Philosophy of Ministry
The
Importance of a Philosophy of Ministry
We live in a world that has been bombarded with an
abundance of philosophies intended to guide our lives, and at times it can make
us feel as if we are living in the middle of a maze in which every road appears
to have an answer for finding our way out. It can be quite a confusing journey
for someone that is looking for something important to believe in and commit
his or her life to, so confusing at times that a person can easily feel like
they are being “tossed and blown about by every wind of new teaching”
(Ephesians 4:14).
It is for this very reason that the apostle Paul tells the church just prior to making that statement about being tossed and blown about, that “Christ gave to the church: the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, and the pastors and teachers. Their responsibility is to equip God’s people to do his work and build up the church, the body of Christ” (Ephesians 4:11-12). Paul continues by saying that the role of the above mentioned leaders in equipping the saints “will continue until we all come to such unity in our faith and knowledge of God’s Son that we will be mature in the Lord, measuring up to the full and complete standard of Christ. Then we will no longer be immature like children” (Ephesians 4:13-14a).
It is for this very reason that the apostle Paul tells the church just prior to making that statement about being tossed and blown about, that “Christ gave to the church: the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, and the pastors and teachers. Their responsibility is to equip God’s people to do his work and build up the church, the body of Christ” (Ephesians 4:11-12). Paul continues by saying that the role of the above mentioned leaders in equipping the saints “will continue until we all come to such unity in our faith and knowledge of God’s Son that we will be mature in the Lord, measuring up to the full and complete standard of Christ. Then we will no longer be immature like children” (Ephesians 4:13-14a).
For this reason, it is crucial for leaders to have a
philosophy of ministry that not only defines his or her own philosophy of
ministry and life, but also inspires others to join him on this spiritual
journey through life. If a person cannot define what they are living for
in life, how in the world can they inspire or lead others to join them?
The
Most Important Part of a Philosophy of Ministry
When approaching a philosophy of ministry, one’s
philosophy of ministry has to be subservient to the fact that Jesus is the One
in charge of the church (Colossians 1:18), the Holy Spirit is the One
empowering (Acts 1:8) and leading the church (1 Corinthians 12:13), and all
that we do as individual members and as a body corporately, is for God’s glory
and not our own (1 Peter 4:11).
A
Snapshot of my Philosophy of Ministry
My philosophy of ministry is inspired by and focused
on the three great callings of the Christian faith, which is to pursue after
the Greatest Commandment, loving God with our entire being (Matthew 22:37-38),
living out the New Commandment, loving one another as Christ has loved us (John
13:34-35), and fulfilling the Great Commission, reaching the lost for Jesus,
and building them up in the faith (Matthew 28:18-20).
These three callings are the motivating factor behind all that I do as a leader of God's people. In fact, it can easily be argued that the result of obeying the Greatest Commandment will be manifested in one's effort in purposefully obeying the New Commandment and fulfilling the Great Commission.
These three callings are the motivating factor behind all that I do as a leader of God's people. In fact, it can easily be argued that the result of obeying the Greatest Commandment will be manifested in one's effort in purposefully obeying the New Commandment and fulfilling the Great Commission.
