Desire

Every Christian can pursue their calling; the emphasis is on developing our personal lives in order to become ministry-oriented people, using God's Word and examples of others who have answered His call. There is a group of easy to read missionary biographies’ that are simple and worth the read. Written by Janet and Geoff Benge.

My hope is that each of us will become more ministry-minded.  And you will be encouraged to pursue your ministry potential within the context of your local church.

I believe we have made a grave mistake in abandoning the local church as we attempt to work out our ministry calling.

Unfortunately, sometimes, we have had no other choice.  In essence, we have been forced to look outside the local church to unleash our God-given potential for ministry.

If you feel called to teach Sunday School, usher or work in the youth ministry, you will find plenty of opportunity within your own church.  Others are forced into a spectator role, having to be satisfied with the challenge to have good Christian testimonies. But the entire Christian community, local churches, and parachurch organizations as well, will be better off when churches are designed where everyone can minister.

Before anyone can become an effective and consistent minister of the gospel, he or she must have a deep desire to do so.  As most people think about what it takes for the average person to become an effective minister the first thing that normally comes to mind is training.  That thinking is a big mistake.  The first thing needed is desire or what I refer to as passion.

From experience I have learned that if people do not have the passion to get involved in ministry, it doesn't matter how well trained or gifted they are.  But where does that passion come from?

The apostle Paul wrote to the believers in Philippi: "For it is God who is at work within you, giving you the will and power to achieve his purpose" (Phil. 2:13, Phillips).

So, the desire for ministry comes from God.  Churches can do a great deal to cultivate and encourage that desire, but not create it.  That's why the promise of Philippians 2:13 is so encouraging.  It assures us that God is working in us giving us the passion He wants us to have.  He is not only giving us passion in harmony with His purpose, He has also given us spiritual gifts and the power to achieve those passions.

I know we are entering an age of unprecedented impact by laity. Join that with the scriptural promises we have just read and I believe the time has come to challenge the fortress mentality that has dominated our churches for so long, we can pursue unleashing our God given dreams and passions with optimism and confidence.

Fortress Mentality

When Frank Tillapaugh my friend and co-author of our book “Calling” wrote his first book “Unleashing the Church,” he established a phrase that I think describes one of the greatest problems facing each of us. He called the problem the “Fortress Mentality.”  As I've traveled these past few years, it has become clear nearly everyone in the Christian community agrees the "fortress mentality" dominates the vast majority of our Christian environments.

The domination of fortress thinking has produced an enormous amount of frustration. The good news is, all that is needed is desire.

The average Christian must stop thinking about a special group of people as "the ministers" and start thinking about their own ability to minister to another's needs.

In his letter to the Ephesians, Paul is talking to the entire Church when he says: "For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do" (2:10).

What is one “good work,” you can do this week?

Yesterday I had to put down my daughters horse. I loved that horse a lot, and my neighbor simple reach out with I am sorry for your loss and an invitation to Thanksgiving dinner for my family…it speaks volumes of his faith. Simple “good works.” You and I were created for that; it is like gas in your tank.  

WHAT IS YOUR DREAM

Since the publication of my book “Giving The Ministry Away,” I have gotten to address groups about unleashing people for ministry; my constant theme has been lay ministry. How to unleash people for ministry. How to create environments that encourage people to find their dream. I have told the story over and over about a talented pastor named Mike and a talented layperson named Sarah. So let me share it with you.

Michael, a single’s pastor invited me to lunch. He was concerned because he had two groups of single adults at his church. He called the singles in their early 20’s, Singles One, and the singles in their late 40’s, Singles Two. But the church had a lot of singles in an age bracket between these two groups. Mike referred to them as the “Singles 1.5er’s”. He had been trying for months to get Sarah and her friends to start a class for their age group. But they wouldn’t do it, and he was frustrated. So, my job at lunch was to convince her it was a good idea to start a class for the 1.5er’s at their church. Hey, he was buying lunch so I figured I should at least try. Right?

Over lunch I asked Sarah, “Sarah, I understand you are one of the Singles 1.5er’s at your church?” She laughed and said, “Yeah, that is what Mike calls us!” I said, “Well, Mike tells me there are a good number of you at the church, is that true?” She said, “Yes, there are.” I said, “Well, why don’t you all start a class for singles that age?” She said, “We don’t want to.” I could tell she was not at all happy about my questions so I dropped the subject. I had tried, now on to the free meal.

A few minutes later I said, “Sarah, if you could do anything for God in your church or community, what would you do?” She replied, “What are you talking about?” I said, “You know if you could get involved in some ministry what would it be?” She responded, “Really?” I said, “Yeah, anything!” She said, “Well, some of my friends and I have been talking about getting involved in a literacy program, just down the street from our church.” I continued, “You said, you and some of your friends, what friends?” She said, “You know the 1.5er’s.” I blurted out, “Oh that’s great! Listen on Monday Mike will call them and set up an appointment for you all to go there and discuss getting involved.” She said, “Really!” I replied, “Yeah!” She was delighted. However, Mike looked a little confused.

A few minutes later, I asked Sarah, “If you could do anything for God in the whole world, what would you do?” What would you do if money, education or time was not an issue? What is your dream?” She began to talk about the desire she and some of her friends had to go on a short term mission trip to Romania to work with babies who have aids. I was excited for her. I said, “Sarah, what I want you to do is get your friends together for a meeting to begin to plan going on that trip.” She laughed and said, “Now I like this kind of ministry.” I looked at Mike and said, “Well, I guess you have your Singles 1.5er’s ministry.” He said, “Not quite what I had in mind.” We all laughed.

Mike and Sarah took our meeting seriously, and within the next year over 20 singles got involved in a literacy ministry plus they went on their mission trip. Mike wanted a class, because he thought that is what “real ministry” is, that is the way people think in a Closed System. Sarah didn’t feel called to start a class, she was, however, primed to live out her dream for God. We just needed to ask the right question and create the right environment. Oh, by the way, I saw Mike and Sarah a year later and she said, “Rich, you will never believe this but we just recently decided we wanted a class for single 1.5er’s and we started last week.” She and I both laughed!

Ask someone this question, “If they could do anything for God this next year what would they do?” Remember money and time is not an issue. Anything!

Unleashing Your Calling

I am going to take a break from talking about the Church. I want to talk about each persons personal calling. Dreams are the windows of the future and change must begin with the individual, who must be able to envision his or her potential for ministry.

America is Up for Grabs

This quote haunts me. "The Christian church in the U.S. is still strong numerically, but it has lost its decisive influence both in American public life and in American culture as a whole, especially in the major elite institutions of society." Os Guinness. I remember a talk Os gave in Oregon 30 years ago and later turned it into a book, "The American Hour." He said, The clock is ticking on America."  At the end of the 21^st century will America still have a strong Christian influence or will we be totally secular, Muslim, or just filled with vague ideas of spiritualism that are common in paganism? We believe that the answer to that depends on how our generation responds to “release our members for ministry,” and to do so with passion. The ancient words, "Let My People Go." 

Still The Heart

Church Leaders tell us that they plead with people to give their hearts fully to God. But it’s the way that they go for people’s hearts that is the problem. People are more likely to invest their hearts when they are pursuing their own ministry passion. “Individuals tend to hold reserves of energy in check until they see how to use it to their own highest interest. The challenge is to release more of that energy.” (Somebodies and Nobodies, pg 114).

The number one need that most church leaders feel they have is, “to get our people involved in meaningful ministry.” On the other hand most Parachurch leaders feel that their greatest need is for more “Christian servants” to help the organization capitalize on it enormous ministries opportunities. There are more International Students who want American friends than there are American friends to respond.  There are more kids who need mentors than there are mentors available, and so it is with hundreds of needy people groups in our country. So what is the answer?

Always Go For The Heart

Yesterday I was in DC at a ministry called DayBreak. I was there with several others visiting. I observed those of us who where there looking and others there working. It is easy to go look, but very different to be there working. The difference is heart.

My friend and co-author Frank Tillapaugh and I have served over 50 years on church staffs. And the most important lesson we have learned is: ALWAYS GO FOR THE HEART. If someone invests their heart, they will give everything they have. When we talk with pastors about their church’s people getting involved in community ministries, they often tell us, “I know our people and they don’t have time to get involved.”  Our response is “If God touches their hearts they will find the time to get involved.” We have seen it hundreds of times, when someone invests their heart, they not only find the time; they will move out of their comfort zones, and on occasion they will even risk their life if necessary.

But, unfortunately passion for ministry is rare among the rank and file in most churches. The reason that there is so little ministry passion among lay people is that church leaders tend to aim for their heads, attendance, pocketbooks, consumer satisfaction, felt needs, involvement in the church programs, comforts and above all to inspire people. And in the process they seldom touch the heart.

Why is passion so important?

I watched a DVD by Bill Hybels yesterday. I cried…way to go Bill. If was from his lecture from The Summit this year titled, “The Courage Leadership Requires.” He reminded me of his definition of vision, “Vision is a picture of the future that produces passion.” page 33 from his book, “Courageous Leadership.” 

People, especially those who do not get paid for doing ministries, do them ultimately because they want to.  I have met many lay people who are passionately involved in various ministries both inside and outside of their church. Some know their spiritual gift, but most don’t.  Many of them have never studied their Strengths, DISC or personality profile.  Some are involved in ministries that don’t make a lot of sense in light of their life experience, occupation, or natural abilities, while others have their ministry calling in the same area as their profession. In fact they only seem to have one thing in common; they are all motivated by passion. 

It is that place you experience your created greatness. What is your passion?

Better Roads...jump on!

The other day I flew into Dallas and needed to get on the 121 freeway, I could see it, but for the life of me I could not figure out how to get on it. I could see it, but all I did was circle around it wondering how to get on it. Have you ever had that happen? Many leaders in the church have had to deal with a person coming with a great idea for a ministry, only to realize they have no idea or knowledge of how to do it. Just buy a book it will tell you how to do small groups, evangelism, discipleship, etc.right? No!

If those same leaders ignore the pressure for success for a moment; and look outside the walls of their churches, they will see a huge number of organizations already in place.  You name the target group and there are Christian organizations positioned to minister to them, prisoners, addicts, mothers of preschoolers, motorcycle riders, athletes, internationals and the list just goes on and on.

The Freeways are in place, we just have to know what roads connect with them.  And unlike the freeways in most American cities these ministry freeways are not crowded at all.  They have far more capacity to engage lay ministers with their target group than they are now using. The biggest mission challenge of the 21^st century church is to connect with the current ministry freeways. The freeways are the fast track to unleashing the ministry passions of millions of church members.

It doesn't make sense!

I have been sad to travel around and see churches starting programs based on ideas they did not think of. Jim Collins calls them silver bullets. Hoping it will be the answer, the answer is what does God want you to do? It won't make sense....really. 

 

One of the disconcerting things about ministry passion is that it often doesn’t make sense. For example, it didn’t make sense that the former presidential cabinet member, Chuck Colson, start a new Prison Ministry.  Sure he spent a short time in prison for his part in the Watergate scandal, but with his credentials it made much more sense for him to start a ministry for “up & outers” rather than “down & outers.”

In his book Born Again, he says that many of his friends tried to talk him out of investing his life in a ministry to prisoners.  But Colson’s passion was inexplicably stirred by those who are in prison. God’s call to ministry does not have to make sense, (and often it doesn’t); it just has to stir our passions.

Ask yourself this, does it stir your passion...your passion. I have a passion to mentor young leaders...I can do it in the church, in the street or in a business, nothing sacred about doing it a church, in fact Jesus would tell you to be in the world...

No More Classes... move to the street!

More churches have began to put more emphasis on ministry beyond their walls. Many pastors have found that getting a church to be more focused on “ministry for others than ministry for us,” is difficult.  Why is it so difficult? One reason is that ministry to people groups in the community is awkward for most churches because they have little experience with most of the people groups in the community.

At the same time it has been encouraging to see more and more churches begin equipping classes. 

There are reasons that churches struggle to run effective equipping classes:

(1)  Churches tend to equip lay people the same way that the clergy were equipped, by putting them into class rooms.

(2)  They focus student’s attention inward. People are more likely to find their ministry passion by looking outward at a people group than they are inward at their spiritual gift or personality profile.

(3)  Once the class is finished most people are still not aware of their ministry passion.

(4)  When people do not have a ministry passion of their own churches tend to provide a list of existing ministries for them to choose from. When that happens people tend to respond as volunteers, (willing), more than they do servants, (compelled).

(5)  With an inward focus there can be too much emphasis put on discovering one’s spiritual gift. That is a problem because:

A.   There is no consistent list of spiritual gifts being taught. The number of gifts being taught in different classes ranges from seven to thirty seven or more.

B.  Once someone has identified their spiritual gift they often need help translating the gift into practical ministry.

C.    The difference between gifts and talents is often blurred and confusing.

D.    Spiritual gifts, like other difficult and unclear subjects in scripture, can degenerate into turf for “Witch Doctors and Medicine Men.”

Whatever a particular church’s position on the gifts is, when someone leaves that church and goes to another they are likely to find that the gifts are treated differently. Passion, on the other hand does not have the same problems. One does not need to go to a class to discover their passion. God has programmed all of us to be passionate about one or many issues or types of people. To discover that passion we need to be encouraged to look outside of ourselves. The cool thing is that when we pursue our passion we will exercise our gift or gifts. Gifts do not need to be understood or analyzed, they need to exercised.

21st Century America Is Poised for a Church/Parachurch Partnership

Churches who are unwilling to work with other ministries are doomed. In the past, one of the reasons that churches and Parachurch organizations have had a hard time working together was the issue of

Right & Wrong

Vs

Life & Death

In a very real way the Community and Seeker Church mentalities have paved the way for a strong Church/Parachurch partnership. There are powerful influences in the church today that are saying that Life & Death are more important than Right & Wrong. They are not prepared to throw out their theological convictions; but they are not likely to see the timing of the Rapture as a make or break issue. We have far more important issues to be concerned about then the timing of the Rapture, we have a Post-Christian culture to be concerned about. Anyone who is familiar with American and European history has to be concerned that the U.S. is on the fast track to becoming as secular as Europe.   

Historically, American churches, operating in a Christian culture, have felt that they had the luxury to stake out their theological turf based on their many “distinctives.” They could afford to fight about questions like the timing of the Rapture. But today churches no longer have the luxury to have a long list of distinctives. The list is still there but for most groups the distinctives, that they are willing to die for, comprises a very short list. There are just too many pressing social issues in a culture that is rapidly being paganized. Even the government is pleading with faith-based organizations to get involved with social action ministries.

One Advantage of the Para church Approach is: There Is No Address

The church was the most effective during its first 300 year, before it had an address. One great advantage the Para ministries have in the area of mission is that they rarely depend on their addresses or facilities. The ministry impact of most Churches, on the other hand, tends to be defined by their addresses and facilitie

Para organizations have a history of strategizing to reach various people groups on the fly. They are not slowed down by buildings, they are passion-based, not location/facility based. Para organizations do not need to provide collective worship and edification to be authentic. Therefore they can travel like Wesley did, “lean and mean.”

Our experience on church staffs has taught us that it takes a huge investment for churches to accommodate their ministries, especially their children’s ministries. And the children’s ministries may be the most important ministry that a church has, so it is a good investment. While churches have seen the value of well-developed children’s ministries, they seldom see the value of well developed ministries to the hundred plus people groups in the U.S. But the good news is that churches do not have to start from scratch to reach the people groups, there are already good organizations in place, and we just need to travel with them.   

A great history lesson

The biggest difference between 18^th century Wesleyans and 20^th century American Protestants is that the Wesleyans made a priority commitment to holy living, (worship and edification), and to the poor (mission). Most of the Wesleyans remained Anglican and attended Anglican churches. However, they participated in Wesleyan societies, or small groups. For example Robert Raikes, who hired the first teachers to go into the streets on Sundays and teach street kids, (i.e. the father of the Sunday School Movement) was a Anglican who had been influenced by Wesley.

The early Wesleyan Societies provided a “ministry passion outlet” for lay people similar to the “ministry passion outlet” that America Parachurch organizations have provided  since World War II. The body of Christ, i.e. the church, is organic and if the organizational structures do not provide an outlet for “ministry passion” the larger body will create one.

We lost the culture...Why?

Several years ago my friend Frank took a walking tour in London that ended up at Wesley’s chapel. As the tour group approached the chapel the guide said, “The 18^th century in Britain was Wesley’s century.  He influenced how we thought and how we acted, he influenced the entire culture.” That is an incredible statement: one man, or more accurately a particular group of people, was a major influence in the most powerful country on earth. Wow!

He said, "I don’t know what the others on the tour expected Wesley’s chapel to look like. But I remember the first time that I saw it, I was shocked." It is very modest to say the least, in fact it is both small and stark! The Wesley’s chapel is the total opposite from both the magnificent European Cathedrals and the kind of facilities that church growth experts in the 21^st century America would recommend. (Wesley had two chapels, one in London and one in Bristol, both are small and modest).

Wesley’s chapels may have been simple; but they were epicenters for a massive penetration of British culture by the Christian faith. The Wesleyans of 18^th century had few resources in terms of facilities, schools or wealthy members, and yet they deeply penetrated their culture.  The Protestants of 21^th century America, on the other hand, lost their culture despite having enormous resources. Why? Later this week I will give you at least two reason.

The Quest

A few years ago my friend Ken Baugh and I wrote a book called, The Quest for Christ. We thought it would be a defining moment in the landscape of discipleship. But in the unfriendly landscape of consumer Christianity it was a flop. Why?

 There is a statement in Matthew 10:37-39 that is shocking!

“Anyone who loves his father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; anyone who loves his son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me; and anyone who does not take up his cross and follow me is not worthy of me. Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.” We may do much Christian service as volunteers but at some point we have to “lose our lives.” and become servants.

One comes away from that passage understanding why Paul told the Philippians to “work out your salvation in fear and trembling.” Jesus and Paul are talking about every Christian’s calling, both their General Calling to live a Christian life and their Special  Calling to discover and pursue the good work or works that God prepared in advance for them to do.

The most challenging and disturbing word in Matthew 10:33-39 in our opinion is the repeated word anyone. In a sacerdotal system only the priests have to worry about their Calling. But, in Protestantism, thanks to the Priesthood of the Believers, no one gets off the hook.

All any Christian needs to be able to discover their calling is a personal relationship with God. But, it can be very helpful if they are part of a supportive Church.

Every church that wants to see everyone in their church have the opportunity to find and follow God’s ministry assignment for their lives faces four “Passion Challenges.”

1. Create a Passionate Friendly Environment
2. Create a Passionate Friendly Infrastructure
3. Create Passionate Friendly Places to Stand
4. Personalize Passion

20/80 Dilemma

When 20% of the people do 80% of the work in a church, the church leaders usually think that they have an 80% problem. But, in reality they have a 20% problem. Obviously the 20% who are the power brokers have designed the ministry of the church in such a way that the 80% are not interested in participating. The 80% are not interested because churches are designed so that only the 20% can be a Somebody. The secret is to encourage the 80% to pursue their calling to ministry and design an infrastructure that is capable of recognizing their calling as the work of the church. Not very many churches have the nerve for this.

What Is My Ministry Calling: Part Five

8. The Primary Tool That God Will Uses To Enable Us To Discover Our Calling is Our Emotions. A while back my friend and co-author Frank made the above point while speaking in a church. Following the message a lady let me know that she was very upset. She was an adult teacher in the church and she always taught people that emotions were the “train’s caboose.” According to her the head is the “engine,” we should be sure we know ourselves, our abilities, our spiritual gifts, our experiences, and then make a rational decision about where we should pursue ministry. Of course to know of those things people needed to go through the class that she taught. I use to teach SHAPE workshops, it is an acronym created by Rick Warren for S = Spiritual Gift, H= Heart, A= Ability, P= Personality, E= Experiences, it was a vehicle for people to wrestle with one question, “If they could do anything for God in the next year, what would they do?” That is the “H,” in Heart, emphasis on heart…passion, but I have noticed that everyone that taught it after me put the emphasis on discovering their spiritual gift. Almost like the discovery of their gift would bring about some kind of Christian nirvana. It never does. People discovering their spiritual gift is a really good thing, the Bible tells us to make sure people are not uninformed of theirs, but without igniting their passion it just adds to our intellectual baggage. It creates a huge problem when people think that they have to jump through a bunch of intellectual hoops before they can know God’s leading. It makes people dependent on those who understand the hoops. It is what we call the Medicine Man or Witch Doctor factor. Medicine Men and Witch Doctors gain their power from knowing mysterious things about God that the average person doesn’t know. Could it be that the reason that God designed us to find our calling primarily through our emotions, i.e. our passions, is because we don’t need “religious power brokers” to help us understand our emotions. We know many Christians who are pursuing their calling. Some know their spiritual gift, or gifts, while others don’t. Some pondered their personality and or their abilities before they found their calling, others didn’t. But they all have one thing in common; they all know their passion.

What is My Ministry Calling: Part Four

7. My Calling May Become Clear Only After a Bad or Even Tragic Experience. When I was very young I got married and divorced. I thought my life was over. Here I was 23 years old and divorced. It really took a toll on my family, my relationships and my faith. But looking back now I see how God used my bad choices to bring Him glory. I got involved in a singles ministry and have seen what God can do with a broken persons life. I discovered my calling because of my divorce. Chuck Colson didn’t discover his calling until he went to prison. He tells his story in the powerful book Born Again. Following his time in prison it slowly began to dawn on him that God wanted him to start a Prison Ministry. A difficult struggle followed, and Colson submitted to God moving him out of his comfort zone. While Chuck Colson’s personal story is unusual, someone finding their calling after a bad or even tragic experience is not, i.e. the birth of MADD, Mothers Against Drunk Drivers. That is why we can’t put “passion pressure” on our fellow Christians. Maybe the catalytic event that God plans to use it their lives hasn’t happened yet. Maybe like me a very hard event has led to your finding your calling...I would love to hear those stories, besides your telling them encourages others in tough times.

What is My Ministry Calling: Part Three

5. I Might Discover My calling At Any Stage of Life I have a friend that died several years ago. He was a two star general and he really found his calling after he served our country. Christians should not feel any pressure to be passionate about some particular ministry. Rather, we should assume that when the time is right God will bring the circumstances into our lives that will light the fire. When church leaders are creating a calling friendly environment they need to be careful that they don’t create an environment of passion pressure. Passion pressure can come in a couple of different forms. (1) Someone feels that since they have discovered their calling everybody else should have discovered their call as well. (2) Or someone may feel that other people ought to share their passion for a particular ministry. Either type of passion pressure is to be avoided. What a church wants is an environment where people are both relaxed and concerned, i.e. they practice relaxed-concern. In such an environment there is a concern that everyone eventually finds and pursues their calling, but until both they and God are ready, we all relax. 6. My calling May or May Not be Tied to My Occupation or Natural Abilities. Often we assume that one’s Special Calling will be similar to their occupation. If someone is a doctor we might think that their calling will have to do with medicine, or a mechanic will find the calling working on cars. Of course it is a mistake to confuse one’s job with their calling. A few decades ago Studs Terkel wrote Working, a book that spent several weeks on the New York Times best seller list. We say that Terkel wrote the book, but in fact he carried a tape recorder across the country and interviewed a huge number of people doing different kinds of jobs and he printed their responses. His conclusion was, “Most of us are looking for a calling, not a job. Most of us have jobs that are too small for our spirit. Jobs are not big enough for people.” Some Christians will find their calling in their occupation, but most won’t. A man in Sacramento launched a ministry to rehabilitate houses for single moms and others who cannot afford to do it on their own. The ministry has been a huge success. But when you hear Ken speak you are amazed that he has very little handyman ability. He says his tool box contains a screw driver and a roll of duct tape. But he is the one that God called to launch a great ministry that depends on people who have better skills and better tool boxes than he has. On the other hand we also know a divorce lawyer who has started a ministry to those having trouble in their marriages. God can work his calling either way, it might make sense in light of one’s abilities and occupation, or it might not. That is the scary thing, only God knows, each of us has to get our marching orders from Him.

What is My Ministry Calling: Part Two

3. A Ministry That Is Likely To Move Me Out of My Comfort Zone. In Matthew 10:38 Jesus makes one of those sweeping and disturbing statements, “anyone who does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me.” This is another one of those statements that is all inclusive, “anyone” is about as broad as it can be. The cross is an instrument of death and it is certainly not a comfortable place to be. We can be sure that when we pursue our calling, the pursuit will likely force us out of our comfort zone. There is often a level of risk involved when we volunteer, but that level almost always increases when we serve as a Bond Servant. 4. I May Have One or Many callings. During My Life. Some people have a single calling. Others have many callings. We simply cannot put God in a box. Some people pursue more than one calling simultaneously. One’s calling is intensely personal. The mistake that is most likely to be made in a sacerdotal system is to try to plug people into a ministry calling that the priest thinks is best. Again plugging people in as volunteers is legitimate, but at the same time everyone needs to know about their calling. Encourage your place of worship to hold in tension the need for people to find their calling not only volunteer.

What is My Ministry Calling?

Over the next few days I am going to unpack several ways you know. 1. A Ministry That Energizes Me. (Ministering Out of Our five percent. 85% of every thing you do anyone can do, 10% of what you do only you and a few others can do, but there is a 5% figure that represent only what you can do. No one else in the whole world can do what only God created you to do). When we pursue our calling, it will energize us rather than wear us out. That doesn’t mean that our calling can’t burn us out, it can. But it takes a lot more to burn us out when we are pursuing the ministry that God designed us to pursue. 2. A Ministry That I Do as a Servant, Not a Volunteer We have already seen that volunteers are willing, while servants are compelled. The biblical picture of a servant is a powerful image. In the Old Testament Jews could be sold into slavery to other Jews, and under certain conditions they could be set free. However, if a slave chooses to remain one of his master’s slaves rather than living in freedom, he or she became a bond slave. The slave is now bonded to their master out of love for their master. In Romans 1:1 The Apostle Paul introduces himself as a Bond Servant of Jesus Christ. When we discover our calling to ministry we become bonded, as a result we are compelled to pursue our calling out of love for our Lord.

What is your passion...follow that!

I always place a passage of scripture under my signature, it is Philippians 2:12-13. The passage right before it in Philippians is on the incarnation. Verses 6-11 describe both the humiliation and exaltation of Jesus. This passage, more than any other passage, captures the agony and the ecstasy of God becoming a human being. The verse 12 starts with “Therefore,” i.e. based on the profound reality of the incarnation every Christian is challenged to “work out your salvation in fear and trembling.” That is pretty strong language. One of the most important challenges in life is to discover our Calling. Verse 13 assures us that we are not alone in the process, “for it is God who works in you both to will and to act according to his good purpose.” A paraphrase could read “God is going to give us the want to, to do what he wants us to do.” Philippians 2:13 says that God works in each Christian to “will,” that means that God supplies the passion. The way that God shows how us where to discover our Calling is to get us in touch with the passion that he has programmed into us.

We Don’t Develop Our Special Ministry Calling, We Discover It

What we need, to pursue our call to ministry, is programmed within us. But we may have to develop some skills or abilities once we know what our Special Calling is. When we discover our Special Ministry Calling we won’t necessarily have the immediate ability to get it done, rather we discover the passion to do whatever we need to do. Passion is the key, and our passion is directly related to the unique way God made us. We have always been amazed at how different ministries arouse passion in different people. When you talk about the plight of isolated seniors most people will be sympathetic, but not passionate. A few however, those designed by God to be passionate about isolated senior adults, will be passionate. Those who are passionate about seniors may be sympathetic, but not passionate, about the homeless. Can someone be passionate about more than one group of people, of course they can. But normally passion is reserved for a single ministry sphere of ministry during a particular stage of life. The most often used analogy for the church in the bible is the body. Different parts of the body have different ministry passions; the mission impact of a particular church should reflect the collective ministry callings of its people. Therefore it is extremely important that each of us is committed to discovering his or her Special Calling. What the church needs to be is a discover zone...

The Difference Between Me and Everybody Else

Ephesians 2:10 tells us the God prepared good works for each of the saints to do. God created each one of us as unique individuals, our uniqueness is intended to “fit” our Special Calling.” A pastor that I know says it this way. “Before architects design any new building they first ask, ‘What will be its purpose? How will it be used?’ The intended function always determines the form of the building. Before God created you, He decided what role He wanted you to play on earth. He planned exactly how He wanted you to serve Him, and then shaped you for those tasks. You are the way you are because you were made for a specific ministry…. God deliberately shaped and formed you to serve Him in a way that makes your ministry unique.” Each of us is unique, we have known for a long time that each of us has unique finger prints and more recently we have discovered that we each have unique voices and even unique odors! It is amazing that the DNA from a single strand of hair can be conclusive evidence in a court of law! So have you found that ministry yet? OK I am more than a little concerned it is our local church that is the biggest barrier. Often we want to plug you into volunteer rather than help you find your ministry calling. We need to ask more often than not the question, "If you could do anything for God, what would you do?" If money was not an issue, if education was not an issue, it work was not an issue, you were free to do what ever you want, what would you do? This week we had a 600 million dollar lottery, one person won the whole thing, just play like you won it and live your life accordingly.

When Our General Calling and Our Special Calling “Kick In”

Our General Calling begins the moment we become a Christian. When our Special Calling begins is not so easy to figure out. Someone may be aware of their Special Calling when they are very young or they may not discover it until they are much older. God’s Special Calling forces us to leave the ranks of the volunteers, even the most motivated of volunteers, and join the ranks of the servants. And obviously God has a Special Calling for those who pursue ministries other than the ministries where people get paid. But when one learns to think of ministry with a sacerdotal mindset the ministry means vocational ministry. sac·er·do·tal /ˌsasərˈdōtl/ Adjective Relating to priests or the priesthood; priestly. Relating to a doctrine that ascribes spiritual or supernatural powers to ordained priests. Synonyms priestly - clerical - ministerial A sacerdotal mindset is not Biblical and it is very dangerous to the church.

We Are All Created With a Special Ministry Assignment

The fact that every Christian has a special ministry calling is central to unleashing ministry passion in churches. When someone pursues their special call to ministry, as we have already seen, they do as servants, not volunteers. As long as the clergy are thought of as the church’s servants and the rest of us are their volunteers we are in deep trouble. Eph 2:10, “For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” The “we” in this passage does not refer to the clergy it refers to those who have been redeemed through faith in Christ. This is a powerful statement. It says that God actually prepared certain good works for each of the saints, (the Ephesian letter is addressed to the saints, 1:1). Eph 4:1 “As a prisoner for the Lord, then I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received.” Every saint has received a calling and that calling has two parts. First there is the General Calling which is the same for every Christian. Then there is the Special Calling and that is different for each Christian.

Still the same

This is best time in my life. I love God, my dear wife and kids. I am embarking on a new adventure. I feel free to be who God created me to be like never before. I think I must feel a little like Lazarus. As I start this new journey I want to assure everyone I am connected with I am God's child, made to serve Him and Him alone. He is my provider. Twelve years ago I was asked to move across the country to help a local church reach young adults, I came kicking and screaming, sorry God. Now as I begin my new journey I am thankful for that opportunity. I came then with one philosophy. It is still my philosophy and I am thankful it has worked. WHY DO WE NEED PHILOSOPHY OF MINISTRY? In order to understand all that God has to say about various subjects (the Second coming, sin, etc.) it is necessary to study the Bible topically. This type of study is often called Systematic Theology. In this case, we are attempting to study all that the Bible has to say about ministry. Unfortunately, ministry is an area that many Christians have not studied topically or systematically. As a result, their Philosophy of Ministry is poorly developed and not well grounded on Scripture. It is often nothing more than programs and structures with little understanding of underlying Biblical principles. Finally, it should be said that these six cardinal principles are not the final word. They represent a beginning statement of our Philosophy of Ministry. It is likely that they will be modified and expanded as time goes on. 1. THE STARTING POINT OF OUR MINISTRY IS GOD, NOT HUMAN ACTIVITY. (1 COR. 3:6) God’s Part: God’s goals for the Christian are superhuman (1 Peter 2:21; 1 John 3:16; Eph. 5:18-20). As a matter of fact, Christian growth is totally beyond the realm of human effort (Gal. 3:1-5) for apart from Christ we can do nothing (John 5:15) Ministry and spiritual growth are things that God does by means of the Holy Spirit (1 Thess. 1:5; Titus 3:5). Man’s Part: God, in graciousness has allowed man to have a part in the work and ministry of His Kingdom (2 Cor. 5:20). Our part is to abide in Christ (John 5:15) and to rely on the Spirit to bring change (Gal. 5:18, 22-23). We abide in Christ as we abide in the word of God (1 John 2:24) and as we obey that which Christ tells us to do (1 John 3:24; John 15:10). 2. IMPLICATIONS FOR MINISTRY 1. Realize that you are unqualified to minister to anyone (2 Cor. 3: 5-6) and that only God can bring growth in another’s life (1 Cor. 3:6). 2. Recognize that God’s grace equips us for ministry (rom. 1:5; 12:6) and that we can do all things in Christ who strengthens us (Phil. 4:13) 3. Determine to abide in Christ (John 15:4-5) by living in moment-by-moment dependence on God (Prov. 3:5-6). Commit to the Word and prayer (Acts 6:4). 4. Remember without God, I cannot. Without me, God will not. 2. THE GUIDE FOR OUR MINISTRY IS THE BIBLE-NOT HUMAN WISDOM (IS. 55:6-11) The inspiration of the Bible- Because the Bible is inspired by God (God breathed) (2 Tim. 3:16-17), it is the final authority for Christian faith and practice. It must be interpreted correctly (2Pet. 3:16) with the help of the Holy Spirit (1 Cor. 2:12-13; Eph. 1:18). The Bible as God’s “message book”- Since the Bible is the final authority for Christian faith, it serves as the ultimate judge as to what we believe as truth (John 16;13; 2 Peter 1:20-21); therefore, all experiences and circumstances must be interpreted in the light of what Scripture states (1 cor. 14:29; Deut. 13-1-3). By saying that the bible is God’s “message book”, we are saying that it gives us the content or the “what” of the Christian life; i.e., what is the nature of God, the nature of man, etc. The Bible as God’s “method book”-Since the Bible is the final authority for Christian practice, it serves as the ultimate judge as to what principles direct our methods of ministry (2 Cor. 1:12). By saying that the bible is God’s “method book” we are saying that it gives us the process or the “how” of the Christian life. In talking about methods, we must also distinguish between absolutes and non- absolutes. Absolutes are the foundational, Biblical principles that do not vary with time or culture. “Christians should gather together” (Heb. 10: 24-25) Non-Absolutes are the specific applications, which may vary with time or culture. “Christians should gather together at 11 AM on Sunday morning and sit in pews.” The absolutes are eternal and unchanging. On the other hand we should have great freedom to change the non- absolutes depending on the need of a particular situation. 3. THE FOCUS OF OUR MINISTRY IS PEOPLE-NOT PROGRAMS (1 THESS. 2:8; JOHN 3:16) “At the heart of the universe is a Person, not natural forces, a Creator who reveals Himself to persons, who became a human Person in Christ, who seeks to redeem estranged, sinful persons back to Himself…Essentially, the church is not a building nor an institution, an organization, a program. Essentially the church is people…it is natural to describe the local church in terms of its activities, its work, as an institution; but, everything the church does is for the sake of the people. All programming and organization are means to the end of effecting changes in people. The focus must always be on people.” (p.11, LeBar, “Focus on People in Church Education”) 4. THE GOAL OF OUR MINISTRY IS MATURE CHRISTIANS-NOT SIMPLY CONVERTS (COL. 1:28-29) The Westminster Confession states that man’s chief end is to glorify god and to enjoy Him forever. We glorify God by developing people; both ourselves and others who are becoming more like Christ (John 15:8). In Matthew 28:19-20, this is called “making disciples”. One way of describing a “disciple” is that he is a person who lives life according to Biblical priorities. These priorities fall into four categories: 1. Progressive commitment to Jesus Christ (Mt. 6:33; Luke 9:23) 2. Progressive commitment to the family (1 Tim. 5:8; Deut. 6:23) 3. Progressive commitment to the body of Christ (Gal. 6:10) 4. Progressive commitment to the work of Christ in the world (Acts 1:8) Further comments on the Fourth Priority: To be committed to the work of Christ in the world means to be committed to both social concern and evangelism. Both of these grow out of community. “Community is the matrix of missions. A congregation without community cannot fulfill its evangelistic missions, whatever is done to exhort or train. Conversely, when a congregation is spiritually healthy, that is, committed to Jesus Christ and to each other and constrained by love to selfless concern of all men, evangelism will happen spontaneously, effortlessly, continuously and effectively. Not only will the life of the community attract the alienated and lonely to its accepting, reconciling warmth, but in dispersion its members will radiate that redemptive love infectiously to the world.” 5. THE ENVIRONMENT FOR OUR MINISTRY IS THE CORPORATE BODY- NOT INDIVIDUALISM (ROM 12:3-8) We must be the people of God before we do the work of God. Too often we move into ministry before we have taken time to be the community of God. Jesus said that the world would know that we are His disciples if we love one another (John 13:34-35). He repeats this concept in John 17:27 when He says that the world will know that He was sent by the Father when they see the unity of the believers. This principle was then illustrated in the early church (Acts 2:24-27). Every member is a minister. The ministry is not just for the seminary-trained professional. God has gifted every Christian (Rom 12:3-8; 1 cor. 12:7-11) so that they might have a part in building up the Body of Christ. Everyone is essential and unique in this process. God has called some to leadership. In the bible, the leader is first of all a servant. He is committed to making others successful. He serves by pasturing the flock (1 Peter 5:2-4), and by equipping the saints for their ministries (Eph. 4:11-12). A leader must measure up to certain qualifications (1 Tim. 3:1-7; Titus 1:5-9). It seems clear that the Biblical norm is for a multiplicity of leadership (1 Tim. 5:17) and that decisions ideally should by made by the unanimous consent of those in leadership (Acts 15: 23-25). This requires teamwork and implies that the leadership should be committed to the same basic body of doctrine and philosophy of ministry (Amos 3:3). Authority and Submission: Because God has given leaders to oversee the flock, those under their authority should submit to their leadership (Heb. 13:17; 1 Peter 5:5, Rom. 13:1-7). The only exception to this is when leadership is calling the people to do something that would result in their clear disobedience of a Biblical absolute. 6. THE PROCESS OF OUR MINISTRY IS SPIRITUAL REPRODUCTION- NOT SPIRITUAL ADDITION (2 TIM. 2:2) Definitions Convert: one who has realized that because he was a sinner, he was subject to the wrath of God. Seeing his desperate plight and his inability to save himself, he placed his trust in the finished work of Christ on the cross. Mature Christian: one who realizes that he still lives I his sinful nature and that he cannot live the Christian life in his own strength. Realizing his desperate plight, he places his trust moment-by-moment in the finished work of Christ on the cross. He has also developed the necessary disciplines of the Christian life so that the lifelong process of maturing in Christ- likeness can reasonably be expected to continue. He has become independently dependent on Christ. Spiritual Addition: the process of reproducing in others what the Spirit of God is doing in you so that they have become either converts or mature Christians. This is also known as “second-generation discipleship”. Spiritual Reproduction: the process of reproducing in others what the Spirit of God is doing in you and in turn enabling them to reproduce it in a third generation. This is also known as “third-generation discipleship”. Why emphasize spiritual reproduction? Let us suppose that it takes two years to help a person grow spiritually to the place where he can also reproduce. Then if you invest your life in another: After 2 years there will be 2 mature Christians; After 4 years there will be 4 mature Christians; After 10 years there will be 32 mature Christians; After 20 years there will be 1,024 mature Christians; After 30 years there will be 32,768 mature Christians. Let us suppose you can lead one person to Christ each day, but by doing this, you don’t have time to help them grow: then, After 2 years there will be 731 converts After 4 years there will be 1,462 converts After 10 years there will be 3,653 converts After 20 years there will be 7,306 converts After 30 years there will be 10,958 converts.