MBS 108 - Ministry

PRACTICAL MINISTRY BASICS

Few occupations in life carry a list of responsibilities as diverse and important as ministry.

The first of these duties we will look at are those that the Bible dictates, for they are most important, for the purpose of this course we will refer to them as ecclesiastical duties. The word ecclesiastical means that they have to do with the church.

Homiletics or preaching is one of if not the most often performed and most important functions of the minister. Scripture teaches us that faith comes by hearing (Romans 10:17) and that it is the ministers duty to proclaim the message of the gospel so that the world may hear it (Romans 10:14). Believing the Gospel of Christ and confessing faith in him as savior and lord is the only way to to salvation, this biblical truth should serve as a profound reminder of the importance of preaching. With the understanding of the importance of preaching in mind let's take a look at some important factors involved in this this act of ministry.

Ministers are ambassadors of God (Ephesians 6:20), hence we should strive to represent Him appropriately. Although simple etiquette matters apply here, such as dressing appropriately, being polite, etc. there are other points that are vastly more important. First and foremost we must be certain that we are delivering the message properly, therefore we must first make sure that we have a thorough understanding of and commitment to study of the Bible. The minister will also understand that communicating God's word accurately cannot be achieved without sufficient time spent in prayer. Prayer is where the Holy Spirit illuminates the scriptures in our hearts and minds, and gives us current relevant direction whereby we can achieve the Church's primary goal which is making disciples.

Although prayer and an understanding of the scripture are absolute necessities of preaching, there are other things that a minister who seeks to be effective should keep in mind. The effective minister will understand the importance of knowing the audience they are addressing. It would be of little use, for example, to attempt to deliver a theological discourse on the Deity of Christ using a college level vocabulary in a room full of ten year old children. Knowing the message and knowing the audience will set a minister on the right path to making the most of their opportunity to share what God has given them. Effective ministers will also keep in mind that the human attention span is limited and therefore a message should be a length that does not "lose" the people. Messages with large amounts of content will most likely be best delivered as a series of shorter messages. Which will give the people a chance to process the information and apply it in their own lives.

There are several different types of preaching. Each of these types has its own it's own advantages and disadvantages, and all types of preaching are not always appropriate in every situation. One example of this funeral, while a sermon is certainly a part of the Christian funeral an impromptu sermon with little or no preparation would most like likely not be as effective as a sermon that is prepared with more detailed notes.

Every effective minister should have at least a basic idea of how to prepare notes. Notes will help a minister too focus on their audience as well as to know if the are a on target both before and during their message.

Figure 1.1 (Basic outline for notes)

Topic/Title:

Scripture References:

Introduction:

Body:

Conclusion:

Another of the ecclesiastical duties of the minister is the administration of the sacraments. Most Christian denominations recognize two sacraments, Holy Communion (also called The Lord's Supper) and Baptism. Some but not all denominations also list marriage as a sacrament. Holy communion is a sacrament symbolic of price Christ paid for the salvation of man. This sacrament was instituted by Jesus, while celebrating passover with his disciples just prior to his Crucifixion (Matthew 26:26). It consists of members of the congregation partaking of a piece of unleavened bread, and a drink of the fruit of the vine (often grape juice, sometimes wine depending on the denomination). The bread is symbolic of the sinless body of Jesus Christ, and the fruit of the vine is symbolic of the shed Blood of Christ.

Baptism is the sacrament that is symbolic of death to the old sinful and carnal nature and newness of life in Christ. It is performed in two main manners depending on the denomination. One method is by sprinkling or pouring water over the head of the person being baptised. Some denominations that use this form of baptism state that baptism is a symbol of the baptism of the Holy Spirit and of the covenant of grace. Many denominations that practice baptism in this manner believe in infant baptism, which is often done during baby dedications or christening services, in which the parent or parents of the child publicly commit to raise their children in a Christian home. The second manner in which baptism is performed is by immersion in this manner of baptism the candidate and the minister step out into a body of water deep enough that the candidate can be totally immersed in the water the lifted back up. Most churches that practice baptism in this manner teach that baptism is symbolic of death to sin and new life in Christ, and do not practice infant baptism.

Other ecclesiastical duties not related to the sacraments are baby dedications, blessing of homes, installation of church officers, building dedications, funerals, and ordinations.

The minister basically has one civil duty pertaining to the church, and performing this duty is almost always a tremendous joy. Performing a marriage ceremony for a man and a woman is classified as a civil duty because a minister is acting in capacity as a representative of the state as well as a representative of God. This is because a marriage although a divine institution is also a civil contract governed by the law of the land. A minister should be aware of the laws regarding marriage in the area in which they reside, and follow them.

Counseling duties are also a big part of being a minister. A minister may be formally trained for counseling people and be licenced by their government to do so, this is however not necessarily a requirement to offer what is known as biblical or pastoral counseling. Biblical counseling is simply helping a person to understand and apply what the Bible says about specific situations. Ministers should not attempt to go beyond biblical counseling unless properly trained and licenced to so so, this is because attempting to counsel a person psychologically can cause more harm than good if not done properly. Doing so could also open the minister up to civil or criminal liability. Ministers who find that biblical counseling is not sufficient, and are not trained and licenced therapists should offer referrals to people properly trained to help, along with all the Christian love ans support they can give.

WOMEN IN THE MINISTRY

There is perhaps no more debated issue in the church today than the issue of women serving as pastors / preachers in ministry. As a result, it is very important to not view this issue as men versus women. There are women who believe that women should not serve as pastors and that the Bible places restrictions on the ministry of women, and there are men who believe women can serve as preachers and that there are no restrictions on women in ministry. This is not an issue of chauvinism or discrimination. It is an issue of biblical interpretation.

1 Timothy 2:11-12 proclaims, “A woman should learn in quietness and full submission. I do not permit a woman to teach or to have authority over a man; she must be silent.” In the church, God assigns different roles to men and women. This is a result of the way mankind was created and the way in which sin entered the world (2 Timothy 2:13-14). God, through the Apostle Paul’s writing, restricts women from serving in roles of teaching and/or spiritual authority over men. This precludes women from serving as pastors, which definitely includes preaching to, teaching, and having spiritual authority over men.

There are many "objections" to this view of women in ministry / women pastors. A common one is that Paul restricts women from teaching because in the first century, women were typically uneducated. However, 1 Timothy 2:11-14 nowhere mentions educational status. If education was a qualification for ministry, the majority of Jesus' disciples would not have been qualified. A second common objection is that Paul only restricted the women of Ephesus from teaching (1 Timothy was written to Timothy, who was the pastor of the church in Ephesus). The city of Ephesus was known for its temple to Artemis, a false Greek / Roman goddess. Women were the authority in the worship of Artemis. However, the book of 1 Timothy nowhere mentions Artemis, nor does Paul mention Artemis worship as a reason for the restrictions in 1 Timothy 2:11-12.

A third common objection is that Paul is only referring to husbands and wives, not men and women in general. The Greek words in the passage could refer to husbands and wives. However, the basic meaning of the words refers to men and women. Further, the same Greek words are used in verses 8-10. Are only husbands to lift up holy hands in prayer without anger and disputing (verse 8)? Are only wives to dress modestly, have good deeds, and worship God (verses 9-10)? Of course not. Verses 8-10 clearly refer to all men and women, not only husbands and wives. There is nothing in the context that would indicate a switch to husbands and wives in verses 11-14.

Yet another frequent objection to this interpretation of women pastors / preachers is in relation to women who held positions of leadership in the Bible, specifically Miriam, Deborah, Huldah in the Old Testament and Priscilla, Phoebe in the New Testament. This objection fails to note some significant factors. In relation to Deborah, she was the only female judge amongst 13 male judges. In relation to Huldah, she was the only female prophet among dozens of male prophets mentioned in the Bible. Miriam's only connection to leadership was due to her being the sister of Moses and Aaron. The two most prominent women in the times of the Kings were Athaliah and Jezebel - hardly examples of godly female leadership. Most significantly, though, the authority of women in the Old Testament is not relevant to the issue. The Book of 1 Timothy and the other Pastoral Epistles presents a new paradigm for the Church, the body of Christ, and that paradigm involves the authority structure for the Church, not for the nation of Israel or any other Old Testament entity.

In the Book of Acts, chapter 18, Priscilla and Aquila are presented as faithful ministers for Christ. Priscilla's name is mentioned first, likely indicating that she was more "prominent" in ministry than her husband. However, Priscilla is nowhere described as participating in a ministry activity that is in contradiction to 1 Timothy 2:11-14. Priscilla and Aquila brought Apollos into their home and they both discipled him, explaining the Word of God to him more accurately (Acts 18:26).

In Romans 16:1, even if Phoebe is considered a "deaconess" instead of a "servant," that does not indicate that Phoebe was a teacher in the church. "Able to teach" is given as a qualification for elders, but not deacons (1 Timothy 3:1-13; Titus 1:6-9). Elders / bishops / deacons are described as the "husband of one wife," "a man whose children believe," and "men worthy of respect." Clearly the indication is that these qualifications refer to men. In addition, in 1 Timothy 3:1-13 and Titus 1:6-9, masculine pronouns are used exclusively to refer to elders / bishops / deacons.

The structure of 1 Timothy 2:11-14 makes the "reason" perfectly clear. Verse 13 begins with "for" and gives the "cause" of what Paul stated in verses 11-12. Why should women not teach or have authority over men? Because "Adam was created first, then Eve. And Adam was not the one deceived; it was the woman who was deceived." That is the reason. God created Adam first and then created Eve to be a "helper" for Adam. This order of Creation has universal application in the family (Ephesians 5:22-33) and the church. The fact that Eve was deceived is also given as a reason for women not serving as pastors or having spiritual authority over men. This leads some to believe that women should not teach because they are more easily deceived. That concept is debatable, but if women are more easily deceived, why should they be allowed to teach children (who are easily deceived) and other women (who are supposedly more easily deceived)? That is not what the text says. Women are not to teach men or have spiritual authority over men because Eve was deceived. As a result, God has given men the primary teaching authority in the church.

Women excel in gifts of hospitality, mercy, teaching and helps. Much of the ministry of the church depends on women. Women in the church are not restricted to public praying or prophesying (1 Corinthians 11:5), only to having spiritual teaching authority over men. The Bible nowhere restricts women from exercising the gifts of the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 12). Women, just as much as men, are called to minister to others, to demonstrate the fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23), and to proclaim the Gospel to the lost (Matthew 28:18-20; Acts 1:8; 1 Peter 3:15).

God has ordained that only men are to serve in positions of spiritual teaching authority in the church. This is not because men are necessarily better teachers, or because women are inferior or less intelligent (which is not the case). It is simply the way God designed the church to function. Men are to set the example in spiritual leadership—in their lives and through their words. Women are to take a less authoritative role. Women are encouraged to teach other women (Titus 2:3-5). The Bible also does not restrict women from teaching children. The only activity women are restricted from is teaching men or having spiritual authority over them. This logically would include women serving as pastors / preachers. This does not make women less important, by any means, but rather gives them a ministry focus more in agreement with how God has gifted them.

Scripture is not completely clear whether a woman can serve as a deacon or not. The statement that deacons are to be “men worthy of respect” (1 Timothy 3:8 NIV) and the qualification “the husband of but one wife” (1 Timothy 3:12) would seem to disqualify women from serving as deacons. However, some interpret 1 Timothy 3:11 as referring to women deacons because the Greek word translated “wives” can also be translated “women.” Paul likely here refers not to deacons’ wives, but to the women who serve as deacons. The use of the word “likewise” as an introduction in verse 8 suggests a third group of leaders in addition to elders and deacons. Also, Paul gave no requirements for elders’ wives when outlining the qualifications for eldership. Why would he then list qualifications for deacons’ wives? If it were important for the wives of leaders to behave in a certain way, it is logical to assume he would be more—or at least equally—concerned for the elders’ wives since elders are in a more prominent position in the church. But he makes no such demands on elders’ wives.

Romans 16:1 refers to Phoebe with the same word Paul uses in 1 Timothy 3:12. It is unclear, though, whether Paul is saying Phoebe is a deacon or whether he is just saying she is a servant. In the early church, women servants cared for sick believers, the poor, strangers, and those in prison. They instructed women and children (Titus 2:3-5). Phoebe may not have had the official designation of “deacon” but Paul thought enough of her to entrust her with the tremendous responsibility of delivering the epistle to the Romans to the church in Rome (Romans 16:1-2). Clearly he saw her not as inferior or less capable, but as a trusted and valued member of the body of Christ.

Scripture does not give much support to the idea of women serving as deacons, but it does not necessarily disqualify them either. Some churches have instituted the office of deaconess, but most differentiate it from the office of deacon. If a church does institute the position of deaconess, the church leadership should ensure that the deaconess is in submission to the restrictions Paul places on the ministry of women in other passages (such as 1 Timothy 2:11-12), just as all leadership is to be in submission to the church authority structure and ultimately to our supreme authority, Christ Jesus.

Of course, the other view that one can take is that the instructions set out in the Bible with regards to women in the ministry are simply set in a culturally different time and they have no bearing on the culture of today. In the time of the New Testament authors, women were given a less respectable role in society, and therefore were not considered as "good" as men were. So as far as the literal interpretation of the Bible is concerned, women are not allowed to minister over men. But as far as modern society is concerned, in most cultures women are, or should be, as respected as men and should be given the same opportunity to minister as a man would. Just as Jesus abolished the food laws of Judaism, it can also be understood that he had abolished the rules concerning the roles of men and women. The golden rule is to "do unto others as you would have them do unto you." No where in this rule does it state that one gender is any better than another.

FIVE FOLD MINISTRY

The concept of the five-fold ministry comes from Ephesians 4:11, "It was he who gave some to be (1) apostles, some to be (2) prophets, some to be (3) evangelists, and some to be (4) pastors and (5) teachers." Primarily as a result of this verse, some believe God has restored, or is restoring, the offices of apostle and prophet in the church today. Ephesians 4:12-13 tells us that the purpose of the five-fold ministry is, "to prepare God's people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ." So, since the body of Christ definitely is not built up to unity in the faith and has not attained to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ, the thinking goes, the offices of apostle and prophet must still be in effect.

However, Ephesians 2:20 informs us that the church is "built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus Himself as the chief cornerstone." If the apostles and prophets were the foundation of the church, are we still building the foundation? Hebrews 6:1-3 encourages us to move on from the foundation. Although Jesus Christ is most definitely active in the church today, His role as the cornerstone of the church was completed with His death, burial, resurrection, and ascension. If the work of the cornerstone is, in that sense, complete, so must the work of the apostles and prophets, who were the foundation, be complete.

What was the role of the apostles and prophets? It was to proclaim God's revelation, to teach the new truth the church would need to grow and thrive. The apostles and prophets completed this mission. How? By giving us the Word of God. The Word of God is the completed revelation of God. The Bible contains everything the church needs to know to grow, thrive, and fulfill God's mission (2 Timothy 3:15-16). The cornerstone work of the apostles and prophets is complete. The ongoing work of the apostles and prophets is manifested in the Holy Spirit speaking through and teaching us God's Word. In that sense, the five-fold ministry is still active.

The movement to restore the offices of apostle and prophet bases the claim that apostles and prophets are to be a part of the church on Ephesians 4:11-12. These verses say, "And He gave some as apostles, and some as prophets, and some as evangelists, and some as pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of service, to the building up of the body of Christ."

During the first century of the church, there was an office of apostle and there was a spiritual gift of apostle. The office or position of apostle was held by the 12 disciples of Jesus plus Matthias, who took Judas’ place, and Paul. Those who held the office or position of apostle were chosen specifically by Christ (Mark 3:16-19). The replacement for Judas is seen in Acts 1:20-26. Note in this passage that Judas' position was called an office. It should also be noted that Paul was chosen by Christ (1 Corinthians 15:8-9; Galatians 1:1; 2:6-9). These men were given the task of setting up the foundation of the church. It should be understood that it was for the universal church that these men were a part of the foundation (Ephesians 2:20). The foundation of the church (universal church) was laid in the first century. This is why the office of apostle is no longer functioning.

There was also a spiritual gift of apostle (this is not to be confused with the office—they are separate). Among those who had the spiritual gift were James (1 Corinthians 15:7; Galatians 1:19), Barnabas (Acts 14:4, 14; 1 Corinthians 9:6), Andronicus and Junias (Romans 16:7), possibly Silas and Timothy (1 Thessalonians 1:1; 2:7), and Apollos (1 Corinthians 4:6, 9). This latter group had the gift of apostleship but not the apostolic "office" conferred upon the Twelve and Paul. Those who had the gift of apostle, then, were those who carried the gospel message with God’s authority. The word "apostle" means "one sent as an authoritative delegate." This was true of those who held the office of Apostle (like Paul) and those who had the spiritual gift (like Apollos). Though there are men like this today, men who are sent by God to spread the gospel, it is best NOT to refer to them as apostles because of the confusion this causes since many are not aware of the two different uses of the term apostle.

The gift of prophet was a temporary gift given by the Christ for the laying of the foundation of the universal church. Prophets also were foundational to the universal church (Ephesians 2:20). The prophet proclaimed a message from the Lord for the believers of the first century. These believers did not have the advantage we have of having a complete Bible. The last book of the New Testament (Revelation) was not completed until late in the first century. So the Lord provided gifted men called prophets who proclaimed messages from God to the people until the canon of Scripture was complete.

It should be noted that the current teaching of the restoration of prophet and the office of apostle is far from what Scripture describes of the men who held the gift of prophet and the office of apostle. Those who teach the restoration of the office teach that the men who claim to be apostles and prophets should never be spoken against, should never be questioned, because the person who speaks against them is speaking against God. Yet, the Apostle Paul commended the people of Berea for checking what he said against the Word of God to make sure he spoke the truth (Acts 17:10-11). The Apostle Paul also stated to those in Galatia that if anyone, including himself, should teach another Gospel, that person should be "accursed" (Galatians 1:8-9). In everything, Paul kept pointing people to the Bible as the final authority. The men who claim to be apostles and prophets today make themselves the final authority, something Paul and the Twelve never did.

It should also be noted that Scripture refers to these men in the past tense. 2 Peter 3:2 and also Jude 3-4, state that the people should not stray from the message the apostles gave (past tense). Hebrews 2:3-4 also speaks in the past tense of the those who performed (in the past) signs, wonders, miracles, and gifts of the Holy Spirit.

Are there true prophets today? If the purpose of a prophet was to reveal truth from God, why would we need prophets if we have the completed revelation from God in the Bible? If prophets were the “foundation” of the early church, are we still building the “foundation” today? Can God give someone a message to deliver to someone else? Absolutely! Does God reveal truth to someone in a supernatural way and enable that person to deliver that message to others? Absolutely! But is this the biblical gift of prophecy? No.

Whatever the case, whenever a person claims to be speaking for God (the essence of prophecy) the key is to compare what is said with what the Bible says. If God were to speak through a person today, it would be in 100% complete agreement with what God has already said in the Bible. God does not contradict Himself. 1 John 4:1 instructs us, “Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world.” 1 Thessalonians 5:20-21 declares, “Do not treat prophecies with contempt. Test everything. Hold on to the good.” So, whether is it a “word from the Lord” or a supposed prophecy, our response should be the same. Compare what is said to what the Word of God says. If it contradicts the Bible, throw it out. If it agrees with the Bible, pray for wisdom and discernment as to how to apply the message (2 Timothy 3:16-17; James 1:5).