Mary Lou was polite and gracious when I visited her in the hospital. Really, nothing noteworthy took place; we exchanged greetings, I expressed concern and we prayed together. But something special happened when Frances ministered to her the next day. After a brief visit, Mary Lou asked, "Would you like to see my scar?" "Sure," replied Frances. Mary Lou untied her gown and showed Frances the results of her radical mastectomy. Perhaps it was a way of coping with the disfiguring surgery; certainly, it was her way of receiving love and acceptance from her friend.

Frances wasn't helping the minister; she was the minister. She did what I couldn't do. She rubbed souls with her hurting friend. The gender issue wasn't what enabled her ministry to be effective, though it was a contributing factor. It was the close, informal relationship they shared.

God intended Christians to be ministers. Paul wrote: "For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: [9] Not of works, lest any man should boast. [10] For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them." (Ephesians 2:8-10 KJV)

Ministers serve according to their gifts

Ephesians 2:8-9 teaches that God saves people on purpose. No person accidently stumbles across God, rather, God pursues the lost to redeem them unto himself (Luke 19:10). There is no room for people to boast in their salvation; God initiated it and God sustains it.

Paul's instruction doesn't end with verse nine. Ephesians 2:10 teaches that He saves people for a purpose. God creates believers for a specific purpose and requires that they walk in the good works He prepares for them.

God's plan is not for a believer to watch the minister or help the minister; God's plan is for every believer to be a minister. To that end, He gives them leaders (Ephesians 4:11) who will equip them (Ephesians 4:12-13) and spiritual gifts (Ephesians 4:7) for them to use in the ministry He plans for them.

Ministers Represent Their Church and the Pastor

In the late 1980s, the church I was serving, the First Baptist Church of Palm Desert, California, voted to begin a mission church four miles from our church building. The plan was to employ a pastor to do the music and visitation and for me to do the preaching for two years. I preached at the mission church during the Sunday School hour, then drove to the home church for services. The arrangement freed the mission pastor to do more face-to-face ministry and help the church grow.

The opening day we began with forty people and had a profession of faith the first week. We were excited. The mission pastor stayed busy visiting the people, but they kept asking him, "When is Pastor Jim going to stop by?" Instead of calling the mission pastor for their counseling needs, they asked to speak to me when the receptionist answered the phone. At the end of the two years, most of them began attending the home church, and we voted to close the mission.

As I look back on the church start, I see that it was doomed to fail from the beginning. The people wanted more than a sermon from the pastor; they wanted his attention.

Is there a way to give the people the pastor's attention and still allow the members to minister? Yes, if the ministers will see themselves as representatives of their church and their pastor.

Usually, ministers would say something like this when they call to schedule a visit, "This is Bruce, from the church, is it all right if I stop by to see you today?" Wouldn't it be just as natural to ask, "This is Bruce, from the church; Pastor Jim asked me to give you a call; is it OK for me to stop by today?"

At the end of the visit, the minister would say, "Thanks for letting me come by. I'll be sure to relay your prayer requests on to the pastor so he can pray for you too." Or, "The pastor will be glad to hear of your progress."

While on the visit, the person may express a desire to see the pastor. If this happens, why not assist them in making the appointment right on the spot. "I'm sure Pastor Jim would love to see you, let's call him and make an appointment right now." In the Be Church, the pastor doesn't involve others in ministry to get out of work, he involves them so members can grow in Christ. Most pastors of Be Churches are happy to minister themselves when the situation demands their personal attention.

Ministers Communicate, Communicate, Communicate

The biggest downfall in a decentralized ministry plan is the tendency of ministers not to communicate as effectively as they should. It is the role of the minister to make sure the church office and the pastor are aware of their ministry activities. During the Christmas season, our office received several phone calls from people wanting Christmas baskets for their family. The staff hadn't initiated the ministry and hadn't heard of anyone else in the church that was planning to do it, so we told the people we couldn't help them. One of the Sunday School classes heard about the need and decided to prepare Christmas baskets as a mission project. Luckily, we could call the people back and arrange to deliver the Christmas baskets to them, but there was much confusion that better communication could have solved.

There can never be enough communication. I'd rather hear from twenty people that someone is in the hospital, than for no one to tell me. Ministers are responsible for communicating their plans, their needs and the results of their ministry.

Ministers Love.

One requirement for a class I teach at Trinity Southwest, How to Develop a Philosophy of Ministry, is for students to give an oral presentation of their philosophy of ministry. Recently, during his presentation, one student commented that he wanted to help his congregation integrate the Bible into their daily life--a worthy goal.

He said, "I don't remember anything my Sunday School teachers taught me when I was a youth, and I want to do a better job teaching than my teachers did." At first, his comment made me a bit defensive, but then I started thinking about it and decided he was right. I don't specifically remember anything my teachers taught me either.

About the time I was ready to agree fully, one of his classmates spoke up. "I agree with you," he said. "I can't remember any specific thing my teachers taught me either, but I do remember how much they cared for me. That's made a difference in my life."

As a volunteer minister, you will never get a pay check, and few people will thank you for your efforts. Your only reward on earth is the love God gives you to express to others. The student taught the professor that day. Not only is love required to do our work, it is our reward (Philip. 4:1).

It is important that you minister according to your gifts, represent your church and the pastor and communicate with the church office, but these efforts are worthless if you do not love. "And now abideth faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love." (1 Cor. 13:13 Author's translation) 

Ordering Information