The Essentials of a Biblical Philosophy of Ministry
By Justin Erickson

The church of today has lost her course and has entered into seriously treacherous waters. She has turned from the guides provided for her to other means of navigation. The church has become fascinated with many other things: entertainment, programs, gimmicks, mysticism, fanaticism, pleasure, pragmatism, psychology, while steering near many other deadly rocks. There are many who would propose other means of direction. Christian bookstores are proliferated with materials that offer alternate routes, importing secular methodologies from the world because the climate of the age in which we live does not desire the present course or destination. Many sirens call from the rocks nearby, beckoning her to draw near, only to face doom. The bottom line is that she has lost her focus, having failed to chart her course navigated by the compass of God’s Word. The church of the 21st century does not know why she is here, where she is headed, or what to do about her present course. One wonders if she even realizes the peril into which she has wandered. If she did, she would need to recover the essentials for survival.

The place to begin to correct her course, in order to reach her desired haven, is to turn once again to the Lord of the church - Jesus Christ, for wisdom and guidance. The church of today needs to recover a Biblical Philosophy of Ministry. Instead of appealing to the world for what they want in a church and trying to make it a place that is appealing to them, the Bride of Christ needs to return and make it a place that is pleasing in His sight, for His glory.

The church needs such a guide if she is to be biblical (1 Tim. 3:14-16; 1 Cor. 11:2, 16; 14:33; 2 Thess. 2:15; 3:6), practical (1 Cor. 9:26), efficient (Eccl. 10:10; 4:9-12), fulfilled (2 Tim. 4:7; Acts 20:24; 1 Cor. 9:24; Col. 4:17), and effective (Psa. 127:1; Eccl. 9:10) in her cause for Christ. Most churches are in an identity crisis, and are trying to reinvent themselves and their purpose. She must look once again to her Head.

What follows is an attempt to propose and justify a Biblical Philosophy of Ministry so that the church of Jesus Christ can recover the purpose to which she was called and redeemed. There are six essential foundations to a Biblical Philosophy of Ministry that build upon one another and expand to form (1) a guide to direct the church, and (2) a grid by which to filter the many counterfeits that attempt to pass themselves off as Biblical. This is also where any church or ministry within the local church must begin to build new ministries or evaluate older ones. This paper will approach the ministry’s essential components generally and then specifically. The former will discuss ministry in broad strokes to show the priorities and compare it with inadequate models, and in fine strokes to detail how it should be used. The goal is to provide a starting point for evaluation and implementation by which a Biblical-based, God-centered ministry philosophy might be readily applied to those who would oversee and shoulder the weight of the ministry.

                              A General Look at a Ministry Philosophy
The first place to begin in acquiring a Biblical Philosophy of Ministry is the Bible. This might sound like an over simplification, but this is the essential starting point that all of the other secular models miss. It seems obvious that the Lord’s church should be looking to His Word for the rules that are to guide and govern her direction and ministry. The Bible claims to be sufficient for this (2 Tim. 3:16-17; 2 Pet.1:3-4), and as the church is the “pillar and support of the truth” (1 Tim. 3:15), certainly all that she does should be in obedience and compliance to the truth of God’s Word.

Furthermore, these are timeless principles of truth that pervade all of time and history. Many nay-sayers of today, who would justify their feminism, pragmatism, and psychological methodologies for ministry, have to make the Bible only relevant in the culture in which it was written. They would assert that the society in which we live is far too sophisticated for such trivialities and primitive means of doing church, and that we have to re-invent the way we do church lest it face extinction in the 21st century. On the contrary, the Bible provides timeless truths that are relevant for all ministry and church direction. Not only are we to be sure that we do not neglect it, but we are also to study it, so as to determine the principles that govern our churches and inform our programs. So, we start with the timeless truths of God’s Word.

Second, when we study the truth of the Scriptures, we find the particular goals and purpose for which we must strive. This means that we can have direction in ministry, and hereby measure the success of our ministry. Whereas the worldly church measures success by numerical additions, a Biblical church measures success by faithfulness in striving for God’s purpose to be fulfilled in their midst.

Third, we see that the Scriptures dictate those whom our ministry serves - the people. God calls the leaders in many locations to “shepherd the flock” (Acts 20:28; 1 Pet. 5:1-4; John 21:16), not run programs or build edifices to one’s self. The church is a people, called out by the Lord and given salvation. It has been rightly said, “the church is not a place but a people.” In contrast to the unchangeable nature of the timeless truths in God’s Word, we are to implement these principles into the lives of constantly changing people, to achieve our purpose. The people’s needs, level of maturity, membership, and size will always be in flux. Furthermore, the people ministering the Word will also change in the same way. Therefore, there is to be a great deal of flexibility in terms of how to best minister to these people in the best means possible, sensitive to the changing nature of their needs and the times in which they live. This must be pursued with caution however, to ensure that there is no compromise of the Word to accommodate these changes. On the other hand, the ever-changing church is to be progressing in her effort to become more fixed into the image of Christ. Contrary to modern church growth advocates of today who begin with a smooth, streamlined program that they attempt to plug people into, a Biblical Philosophy of Ministry seeks to serve the people as mandated in the Bible.

Fourth, when the people have been targeted for ministry, we must determine what are the essentials that we will pursue in the particular local body of believers to which we minister. Because the church can gauge her health by faithfulness to the Biblical purpose, when this is not fulfilled, she can see where she falls short, and therefore where she needs to place her priority in pursuing spiritual growth. Recently, I heard of a new pastor in a long established church whose priority after seven months at the church was to change the name of the church to a more contemporary one. This is not an essential in ministry, nor the reflection of a Biblical principle brought to bear on the life of the people in the church to achieve their ultimate purpose, and therefore betrays an underlying failure to focus upon the most important priorities within his congregation. He simply did not care for the name, and focused his efforts on changing it. Spiritual health is not measured by the name of the church, but the fulfillment of the purpose of the church, some priorities being more important that others at the time.

Fifth, by the time that you reach this level of ministry discussion and evaluation, any potential or existing problems will need to be considered. The questions to ask are - What obstacles are in the way of effective ministry? What are the difficulties in our current model of ministry? What potential problems could we face in the future? What are the consequences of not altering the ministry as it is currently? The goal of this step is to see and foresee any problems that keep you from effective and faithful ministry, in the present or future. Are you meeting the needs of your people as the Bible directs? If not you must make changes.

Sixth, once the principles are gleaned, the purpose understood, the people identified and profiled, the priorities established, and the problems routed, then the church can create, develop, or modify a program that would best accomplish implementing the truth in the lives of the people. These will vary depending on the age, maturity, size, and needs of each individual church within a given culture. These should seek to be effective and excellent in their aim, but only in order to facilitate the implementing of God’s Word in the life.

Finally, the only issue that remains is the time, location, and frequency in the execution of the program. We might call this the property of ministry. A great deal of emphasis is placed upon this by those whose ministry philosophy is not rooted in the Bible, because the actual appearance of the meeting place and those symbols and furniture items might deter their intended audience. For example, current seeker friendly models do not have religious symbols and furniture (such as pews, pulpits, crosses, etc.) because these might chase away a person who wants to come to church but not be overwhelmed or appear to be over-religious. The churches look more like stadiums and movie theaters than places of worship. On the other hand, the place is a factor, because some places are not as conducive to ministry effectiveness. For example, a 60-member Bible study could not meet in my 2-bedroom apartment, nor hope to break up in small groups and have any real efficiency - we would have a space and parking problem. Place is a factor, however, this is the last item for consideration.
Therefore, the following diagram indicates the six essential building blocks of a Biblical Philosophy of Ministry, in ascending order from the most important at the bottom the least at the top.

                                     Specific Look at a Ministry Philosophy
Having established the six essentials for Biblical Ministry, it is necessary to analyze and unpack these in detail (some need less elaboration than others) so that it becomes clear how to implement this philosophy in the church of any era.

Principles

Starting with the Biblical principles in the Word of God, we see that as it relates to ministry, we have essentially three divisions within this category:

A. Theology - summary and systematic truths about the various subjects raised in the Bible. We can itemize the categories of theology as follows, the doctrine of:

• The Bible (Bibliology)
• God (Theology Proper)
• Man (Anthropology)
• Sin (Hamartiology)
• Christ (Christology)
• Salvation (Soteriology - Including Justification, Sanctification, and Glorification)
• The Holy Spirit (Pneumatology)
• End Times (Eschatology)
• Angels and Demons (Angelology)
• The Church (Ecclesiology)

B. Instructions about the church – These are commands and examples as to what the church is to be doing in order to maximize her faithfulness to the Lord. The Bible dictates the marks of a healthy church as measured against their pursuit of the following:

• Expository Preaching (2 Tim. 4:2; 1 Tim. 4:13)
• Prayer (Matt. 6:9-14; Luke 18; 1 Thess. 5:17, 25; Col. 1:9-12; 4:2; 2 Thess. 3:1; Eph. 1:15-23; 6:18-20; 1 Tim. 2:1-8)
• Worship (John 4:21-24; Heb. 13:15; 1 Cor. 14)
• Fellowship (Rom. 1:8-15; 1 Jn. 1:1-3; Heb. 10:24-25; all of the ”one anothers”).
• Equipping (Eph. 4:11-16).
• Evangelism (Matt. 28:19-20; Acts 1:8).
• Discipleship (2 Tim. 2:2; Matt. 28:19-20).
• Serving (1 Pet. 4:10-11; Rom. 12:3-8; 1 Cor. 12-14).
• Giving (2 Cor. 8-9; 1 Cor. 16:1ff).
• Church Discipline (Matt. 18:15-20; 1 Cor. 5:1-13; 2 Cor. 12:19-13:10; Gal. 6:1-5).
• The ordinances of the Lord’s Table and Baptism (1 Cor. 11; Matt. 26:26-30; Matt. 28:19-20; Rom. 6:1-4; 1 Pet. 3:21).

C. Ministry Principles - those truths in the Scriptures that speak to the issues of leadership, ministry, etc. There are passages and topics in the Scriptures that speak of guidelines for ministry as:

• Shepherding
• Leadership
• Unity
• Purpose
• Vision and Planning
• Examples of the life of Jesus, Paul, Moses, Isaiah, Jeremiah, etc.
• The Pastoral Epistles
• 1 Thess. 2
• Acts 20:17-38
• and so on...

Purpose

The Scriptures give our ministry purpose in that it dictates the pace and determines whom our ministry should reach. The Bible will answer “What is my purpose or goal in ministering?” as it sets the perimeters for ministry by also describing the people to whom we minister.

A. Exaltation is the purpose of ministry upward towards God. I am to serve and worship God to the praise of His glory (Isa. 43:7; Eph. 1:3-14: Rev. 14:7; Phil .2:12-13; 1 Cor. 10:31). All of my ministry must reflect this purpose somehow, for it permeates and motivates the rest of what the church is to do.

B. Edification is the purpose of ministry inward towards believers. Everything that I do in relationship to believers in the church is to result in their up-building in the Lord, for the sake of their maturity into the likeness of Christ (Eph. 4:12-16; Gal. 4:19).

C. Evangelism is the purpose of ministry outward toward unbelievers. Everything that I do to serve those who do not know Christ is to result in their hearing the clear Gospel of Christ (Rom. 1:16-17; 10:14-17; 2 Cor. 2:14-17; Isa. 55:10-11). Anything that claims to be evangelism and does not result in the clear proclamation of the salvation offer in Christ is not faithful to this purpose and is a compromise. This is one of the dangers of the seeker-sensitive movement in America: because the Gospel is offensive and rejected by those who are unbelieving, many are attempting to make it more acceptable by packaging it in terms that are not confrontive or clear. Their goal shifts from presenting the Gospel to making “un-churched Harry” to feel welcome in a non-religious, non-threatening service where He might be less reluctant to reject the message. Hopefully after a period of time he might desire to continue coming to church - the only problem is that if he dies he still goes to hell because the church has not told him his real need or offered any real solution.

Therefore, the three-fold purpose in the ministry of the church is Exaltation, Edification, and Evangelism. Any ministry of the church that does not have these as their clear and discernible goals fails to accomplish God’s purpose for the church.

People

Moving to the people the ministry serves, we see that there are essentially three that are derived from our Scriptural purpose:

A. God - our ministry first and foremost serves God (Rom. 1:1, 9; Acts 24:14; 2 Tim. 1:3; 1 Thess. 1:9; Rom. 6:15-23). This is the basis and foundation from which all other service flows. Service for God flows into service to others. God has no needs, rather we need Him and are privileged and blessed to serve Him in ministry as clean and pure vessels (2 Tim. 2:20-23; 2 Cor. 4:6-7).

B. Believers - the next group the church is to serve is its own membership (1 Pet. 4:10-11; Rom. 12:3-8; 1 Cor. 12; Gal. 5:13; Rom. 15:1-3; Phil. 2:3-11; Eph. 4:11-16). When the church is built up and functioning properly, she will reach her purpose. The health of the body of Christ visibly is measured largely in her ability to accomplish this, so that the ministry of the church depends on the work of the Holy Spirit in the lives of His people, not a select group of pastors. If the members of the church body are not being served and serving, then they are not prepared to accomplish her purpose for which the Lord of the church has placed her in the world. Their greatest need is maturity in Christ.

C. Unbelievers - The final group of people the ministry seeks to serve is the lost, who need the Gospel of Christ (2 Tim. 2:10; Matt. 28:19-20; Rom. 9:1-5; 10:1-3; 2 Pet. 3:9; 1 Tim. 2:4; 1 John 2:2; John 3:16). The scope of our ministry extends beyond the walls of the church and into the communities and nations of the world. Their greatest need is salvation. Many times those who do not know Christ turn to the church for answers about their spiritual pilgrimage, and the church must prepare to receive those who come as well as go and reach them throughout the world. Because God’s Word has specified the church’s purpose as it relates to people who are identified above, the next series of questions to ask, with regard to who those people are: What are their needs? What is their level of maturity? How many people am I attempting to reach? What people will be involved in ministering to these other people and what are their needs as well? These are all questions that must be answered and settled. You must start with what the Bible says are their needs, allowing your principles below to inform you, and then evaluate your people against this backdrop. One challenge will be the attempt to implement timeless truths and achieve an eternal purpose in the lives of ever-changing people. Therefore, inventory must be taken at every level if God’s people are to be served effectively. The people themselves do not determine the ministry, just as sheep do not lead the shepherd. But the needs of the sheep must be taken into consideration if the shepherd is to be faithful.

Priority, Problems, Program, and Property

From this stage, it is possible to develop a strategic and effective program to accomplish these purposes as revealed by the principles in God’s Word, in the lives of God’s people. This should focus upon implementing these purposes in an intentionally prioritized fashion, with the least amount of problems as possible, in the best location possible to facilitate the ministry with sufficient resources.

                                               Making it Practical
The value of having worked through a Biblical framework of ministry is the resulting guide and filter for all church ministries. We can see where we are going, what we are to be busy doing, how we are going to get it done, who we are serving, when and where we are to make it happen, and why we are doing it. We can also evaluate current ministry goals and programs to see if they accord with the Word of God. This provides a check and balance system. For example, my view of the sovereignty of God (Theology Proper) informs and fuels my evangelism (instructions to the church, purpose and programs). My view of the work of the Holy Spirit (Pneumatology) will effect my understanding and implementation of the use of spiritual gifts at work in the body. My view of the Bible will effect my preaching. My view of the end times will effect my praying, preaching, evangelism. My view of sin will effect discipleship. My view of God will effect my worship, and so on... The point is this, my principles inform and set perimeters to the implementation of my programs that most effectively minister to my people and accomplish my purpose.

The challenge now is to begin implementing this into the life of the church, carefully and prayerfully. What remains are those leaders who will provide oversight into the implementation of this philosophy of ministry, and their investment into the lives of people that they must enlist, empower, and entrust, in order to shoulder the weight of the ministry. The result of this “equipping the saints for the work of the ministry” is “the unity of the faith... the [experiential] knowledge of the Son of God... a mature man, the fullness of Christ...no longer tossed about by every wind of doctrine...grow[ing] up into Christ...the building up of itself in love” (Eph. 4:11-16).

The equipping process and leadership training discussion is for another time. The foundation however is for the church to recover her mandate from her Lord for Biblical ministry. Though the visible church of today is frail and sickly due to an unhealthy relationship with the world and its ideologies, she can return to effectiveness and vibrancy once again, fulfilling the purpose for her being here until the Lord comes to take her to Himself as a Bride. Until then, it is our responsibility to look to the Word of God, and depend on the enabling grace of the Spirit of God, motivated by the glory of God.