INTRODUCTION
As a minister, it is our challenge to lead people to worship God.
“But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him. God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth” (John 4:23, 24).
“O come, let us worship and bow down: let us kneel before the LORD our maker” (Psalm 95:6).
“O worship the LORD in the beauty of holiness: fear before him, all the earth” (Psalm 96:9).
“Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name. For the LORD is good; his mercy is everlasting; and his truth endureth to all generations” (Psalm 100:4, 5).
A minister is a leader and shepherd. Although he/she leads the people, the minister is still accountable to them. Therefore, we must minister and serve even as Christ ministered and served.
“But it shall not be so among you: but whosoever will be great among you, let him be your minister; And whosoever will be chief among you, let him be your servant: Even as the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many” (Matthew 20:26-28).
“Bear ye one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ” (Galatians 6:2).
“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised, To preach the acceptable year of the Lord” (Luke 4:18, 19).
A minister should be compassionate, encouraging, tender, and patient with people. We are to share with them the promises of God. Pastoral ministry requires that we empathize with people and minister to their needs. Visiting with people in various situations and building a trusting relationship are always necessary. Relationships are everything in the ministry because the ministry is people business.
The work of the church is all about evangelism, pastoral care, and discipleship. Winning people to God involves more than leading them in repentance. It must also involve discipleship and care. A minister preaches the Word of God to hungry people who need what only God can give.
“I charge thee therefore before God, and the Lord Jesus Christ, who shall judge the quick and the dead at his appearing and his kingdom; Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine” (2 Timothy 4:1, 2).
1) BUILDING CONGREGATIONAL RELATIONSHIPS
Christianity is relational. Fellowship with God and man is of paramount importance. There is a great deal of isolation, alienation, and loneliness in the world today. Many people are living with avoidant personalities and placing emphasis on things, not people.
Dynamic congregational relationships are built upon a Scriptural foundation. There are three (3) key ingredients which form an atmosphere uniquely different from that of the world. These ingredients are love, acceptance, and communication.
A) Love
In modern usage, the word love can range from the spiritual to the illicit. Love is often defined as a feeling or emotion. Real love is a decision, an action, with emphasis upon commitment and behavior. Being close to people is a pleasure, a wonderful experience.
If there is anything that should characterize the family of God, it is unconditional love — the kind of love our Heavenly Father extends our way. The fact that God loves us unconditionally does not mean He excuses our wrong doing. While He calls us to walk in holiness, He does not stop loving us when we stumble or fall.
Sometimes we have difficulty loving certain people within our church fellowship. The following are some categories or descriptions that might fit people who are difficult to love unconditionally:
- People whose needs seem never-ending. Some people seem to need more from us than just going the second mile. They require a twenty-six mile marathon. We might grow very impatient with these people.
- People we do a lot for, but who do not seem to be very appreciative. With these people we get tempted to say, “Before I extend you any more kindness, you are going to have to earn it.”
- Individuals we sense that are out to get us. We find this kind of treatment hard to swallow when we feel that we do not deserve such treatment.
- People we do not feel we can trust. There are many reasons that can cause us to feel that we cannot trust a person. We probably expect them to earn our trust.
- People who have shut us out of their world. Maybe it is the way we act, talk, or look that causes some people to push away from us. They are nice at times, but it is clear they do not want us close to them. It may take us a while to catch on to what is going on, but when we do figure it out, our unchristian response is, “Forget you pal, I’ll just exclude you from my world too.”
What a difference there would be if the church were comprised of men and women who extended love the way Christ does. Far too many people in the church withhold Christ-like love from others. Sometimes their reasons are trivial. This practice results in real pain to those who are excluded. This should not be normal for the family of God.
As spiritual sons and daughters, we are to imitate the love of the Father and Jesus Christ. To the degree that we fail to follow God’s pattern of love, we see the church family become equally dysfunctional.
B) Acceptance
Accepting people are happy people. They are proactive not reactive. Thus, they are free to act rather than react. They tend to be mature and filled with the joy of the Lord. We must accept ourselves before we can accept others. In doing so, we must accept the truth that we all have flaws and we all make mistakes. Actually, imperfection is the one thing we all have in common.
Acceptance promotes feelings of security and well being. In order to be effective, we must also accept our circumstances. Difficulties can be the tools of God, so let us respond in faith to all circumstances.
C) Communication
Interpersonal communication is essential for interpersonal relations. These provide the context for social maturity and spiritual growth. Communication does not occur in isolation, and it does not have to be verbal. Communication is meaning exchange, not word exchange. As someone once remarked, “I am sure you believe you understand what you think I said, but I am not sure you realize that what you heard was not what I really meant.”
Many believe that changes in the fast-moving world of communication have left the church behind. Could it be that congregational fights, church splits, and the generally short tenure of ministerial staffs stem from something as basic as communication deficiencies? Not only could it be; it probably is in many of those unfortunate cases.
Churches are held together by communication, not structure. In the administrative process, communication is not merely one of the functions; it permeates all functions and links them together. It is communicate effectively or suffer the consequences! Organizing, planning, staffing, delegating, coordinating, and motivating are essential tasks. Can any of these tasks be carried out without effective communication?
Effective pastoral/administrative communication needs clear and communicable goals, adequate resources, motivated people, and skills. There are several important guidelines to follow.
- Communicate objectives repeatedly and clearly.
- Protect the emotional tone of communication.
- Identify clear channels for communication.
- Recognize different levels of communication.
- Teach people to communicate.
- Evaluate yourself as a communicator.
- Get feedback on your communication.
- Remember solicited feedback will be better than that which is unsolicited.
- Feedback needs to be checked and rechecked to ensure its validity.
- Seek to clarify your ideas before communicating.
- Examine the true purpose of each communication.
- Consult with others, where appropriate, in planning communication.
- Follow up your communication.
- Communicate for tomorrow as well as today.
- Seek first to understand and then to be understood.
Good communication is essential for a minister to be effective in his/her role and relationships. Learning to listen and improving skills as a listener and communicator is vital. One important role of all ministers is conflict management. In each conflict or stressful problem situation or relationship, we possess the potential for constructive or destructive management. We must be careful at all times to build relationships with others and overcome conflicts without sacrificing clear, Biblical convictions.
2) ADMINISTRATION OF THE CHURCH
Successful church administration requires the involvement of the congregation in discovering and committing to the mission and purpose of the church. Effective organization and administration enables the church to utilize all her resources and personnel in fulfillment of the mission of making God’s love known to all people.
The local church must be both God-centered and people-oriented. First of all, we acknowledge God as our source and strength in all we do. Secondly, we recognize that ours is a ministry to people so that God’s love and grace may be known and experienced. A person-oriented approach emphasizes the importance of interpersonal relationship as a means of communicating the Gospel and caring for the needs of people.
A) The Administrative Process
Alvin J. Lindgren suggests the following five steps as being basic to the administrative process.
1) Recognizing the need
Identify some area of your church that is not measuring up to Christian standards and therefore needs attention.
2) Planning
Planning how the recognized need will be met requires securing every possible suggestion and recognizing every obstacle before determining any plan.
Keep in mind the following characteristics of the planning step:
- Begin with a clear statement of the problem.
- Base your planning on facts.
- Explore every possible approach to discover every conceivable solution, so that the best solution can be reached.
- Focus in on a clearly defined plan that large numbers of members will understand and recognize as their own.
3) Organizing
Organize the congregation to coordinate all activities in preparing to carry out the plan. The organizing step involves the what?, when?, who?, and follow through.
4) Stimulating and Implementing
The administrator’s personal relationship to the persons involved in the plan is a key factor in stimulating them to action. Communication must be clear and effective and the leader must be an understanding listener.
Stimulating for action requires that we:
- Secure all workers early and arrange adequate training for them.
- Make sure all workers clearly understand their responsibilities.
- Coordinate every stage of the plan.
- Keep everything moving on schedule.
- Keep the congregation informed.
5) Evaluating
The final step is evaluating the work. However, evaluation is a continuing process and should take place during each step of the process. Remember to involve as many people as possible in the evaluation process. Make good notes and file them for future reference.
Continual evaluation of all aspects of church life is one of the fundamental responsibilities of the administrator. Periods of evaluation provide important opportunities to help people understand the mission and the purpose of the church’s ministries.
B) Church Budgets
The financial ministry of the local church is enhanced through responsible handling of church records and financial reports. Godly stewardship requires an accurate accounting of finances. The preparation, adoption, and implementation of a church budget enable the finances of the church to be the ministry of the entire body.
1) Principles for Implementation
- The church budget should clearly reflect the mission and vision of the church.
- Every congregation should have an annual budget.
- Every member of the congregation should be given an opportunity to express his/her ideas and concerns when the budget is being adopted.
- When a budget is adopted it must become the vision and commitment of the congregation to accept responsibility to reach the budgeted income.
- The pastoral and lay leadership of the congregation must be accountable for all receipts and disbursements of church funds.
- Regular and detailed reports must be provided to the council members and to the church membership.
- A carefully developed stewardship program should be promoted and followed. Extreme caution should be followed in creating debt. Further, all clergy and lay leaders should be good role models in all aspects of stewardship.
2) Procedural Steps
- Evaluate and if necessary update your check writing and ledger accounts system.
- Consider using a computer system to manage all church accounts and data files.
- Develop a list of income budget items and expense items that covers all present activity and projected future activity.
- From your ledger records for last year (calendar or church year), do a complete analysis of your income and expenses. Another session in this seminar deals specifically with church administration and will give you detailed information on preparing a church budget.
- Share with the Church Council and the Finance Committee the summary of operations (income and expenses) you have completed based on last year’s activity.
- Make sure your present ledger system provides for the various accounts you are presently using. As you plan your budget for next year, you can add account funds as you need them.
- Go back through your present accounting system and complete a monthly summary for each month which has passed in this present year. This will enable you to prepare a year-to-date summary. For each month remaining in this year, prepare a monthly report and keep your year-to-date totals current.
- From the summaries (reports) you have now completed on this year, you can pull together a team of people to help you in preparing a projected budget for next year. Make sure your projected income is realistic. Keep your projected expenses in line with what you really need and can actually afford.
- In preparing a projected budget, you will need to seek the input of your staff, lay leaders, and ministry coordinators. Make them a part of the process as much as possible.
- Have your Church Council, clerk, and Finance Committee carefully review and approve the projected budget. The projected budget should then be presented to the congregation for their consideration and final approval. Always keep in mind the importance of keeping the contributors informed and a part of the budget process.
3) WORSHIP AND CHURCH MUSIC
Worship is “communication” and “relationship” with God. However, to communicate and have relationship with God, it is important for us to see the factors that bring this definition of worship into focus:
- Worship is Thanksgiving: It is to give thanks in glad response “to the holy, redemptive love of God made known through Jesus Christ.”
- Worship is offering: It is to offer one’s self to God in common worship with others who make up the body of Christ as, “We who are many, are one body in Christ.”
- Worship is edification:It is to edify God in the cultivation of discipleship, prayer, and forgiveness.
- Worship is service: It is to serve and become a living sacrifice engaged in the Christian life in the world.
- Worship is response:“In a word, worship is the response of the body of Christians to the revelation of God in Jesus Christ.”
– Dr. Paul L. Walker
The Ministry of Worship
Worship should be joyful and exciting, but it should not be an exercise in pride or a focus on human personalities. The pastor becomes the key to worship; he/she must recognize his/her role as more than a master of ceremonies or conductor of preliminaries; he/she must come into the sanctuary of God in a priestly role as one who has been in touch with God and is now ready to lead people in true worship of God.
The pastor is not the only one to be in prayerful preparation for worship, but we who are the people of God must come into the sanctuary of the Lord in a sincere and true spirit of worship. We must come with the heart and mind concentrating on God. We must come with the self reaching out for God, finding and adoring Him. We must come anticipating an experience in which each one is made aware of the presence of God, recognizing the intrinsic character of God, and pouring out our love to God. We must come seeing our undone condition, recognizing our unworthiness, and placing our trust and utter dependence upon the will, way, and Word of God. We must come in adoration of God, praising Him for what He is, and giving thanks for His works. This is “liturgy” — the work of the people of God.
Music in the church should be for the glory of God and serve as an act of praise. Music enhances our ability to enter into the very presence of God and to engage in sincere worship. Music helps to prepare our minds for response to God. Worship involves praise and adoration. It involves humiliation and purification. Music helps to create a proper mood and atmosphere for prayer and response. Worship also involves consecration and commitment.
In Pentecostal worship, emphasis has always been placed on freedom of expression so that individuals may be led by the Holy Spirit. Pentecostals believe that music and singing should be anointed by the power and unction of the Holy Spirit. Ephesians 5:19 admonishes us to sing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs while making melody in our hearts to the Lord.
4) CHURCH GROWTH
One of the first steps for pastors concerning church growth is to “BECOME THE CHANGE YOU WANT TO SEE IN THE CHURCH.”
Mother Teresa said, “Put yourself completely under the influence of Jesus, so that He may think His thoughts in your mind, do His work through your hands, for you will be all-powerful with Him to strengthen you.”
The challenge before us demands that we:
- refuse to waste time
- re-evaluate our opportunities
- find a cause that breaks our heart and then accept God’s challenge to change it
- dream the impossible dream
- define our mission clearly
- confront frustrations
- achieve our affirmations
- fall in love again with our call to ministry
- renew our focus on what really matters
- commit to lifelong development and personal spiritual growth
Every minister should pray, “Father, send revival and renewal to my soul and church. Invigorate, rejuvenate, and revitalize every phase of my ministry. Help me live by the reality that I can do nothing without You. Amen.”
Church growth calls for revival! Revival starts with a holy dissatisfaction on the part of the pastor and the congregation. Church growth will not come when we have lost our first love or when we have sin in our lives.
A church is never what God wants it to be when those who lead are living in sin. God’s holy standards apply to laity and clergy equally. Biblical standards of the holy life must be applied to all who lead the church in any way. Otherwise, the church becomes a sham, a pretense, and a travesty. Pastors must rid their churches of sin.
Because of worldliness and pride, some great old churches and some contemporary emerging congregations have become only an echo of what they ought to be. Some churches, because of pride, have become a holy club that admits only those who act and look a certain way. Worldliness can infect a church in many ways and destroy the anointing power and presence of the Holy Spirit.
True revival brings growth and restores an individual and a church to spiritual health. The only way we can live out the radical demands of Christianity is to experience revival. Revival will:
- restore spirituality
- activate extraordinary power
- manifest the miraculous power of God
- inspire faith and commitment
- result in church growth
Spiritual leadership requires that we learn to see the big picture and focus our efforts on the highest priorities.
- Be committed to developing lay leaders and excel in discipleship.
- Develop multiple services so we can grow far beyond the capacity of our facilities.
- Change the paradigm of our church from teaching to caring. Churches of the future will be caring places.
- Give every willing lay person in our church a quality opportunity for involvement in ministry.
- Train and develop lay ministers to provide leadership in most areas of ministry.
- Remember laity want to be involved in ministry more than anything else.
- Always depend on the Holy Spirit really knowing that nothing else can take His place. Real ministry is impossible when the Holy Spirit is grieved, quenched, or pushed aside.
Lasting church growth requires a Biblical leadership that concentrates on higher things. Dr. R. Lamar Vest said in his book Spiritual Balance — Reclaiming the Promise that if we are going to follow God’s higher plan we will put
- people above policies
- character above personality
- service above privilege
- priorities above fads
- principles above objectives
- quality above expediency
- spiritual reward above manipulation.
Church growth should include
- growth through evangelism
- reproducing through discipleship
- equipping believers through lay leadership training
- assimilating new members into the local church
- proclaiming God’s Word in relevant ways.
Chuck Swindoll said, “Churches tend to give greater attention to what they ‘were’ rather than what they are ‘becoming.’ It is easier to look back into yesterday’s accomplishments than it is to look ahead into the future and think about tomorrow’s possibilities.”
CONCLUSION
In Part I we have looked at specific responsibilities and specialized ministries that are part of the work of the local church. We have talked about building relationships, church administration, worship and music, and church growth.
In Part II we will look at evangelism, care and counseling, youth and Christian education, funerals, weddings, and sacraments.