When you hear someone say, “So and so is IN THE MINISTRY, how do you interpret that? The common understanding of that phrase is that the person you are speaking of is doing Christian work on a professional basis; they serve as a pastor, church staff member, missionary, or the like. But the very idea of making that kind of distinction is a problem when we take a look at what the Bible says about the nature of Christian ministry.
One of the greatest obstacles to the growth of the Christian faith is the fact that, for the most part, everyday Christians don’t make much of an intentional effort to do the work of ministry. In fact, in most people’s minds, there is a clear distinction between clergy (the professionals) and the laity (the non-professionals). The implication of that terminology is that there are two different classes of Christians, with one class being responsible for doing Christian ministry, and the other simply supporting the professionals. From my many years of observing Christians, with relatively few exceptions, that is the belief that most hold.
The problem with this kind of thinking, however, is that it sidesteps the biblical mandate that all Christians are to serve as intentional witnesses in the culture. Contrary to the common understanding, the concept of full-time Christian ministry is not related to vocation. There are, of course, those God calls to serve vocationally. But for the most part, the role of the professional is not to do all the work of ministry. Rather, it is to “equip the saints for the work of ministry” (Eph. 4:11-13). The biblical distinction is not between full-time and part-time Christians, but between Christians who minister full time in various vocations out in society, and Christians who minister full time to give training and support to those who are in non-church vocations. Contrary to most people’s understanding, EVERY Christian is called to full-time Christian service! It is just that most are called to do it from a vocational platform that is NOT directly related to a “Christian institution.”
But even the Christians who recognize the truth of the concept that ALL Christians are called to serve God full-time, generally struggle to figure out how to make that work in their own life situation. There is a tendency by most people to limit their ministry to “inside the church” kinds of things, or to special missions activities. The truth is, we need a broader way of looking at this matter.
In order for the everyday Christian to truly implement this concept into life, there needs to be a plan for pulling it off. At this point, we are back to the problem that was broached earlier: How do we deal with the greatest obstacle to the growth of the Christian faith? That great obstacle is the fact that most Christians don’t see themselves as Christian ministers, and are not equipped to do the missionary task in the environment they live in – work, school, social relationships, etc.
That brings us to our purpose here: We want to explore not only what the everyday Christian needs to do to intentionally express Christ in the community, but to also provide an outline to show how it can be accomplished. If the masses of Christians would take up the task, master the foundational elements of our faith, and intentionally get out into society and share it, our nation would turn around very quickly. So, let’s look at how to get going with this task. We will explore this using a five step process.
Step 1 – Understand That You Are a Minister of the Gospel
Step one to becoming an effective minister is a “being” step – as opposed to all of the other steps which relate to something you must “do.” This one relates to your understanding of your own identity as a Christian. To grasp this more fully, we need to take a look into the early history of the Christian church.
From the earliest days of its existence to the time when Constantine became emperor of the Roman Empire in the 400s A.D., the Christian faith was illegal. In many places, Christians actually had to meet underground or in small house groups to keep from being rounded up and persecuted. Also during that period, the church was thought of more in terms of the people who had come to know Christ, than as an organization. While there were leaders in the various small groups, every believer considered him or herself a minister of the gospel with the responsibility of sharing the love of Christ with all those in the culture.
After the ascendency of the emperor Constantine, the very identity of “the church” changed dramatically. With the emperor’s legalization of Christianity, the church’s identity morphed from that of an organism to one of an organization. With this change, the church took on a new form that mimicked the structure of the empire’s political system – with an authoritative leader at the top and numerous levels of sub-leaders below. In the church, these leaders were called clergy. At that point, the work of ministry became the work of the clergy, while the work of the “person in the pew” changed from that of “active minister” to “passive observer.” With this model, the work of God in the world came to be the domain of the “professionals” while the non-professional believers became supporters sitting in the bleachers cheering on the team.
While the Protestant Reformation in the fifteen and sixteen hundreds brought back the concept of the “ministry of the laity,” it really hasn’t played out much that way in real life. It is still mostly the “professionals” who get the in-depth training and who tend to be the ones most motivated to actually do the work of ministry. Of course, there are many notable exceptions, but the great tendency is undeniable.
Besides the identity issue, there is another matter that inhibits the everyday Christian from considering him or herself as a full-time minister. Unfortunately, the majority of Christians do not have access to, or do not take advantage of, the kind of training that will help them be confident in standing up for and expressing their faith in the culture. And it is this lack of confidence that causes people to shy away from doing the work of ministry in the world. Because of that, two things need to happen.
First, every Christian needs to accept their calling from God to be a full-time Christian minister. This does not mean they are to become clergy and work in the church. It means that they must see the work of God in the world through their lives to be the most important work they do. Rather than seeing themselves as a doctor, state worker, plumber, lawyer, business person (you fill in the blank with your profession) who is a Christian, all believers need to see themselves as Christians who work in whatever their profession.
Second, Christians need to become trained for their ministry task. Those in vocational Christian ministry often attend seminary or Bible college to get training. They typically need this specialized training because their greatest biblical responsibility is to “equip the saints for ministry (See Ephesians 4:11-13). They need the extra training to fulfill that role. As for all other believers, the church should be the place for them to get their training. Unfortunately, the training opportunities in local churches are too often slim, or very shallow. There are various reasons this might be the case, and pointing out that fact here is not meant to express criticism. Many churches simply lack the personnel or resources to effectively do this work. And while the church leadership bears some responsibility, the greater responsibility is on the individual Christian to follow God’s calling. If significant opportunities for learning how to be an effective minister in the culture are available in one’s church, these should be fully taken advantage of. If not, individuals need to take the initiative to get it for themselves.
So the first necessary matter is to work on your own identity. Do you recognize your calling from God? Have you equipped yourself for the calling he has placed on your life?
Step 2 – Discern and Select Your Mission Field
Step two is to discern where God wants you to serve. It is very important that the ones who are front and center in sharing the faith in the world are the “non-professional” Christians. These are the people who are best positioned to take the gospel to those who don’t know Christ, as they are the ones who naturally interact with these people every day.
There are, of course, those God calls to go to a different country, language, or culture where Christ is not known. But that is the exception rather than the rule. The large majority of Christians are called by God to reach the people in their own circle of influence. Doing that will be different for each individual. Your calling may be to your work colleagues, people in a club or other organization you are part of, people in your neighborhood, or any of a number of other possibilities. Before you can be effective reaching a group of people though, you need to identify what group that should be.
Some might ask, “Well, how do I discern that?” Honestly, there is no magic formula for figuring this out. First, you need to realize that God already has in mind how he wants to use your life and who he wants to touch with your life. With that in mind, you need to draw close to him and let him speak to your heart. In the process of doing this, he will lay the burden on your life – and there are any of a number of ways he might let you know. It may be just a compulsion you feel. On the other hand, it may be some door of opportunity he opens up that you simply need to walk through. Whatever it is, when you sense God’s direction for your life, you need to acknowledge it and commit yourself to serving him among those people
Once you identify the people group God is leading you to serve, you must identify specifically the people you need to touch. Ultimately you are not trying to reach a “group” but the individuals who make up the group. People don’t come to the Lord by being part of a group, but by individually deciding to enter into a personal relationship with him. Thus, you need to create a roster so that as you may begin to develop relationships with the individuals God wants you to touch.
Step 3 – Select a Strategy
Once you identify your target group, you must figure out what you will do to interject yourself into those people’s lives in order to take Christ to them. There are all kinds of possibilities for doing this, and it will typically involve some kind of activity you engage. What you decide will depend on a couple of important things. First, it must take into account what will be attractive or interesting to the people you want to reach. Second, it must be something that you are personally able to do.
The following categories are only for the purpose of stimulating your thinking. As you consider ways to reach out to your people group, use the list as a way to brainstorm possibilities. You may find that one or more of these ideas fits your situation. It is also possible that you will come up with something different that fits your particular abilities and setting. Also, realize that as you begin the process of working with people, other possibilities may emerge after you get going. In your planning, be flexible. Some of the possibilities include:
Bible Study
- Bible Study Group – Use a Bible study approach which is heavy on application to life.
- Create a devotional handout that you can periodically give to the people you wish to minister to.
Discipleship Study
- Discipleship study group – Use a topical study guide which helps people learn the tools for becoming more spiritually mature.
- Book Club – Select books which promote spiritual growth. The group members will each read the book and discuss it at a periodic gathering.
- Research Forum – A research forum is a group which will pick appropriate topics related to faith. Each member will do outside research on the topic and share their findings when the group meets.
Chaplaincy
- Formal Chaplain Ministry – This is one which must generally have permission from “the powers that be.” A chaplain ministry is proactive in that chaplains do not simply wait for people to come to them, but put themselves appropriately in people’s lives as they serve in some institution.
- Informal Chaplain Ministry – Informally go around to people in your institution and ask them how you can pray for them, and seek out various appropriate ways to minister to them.
Organizational Development
- Christian Activist Organization – Form an organization in which Christians who are part of a common profession are able to promote Christ through their profession.
- Christian Fraternal Organization – Form a fraternal organization of Christians for your profession.
Service Activities
- Social Service Activity – Establish a means for meeting people’s social and/or physical needs, and use the interaction to share Christ with them.
- Make personal relationships and socialize with people in ways that allow you to interject yourself into their lives.
Prayer Opportunities
- Prayer Group – Form groups which gather regularly to specifically pray for the various groups and individuals that are actively working to penetrate the culture.
- Prayer Walking Teams – Put together groups that will regularly prayer walk places where other kinds of activities are not yet a possibility.
- Create a prayer ministry using a list of the people you wish to minister to, and pray for them daily.
Once you have decided how your ministry should proceed, you need to make whatever preparation that allows you to begin. It will be necessary to do such things as secure a time and place to meet, gather needed materials, and prepare yourself both spiritually and intellectually.
Step 4 – Prepare Your Mission Field
The next step is to prepare your mission field. The focus of this effort will be to establish and build relationships.
I would suggest that, if possible, your first efforts should be directed toward people who already self-identify as Christians. Very possibly, there will be those who would like to have some kind of outlet to express and build on their faith. These are the ones who will provide you with the opportunity to actually get something going. Once this is in place, you will have a platform for reaching beyond that initial group. As you consider your mission, you must realize that the people who need your ministry fall into several categories.
Some of the people you interact with might be Christians who are already active in a church. Some may even have skills and resources that can help you do your ministry. You may even be able to partner with some of them in a way that broadens the ministry even more.
Another group might be Christians who are faithful in their churches, but who have never realized that they need to be working to impact the culture. God might use you to get them activated and serving Christ in ways they never considered before.
Then, there are those who self-identify as Christians but simply don’t walk the walk. These might be people who went to church when they were kids, or who go at Easter and Mother’s Day. In fact, many of these might not really be Christians at all – but they at least have a favorable impression of what you are doing.
Finally, there are those who don’t self-identify as Christians at all. These might be people who left the church, belong to another religion, or consider themselves Atheists.
As you prepare to start your ministry, you will begin interacting with the people in your target group to discern which ones would like to participate in what you are doing. The process of doing this can involve letting them know you are praying for them, asking them if they are interested in participating in what you are starting, actually going to their location and offering prayer for them and their family, handing out devotional materials, and the like. In this process, you will, no doubt, come across a few who will allow you to minister to them.
Step 5 – Begin the Work
The final step involves putting into place the following three phases of your ministry.
Phase 1. Cultivate the People
For some in your target group, the simple act of making contact and reaching out to them will be all the ministry you will be able to do. They will not receive anything else. For others, this will be “soil preparation,” as they are a bit hesitant at first, but begin to warm up when you demonstrate your love and concern for them. But there are those who will be ready immediately to participate in what you are doing. This cultivation process will make it clear how, and with whom, you may move forward into the future.
Phase 2. Start the Group
After you have appropriately cultivated people, you may set a start date and time, and move forward with your ministry project. One hint that may be helpful for some is to realize that it is okay if your activity begins small. The decision to participate belongs to the people you ask, not you. If people are not yet ready to take this step, it is not your fault and is no reflection on you. Ultimately, the change in a person’s heart is a work of God, not something you can create. Just be faithful in touching the lives of those who do participate.
Phase 3. Build the Group
Over time, the hope and prayer is that the effectiveness of your ministry will grow. One thing that will help this happen is when the people in the group share their excitement about what is going on with their friends. Another thing that will help the growth is your continued cultivation of those you initially interacted with, but who chose not to participate at first. Make it a part of your ministry to keep reaching out to them. Your consistency in cultivating relationships over the long haul will go a long way. Ultimately, it is God who must touch their hearts, and they must decide for themselves to follow him.
Conclusion
What I have shared here is a system for doing missionary ministry. Obviously, any Christian can use this methodology to do ministry. But the “magic” is not in the system. The system only helps us understand the mechanics involved in creating activities that reach out to people. The real magic is found in the process of being intentional in making relationships, and creating a way to coalesce those relationships into groups where God can transform people’s lives.
There are a couple of very important concepts I hope you have received from this explanation.
First, doing the work of ministry is not something just for professional ministers. Every Christian ought to be engaged in ministry. God has called every believer to reach into the world to be an instrument in his hand for bringing the world to him. As a part of this process, you need to realize that there are things you must learn in order to effectively do the work of ministry. Learning these things will take intentional effort on your part.
Second, you must open yourself to the fact that God has something very specific in mind for you. There is a particular group of people God is calling you to reach, and you need to discern who that is and tune your heart to reaching them.
Once you know who it is that God wants you to minister to, you will need to develop a strategy to reach out to those people. You need to be intentional in a way that allows you to be effective in developing genuine personal relationships, and provides a platform for you to share the love of Christ with them.
Next, you must prepare the field you will work in by identifying the specific people you need to engage. A general plan is good for getting a sense of what kind of activity you will do, but the people you will try to reach are individuals. You need to know who they are.
Finally, you need to put your strategy into motion. Nothing happens until you do something.
When you do these things, you will begin reaching into people’s lives, and God will use you as an instrument for transforming the world. There are a lot of people who need Christ. No single person can reach them all. But when all believers open themselves up to be used by God in their world, a lot of people will be reached, and many will come to know Christ.
© 2017 Freddy Davis