A gracEmail subscriber asks whether I think church "boards" should include only elders and deacons, or also chairpersons and ministry leaders. Elders and deacons only, in his church, would mean an all-male board. He prefers that because he believes it "God's will that men should run the church," and because he thinks "men are more capable of making the decisions without getting too cluttered with our emotions." * * * I suspect that Jesus and his apostles would be far more concerned about our notions of "running" things than with the gender of those who do it (Mk. 10:42-45; 1 Pet. 5:1-4). The … [Read more...]
Archives for 2012
PREACHERS AND PATTERNS
A gracEmailsubscriber in Australia writes: "There's a movement afoot (house churches are part of it) that claims that preaching and teaching to Christians in a congregation is to be done by the elders, and that any paid full-time evangelist ought to be evangelizing the lost. These folk say the idea of a located pulpit minister was a second century invention of men." [Today's questioner serves within the Churches of Christ, one part of a larger movement to achieve Christian unity through a "restoration" of "the New Testament church.] * * * If we view Timothy and Titus as models for a paid … [Read more...]
QUESTIONING HIS MINISTRY
A preaching brother says that he "entered the ministry" a few years after his conversion at the prompting of his own spiritual leader and other Christians. Years later, he "left the ministry," exhausted and feeling himself to be an unworthy sinner. "Did I correctly hear God's call originally?" he asks. "Did I do wrong by leaving?" * * * Before speculating whether you did the right thing by going into career ministry, or by leaving it, I would want to explore some other related questions. Did you enter ministry merely because others thought you should, or because you felt at your deepest … [Read more...]
FINDING ONE’S MINISTRY
A gracEmail reader says: "I understand that every Christian has some kind of ministry. How can I discern what mine is supposed to be? I want to make sure I am listening to God, and not just to my own desires." * * * That is a wise question and a holy ambition. God does not expect you or me to do everything that needs to be done. He has many people through whom to work, and he uses each one as he sees fit (Rom. 12:4-8). But God has prepared good works for each one of us, even before we came to know him as our Savior and Lord (Eph. 2:10). As a general rule, we can recognize a divinely-given … [Read more...]
MINISTRY IS MORE THAN CAREER
A gracEmail reader is considering leaving church ministry as a career but he feels paralyzed by the fear of making a wrong choice. Some friends are pressuring him to remain as he is. Would it be right for him to take some time away from work to seek God's guidance and settle his mind concerning it? * * * God invites us to seek his guidance and he promises to direct our path as we trust and obey (Psalm 37:3-7; Prov. 3:5-6; Isa. 30:19-21; John 10:3-4, 27-28; Rom. 12:1-2; Heb. 13:20-21). I have done that myself more than once when facing decisions -- sometimes with fasting, always with prayer … [Read more...]
PAID MINISTERS
A correspondent inquires: "I am curious as to your opinion of the 'paid minister.' As you are aware, many argue against church buildings and paid ministers. As a paid minister this idea naturally is a bit disturbing to me. However, I wish to do what pleases God." * * * The New Testament scriptures do not portray institutionalized, corporate-style churches with budgets, buildings and paid staff. One certainly cannot find there an exact equivalent to the modern "paid minister" who works as an employee for a local church. That is not the end of this subject, however, for the New Testament … [Read more...]
CONSUMER CHRISTIANITY
The modern generation, we are told, looks at church through consumer eyes. They are spiritual shoppers, going from one congregation to another, inspecting the "merchandise" for quality, comparing elements of convenience, service and cost. Churches that wish to grow (or even to survive) are expected to be customer-oriented, ever-happy providers dispensing whatever satisfies the public and makes the shoppers content. It is certainly biblical and desirable to care about people and to serve others joyfully in the name of Christ. It is also wise to try to learn the language of those with whom we … [Read more...]
GROWING A CHURCH
A gracEmail reader in central Texas writes: "Our congregation is not growing. Some believe it is because we do not know how to grow a church. We need help. Can you suggest some guidelines that might help us get started?" * * * It is good for us to think about the growth of God's kingdom and of his church, and to pray and work accordingly. We must fill our minds with Scripture principles, however, lest we be distracted by worldly models of success (Rom. 12:1-2; Col. 3:1-3). The Bible emphasizes the spiritual growth of God's men and women, individually and collectively, not the numerical … [Read more...]
SECULAR USE OF CHURCH BUILDING
A brother in Kansas asks, "Do you think that Christians should always do spiritual things when they gather together? In other words, should we avoid doing secular activities in the church building with our fellow church members?" * * * One difference between the Old Testament and the New Testament is that the former divided everything into distinct categories of "holy" and "common" (or secular). That was true of people and places, of clothing and utensils, and also of all the assorted furniture, fixtures, appliances, equipment and supplies used in sacred rituals. However, since God came … [Read more...]
THE EKKLESIA IS PEOPLE
A gracEmail subscriber asks whether the New Testament restricts the the use of church funds to particular specified activities, making it sinful for a local church to support good works other than those specified. * * * No it does not. The Greek word ekklesia, represented by the word "church" in standard English Bibles, appears 115 times in the New Testament, and it literally means a group or assembly of people (though not always physically gathered in one place). Most New Testament references to an ekklesia designate a group with spiritual purposes, but three times the word refers to a … [Read more...]
