Leadership Thoughts: How Would Your Church Be Different If You Were the Minister?

Dear Friends,

I heard about a woman who was visiting church one Sunday. The sermon seemed to go on forever, and many in the congregation fell asleep. She liked to meet new people, so after the service she walked up to a very sleepy looking gentleman, extended her hand in greeting, and said, “Hello, I'm Gladys Dunn.” To which the man replied, you’re not the only one ma'am, I'm glad he's done too!”

When you and I walk out of the service on Sunday morning our service is not done. In fact, our service has only just begun as we walk through those doors.

We are fond of reminding people at our church that every member is a minister, and every saint is a servant. You and I are called to serve, to be contributors not just consumers. Your job is the same as mine: we are called to connect with people and share Christ’s love in word and deed.

We often distinguish between clergy and laity, but in the early church there was no such distinguishing difference. In the Book of Acts, the story of the early church, everyone saw themselves as ministers. It was during the Dark Ages that the difference between clergy and laity crept in.

One of the rallying cries of the Reformation was that every member of the Body of Christ is a minister. Peter wonderfully describes our role as believers when he writes, “But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.” (1 Peter 2:9)

How many ministers do we have at our church? We have around 250 ministers and 3 equippers. We are all in this together.

As pastors we are called to “equip the saints for the work of ministry” (Ephesians 4:12). The word equip is the same word used to described what James and John were doing when they were preparing their nets in Matthew 4:21. They regularly repaired their nets, in order to make them effectively useable. Their nets were being prepared for future service; not just stored away to be forgotten.

Every member in the family of God is a minister and every servant is called to serve. Every Sunday service should be a meeting of the Ministerial Association.

What would your church look like if every member served the way you serve? How would your church be different if everyone was eagerly seeking to be equipped for ministry and was looking for opportunities to serve?

Servants serve, members minister, and when this happens the church becomes the New Testament Church with a sanctuary filled with sold out servants looking and longing for ways to fulfill their calling as His ministers.

Yours in faith and friendship,

Tom