As a pastor for years, I knew the church’s purpose was to empower or equip the saints to do the work of the ministry. I knew that was the goal and tried to do that as a leader. I don’t know how successful I was because most of those who attended were doing that—attending.
Over the past couple of years, I haven’t been committed to any one local church. I needed a break after leading a local congregation for over 17 years, and I sensed God’s leading me to see things differently.
A few months back, the Holy Spirit began to ask me questions after I had attended a gathering. “What were the saints empowered to do in today’s gathering?”
As I pondered that question, I realized there were several things the saints were empowered to do each week. Here are the top things people were empowered to do.
- Give money. In almost every gathering I have attended, there was an emphasis on giving, tithing, or opportunities for special needs support. It was a priority whether the entire message was on giving, a separate offering sermon was prepared, or just an emphasis on giving money to that church. But people were certainly equipped and maybe even guilted into giving.
- Defend what they believe. A better way to say it would be to argue their particular viewpoint. Maybe this is where we got the term “Bible Thumper” from years ago. The speaker would empower the people with knowledge about what they believed was the right viewpoint, why other views were wrong, and how to stand up for what they believe.
- Attend church. Almost every church I’ve visited had a regular promotion to attend every service and event. It was essential to attend and support these events.
- Invite someone to church. People were encouraged to bring someone to church with them. The underlying theme was that the two-hour window on Sunday mornings was the most crucial hour of the week, and everyone needed to be in church.
- Read your Bible. There was a lot of emphasis on reading your Bible. I will add that it was implied that you read it through the lens of what that particular church believed and taught. Don’t just read the Bible for what it says; make sure you have on your denominational glasses when you read.
- Try harder. Do better. Do more. Be more disciplined. In almost all meetings, a measure of guilt was promoted, stating that God wouldn’t be pleased with us if we didn’t do more or try harder not to sin. Read your Bible more so you don’t sin. Be more disciplined. Have an accountability partner. Live a more Christ-like life by doing better to be a good person.
- Volunteer. Serve in the church, make coffee, set up tables, greet at the door, help in the parking lot, volunteer in the children’s ministry, or clean up after services. We need your help.
- Promote the church. Promote the pastor. Promote the event.
Interestingly, or sadly, most of these have to do with the specific church location. Give your money HERE. Invite people HERE. Serve HERE. Promote HERE.
Indeed, these are not necessarily all bad ideas, but are they what Jesus had in mind for His Ekklesia?
To equip the saints, to do the work of ministry, and to build up the body of the Messiah
Ephesians 4:12 ISV
The previous verse tells us that Jesus gave His Body the apostles, evangelists, prophets, shepherds, and teachers. His purpose for this is revealed in verse 12. The job of these roles is to equip the saints to do the work of ministry and build up the body of Christ.
It’s important to note that these were gifts from Jesus, not offices, job titles, or leadership positions. These are not the establishment of a hierarchical system within the body; they are spiritual gifts that individuals are given to edify the body as a whole.
Equipping the saints to do ministry
Most church groups have reduced the average church volunteer’s role to greeting, handing out bulletins, making coffee, assisting in the parking lot, providing security, etc. If you’re super special, you may be allowed a few moments in the spotlight and stand on stage.
It’s not that these roles may not be needed, but how does this build up the Body of Messiah? It may help that local congregation function more effectively and make a better presentation on a Sunday morning, but will it make a difference in the Body of Christ?
Again, I am not saying these things aren’t necessary, but is the local church fulfilling Jesus’s purpose by focusing inwardly? Is the local church reaching the community by equipping and sending out those in the Body into that community? How much territory is gained for His Kingdom?
I don’t see anywhere in the Book of Acts where they put up fliers to invite everyone to the next service. They equipped the Believers who went out in the community to spread the Gospel, heal the sick, raise the dead, and impact the world, and there was tremendous change.
The message was that the Messiah and the kingdom were here. The message wasn’t to come to church; we have great coffee.
It seems counterproductive, at least to religious leaders, to think you’re part of a much larger family than your local church. Local restaurants don’t encourage patrons to visit other restaurants across the street. We want them to be our regulars. But the church isn’t supposed to be a restaurant, and it needs to stop trying to function like a Chick-fil-A.
I have said for years that the purpose of the Body of Christ’s gatherings is to equip the saints to go out and do the real ministry. Real ministry does NOT happen inside the four walls of a church building. Jesus sent the disciples OUT to heal the sick and proclaim the kingdom, and His plan hasn’t changed. He didn’t tell them to bring them back to His tent so He could handle the situation.
I think we take the parable about compelling the people to come to a great feast and make it about coming to church.
And the lord said unto the servant, Go out into the highways and hedges, and compel them to come in, that my house may be filled.
Luke 14:23 KJV
I don’t believe Jesus’ main point of this parable was that we had a large attendance at the next church service. Churchianity makes the key point to bring them in, but I believe one of the main points is for us to go out.
Unfortunately, local church leaders mainly focus on building their congregations, raising their incomes, and building bigger programs and buildings. If they see more money, more people, and a building going up, they believe they are doing the work of God, and now they have something to brag about at the next ministerial meeting.
One of the biggest reasons there is little to no ministry among those who attend church is that they aren’t equipped to do so. Outside of being handed a tract or brochure, most churchgoers have no idea how to minister to the world because we have been taught that it is reserved for the highly educated and ordained clergy.
Everyone has probably known the eternal student. You know, the one that never gets a job or starts a business but keeps going to school?
My first experience with this person came in college when I met a guy in his late 20s who had been in college since graduating high school. He had changed his major numerous times but never earned a bachelor’s degree. When I met him, I thought he was a grad student, only to find out he was a junior in his latest major. Although he completed hundreds of credit hours and attended several different universities, he had never completed a degree. He had learned a lot about many different topics, but at that point in his life, he had done nothing with any of it. He just went to school.
That’s what most churches teach people to do. Go to church. Learn about God. Learn about what we say the Bible means. Attend a Bible study where we tell you what to think. Then come back next week and more of the same. Oh, and by the way, we need someone to volunteer to clean out the flower beds at the church.
The Bible tells us to be doers of the Word, not hearers only (and makers of coffee). Jesus made us all priests and kings, and we all have a ministry to do in the world.
That ministry won’t look like Sunday morning church services, and that’s the problem. Churchianity has made us think that ministry is what goes on behind the doors of a church on Sunday morning. We are told it is what happens when Pastor Puff-Up preaches, and worship leader Wild-Willy belts out the high notes. But that is not ministry—honestly, that is showmanship and performance.
Gatherings are supposed to be equipping sessions so that you and I can be equipped to minister throughout our lives, wherever we go. In other words, we need to be given the tools to accomplish Jesus’s purpose for us—not just invite someone to church so Pastor can get them saved or stick a tract on the back of a toilet seat.
For most of the years that I pastored, I worked a secular job in another city. My job was about an hour from where I lived and pastored, so there wasn’t much expectancy that I would get any new congregants from those I came in contact with.
But I met people—people with needs and questions. I never wore my title on my sleeve. I was just David, doing my job, whether in a church or outside. Strangely, most people were shocked to find out my other role would be called a pastor. They weren’t supposed to because I was ungodly in how I lived, but because I didn’t promote church attendance or come across as super-Christian. I promoted Jesus as I lived like Him.
For years, I complained that I lived and pastored in one town, but all of my ministry was an hour away. As a pastor, this frustrated me because I couldn’t get them to attend my church. I would love on these people, encourage them, build them up, help them, and lead them to know Jesus, but I didn’t get anyone to come to my church.
I think God has a sense of humor. He was teaching me that real ministry is not what happens on Sundays. Real ministry is what happens when everyone leaves the building.
That doesn’t make for a good argument for building campaigns, but it is the model Jesus uses.
Go into all the world, not come into all the churches
Yes, don’t forsake assembling, but don’t make it all about assembling, either.
Another thing I learned is that ministry doesn’t look the same for each person. God uses each person for their unique talent, skills, and personality. Ministry is not just telling someone about Jesus so they pray a prayer and don’t die and go to hell.
Your ministry purpose may be and look completely different from mine. Your calling may look nothing like church, and I hope it doesn’t. It may not look like an evangelist yelling at people on street corners or shoving a gospel tract into the handle of a gas pump, but if you are fulfilling God’s purpose for you, it is your ministry.
As a young man, I participated in an evangelism class offered by a church. I struggled with it because it tried to teach me to be a salesperson. I was selling Jesus. I had to convince you you needed what I had and then get you to sign on the dotted line.
The class taught us key questions, the answers to look for, and how to transition a person into choosing Jesus. It felt like a timeshare sale because if you don’t buy it today, I won’t be here tomorrow. Don’t let this opportunity pass you by because you may die tonight, and where will you spend eternity?
I felt like a failure. I learned the scripts, but the program wasn’t me. How could I be a good Christian without following this plan and winning people to Jesus?
Over the years, I have learned that I am not a pushy salesperson. Although I have done sales for my businesses and jobs at times, I am more of an assistive salesperson who shows the options and lets the person decide. As a believer, I want people to see Jesus through me and choose Him because of His demonstrated goodness.
You have a ministry to fulfill where you are. Churchianty has told us that ministry is church services, so people who sense that call to minister believe they have to teach or preach. They go to seminaries and Bible colleges or start their own churches so they can be the ones in charge. Ultimately, they are often still unfulfilled because they were never equipped to do the ministry God created them to do because they don’t know it even exists.
It takes more than a sermon
Equipping saints takes more than a church service or a sermon. It takes more than a spiritual gift survey that says you are perfect to greet people or make coffee. It takes more than being handed a pack of tracts and told to walk down the street and hand them out. It takes time and one-on-one interaction with others in the body. It takes time with God.
Unfortunately, time is not something a church service offers. They are strictly regulated to start and end on time. Some even have count-down clocks to keep everyone on schedule. Pastors and staff are often too busy doing the church’s business, so you’ll have to return next Sunday to hear the following message in the series.
Sadly, I believe the church system falls short on many fronts. Equipping the saints to do their ministry to edify and build up the entire church is seldom discussed.
Often, this is just because that is how we do church, so we don’t want to buck the system. Other times, it is because we don’t want any competition. If you’re equipped to go out, you may not come back, and our goal is to get you to come back.
It’s time to reform
It will not be a popular idea, but it is time to reform the churchianity system from working like a restaurant to functioning as an equipping station.
I don’t want to go to a doctor for an examination with 500 other people and have a mass diagnosis presented. That would be foolish, yet that is what happens week after week. Everyone is served the same meal, the same presentation, the same message, and told to swallow it whole and come back again next week.
While the Reformation addressed several church system problems, many remain.
Over the years, I have done a little home renovation or reformation. In thinking about that, I realized that sometimes something functional and good had to be removed along with the bad or broken to renew the area.
There are some good things in the churchianity system, but sometimes, even the good things may have to be removed to fulfill Jesus’ renewed purpose. While I love hearing good sermons and listening to great music, there is more that God wants His Body to accomplish that can’t be done with a good sermon or worship song alone.
It is time for the Body of Christ to move into a new wineskin. The rigidity of churchianity needs to be renewed so that every individual believer is equipped to function fully as God has designed and ordained them to do. Many will not embrace this reformation of form, but those who do will reap great empowerment to fulfill God’s purpose for their life.
