EQUIPPING THE CHURCH FOR MINISTRY

“Christ Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ;…”  (Ephesians 4:11-13 NKJV)

The task of the ministry is, not to undertake some specialist activity from which the rest of the faithful are excluded, but to pioneer in doing that which the whole church must do.  And the ministry itself is no originator, but receives its task from Christ.  The ordained ministers only exercise the ministry which Christ Himself has first exercised, and which He continues to exercise through them, and through their activity in the whole church also.

 -- Anthony T. Hanson (1916-1991) in “The Pioneer Church” 

#6029

YOUR CHURCH NEEDS YOU – Part 1 of 3

“No one should seek their own good, but the good of others.”  (1 Corinthians 10:24 NIV)

Being a member of the church is a selfless act! The church does not merely exist for what you get out of it. It is your opportunity to invest in the lives of God’s people and to join God’s activity through His people. God knew that your church needed you. That’s why God added you to that body (see 1 Corinthians 12:18). Your involvement is part of the equipping of your church to carry out God’s purposes….

When I served as a pastor, one of the most important things I did was to help my people recognize when God was at work in our midst. At small or informal meetings, I often asked what the members had witnessed of God’s activity that week. University students would tell how God had opened opportunities to share their faith with fellow students. Business people told about God’s activity in the work place. Mothers would relate how God led them to establish a group of Christian mothers to pray for the schools. Seniors recounted how God led them to intercede for someone during the week. These informal times of sharing became wonderful opportunities to celebrate together God’s activity in our midst. 

-- Excerpted from “Experiencing God: Knowing and Doing the Will of God” by Henry and Richard Blackaby and Claude King

#5527

EQUIPPING THE LAITY

“Christ Himself granted that some are apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, until all of us come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to maturity, to the measure of the full stature of Christ.”  (Ephesians 4:11-13 NRSV)

The Church, rightly conceived, is the whole covenant people called to serve in the world.  The clergy are also part of the laity, and their true function is to help equip the laity to be the Servant People.  If they turn aside to rule and to secure their own status, they have betrayed the calling of the special ministry.

-- Franklin H. Littell

#5431