the Church (Eph. 1:22; 4:15). Pastors and elders are to function as His assistants. Scripture designates only one Person to be the Head of the church, Jesus Christ.

Churches through the ages have divided because people have taken possession of that which only belongs to Christ. The church of Corinth was called worldly because of such attitudes (1 Cor. 3:1-11). Hierarchical structures find their origin in the world, not in God’s design for the Body. Remember that Jesus Himself said “You know that those who are regarded as rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be slave of all. For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many” (Matt. 20:25-28).

This does not mean the church is devoid of organization. Nor does it mean that the church shouldn’t have people with the responsibility of leading. Effective functioning requires knowing who is responsible for the accomplishment of various tasks. People need to be held accountable for doing their part. Organization and leaders, however, are there to serve and not to control. Power corrupts. Serving brings life.

(The above paragraphs are taken from the Shepherding Ministry Manual where it looks as pastoring as one of many venues in the Church where shepherding can take place.)

With all this in mind, let’s remember that we are to acknowledge and honor pastors for the work they do, holding them in high regard (1 Tim. 5:17; 1 Thess. 5:12-13 ). But that is different from setting them above everyone else in the Body like they’re the spiritual elite. God says, “On the contrary, those parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable, and the parts that we think are less honorable we treat with special honor” (1 Cor. 12:32-33). From Christ “the whole body, joined and held together by EVERY supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work” (Eph. 4:16). Everybody matters! Everybody has a part!

For more understanding of what the Bible says about pastors, go to: Shepherding Ministry Venue: Pastors

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Bible Verses About Ministry Objectives

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Bible Verses Light Path for Ministry Objectives

Scripture provides direction for all we do in ministry, lighting our way.

Let God’s Word shed light on establishing and pursuing both broad and specific ministry objectives. Take time to reflect on the following Bible verses.

Bible Verses that Give Guidelines for Establishing Ministry Objectives

Our ministry objectives need to come under the umbrella of God’s top priority. (Read: Ministry Objectives Based on the Greatest Commandments)

Jesus replied: “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself. All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.” (Matt. 22:37-40)

Specific objectives to meet God’s priorities must be established by looking to Him for wisdom and understanding.

Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight. (Prov. 3:5-6)

If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you. (James 1:5)

Ministry objectives need to align with God and His ways, not what we think is important; nor the ways of the world.

Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. (Matt. 6:19-20)

But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. (Matt. 6:33)

Do not work for food that spoils, but for food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you. For on him God the Father has placed his seal of approval. (Jn. 6:27)

Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is – his good, pleasing and perfect will. (Rom. 12:2)

You’ll find these guidelines in the Ministry God’s Way Discipleship Tool along with some brief commentary about each point. In addition to Ministry Objectives, this resource also looks at eight other key elements to doing ministry God’s way. Each element is covered in three pages, with the first two pages answering some questions about the element and the third page a Bible study guide about it.

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