The Church and the Training of Laity for Ministry

The call to salvation - relationship

2. The call to purpose - ministry God has a purpose (Ephesians 1:9-11) and we have been called to play a vital role in that purpose. In its essence, this is what ministry is all about - playing your part in helping God's plan and purpose to be outworked in our own lives and other people's lives. Writing to Timothy, Paul says,"...But join with me in suffering for the gospel, by the power of God, who has saved us and called us to a holy life - not because of anything we have done but because of his own purpose and grace" 2 Timothy 1:8-9. FOUR KEY CONCEPTS FOR OUR CONSIDERATION There are basically FOUR fundamental concepts we must consider. I. CHURCH What do we mean by the term 'Church'? The essential use of the term 'Church' is the understanding that the Church is a 'Body of Faithful Disciples of Jesus Christ'. Such a 'Body' might exist and manifest itself in various forms and expressions based on history, tradition, language, region and doctrine. The understanding of the Church as essentially a 'Body' is Biblical in general and Pauline in particular. I do believe that there is a great need to recover this biblical sense of Church for an effective ministry to take place today. Post modern World is not really interested in the nuances of theological distinctives of particular denominations while those might be deemed quite significant to many people inside it Today, in the post Christendom/ post Modern world people are no longer concerned about staying loyal to a name brand. We need to recover the NT understanding of Church as a “Body of Faithful Disciples” fulfilling the mandate of making new disciples for Jesus Christ. Too often the focus is 'inward' and not toward the world. A Membership oriented, Privilege based understanding of Church must make way to a Discipleship oriented, Service based approach. The only qualifications in the NT were that one needed to profess faith in Christ as one's Savior and obey his Call and serve him as Lord. Quite simple and effective. We do well on the 'Savior' part but fail in the 'Lordship' part of our walk with Christ. Definition of the Church An important element in any definition of church must be the purpose of its gathering: to do the work of the gospel or to be "in mission." The New Testament word for "church" is ekklesia, which means "the called out ones." We need to note three things here. First, predominantly ekklesia (both in the singular and plural) applies to a local assembly of those who profess faith in and allegiance to Christ. Second, ekklesia designates the universal church (Acts 8:3; 9:31; 1 Cor 12:28; 15:9; especially in the later Pauline letters, Eph 1:22-23; Col 1:18). Third, the ekklesia is God's congregation (1 Cor 1:2; 2 Cor 1:1; etc.).

The Nature of the Church The true church of God is not an organization on earth consisting of people and buildings, but is really a supernatural entity comprised of those who are saved by Jesus. It spans the entire time of man's existence on earth as well as all people who are called into it. We become members of the church (body of Christ) by faith (Acts 2:41). We are edified by the Word (Eph. 4:15-16), disciplined by God (Matt. 18:15-17), unified in Christ (Gal. 3:28), and sanctified by the Spirit (Eph. 5:26-27).” I think that is a pretty accurate and succinct understanding of CHURCH. II. MINISTRY. What really constitutes Ministry? In its essence, ministry is about - playing your part in helping God's plan and purpose to be outworked in other people's lives. The first call (to salvation) is extended to every person (the "many"), but only those who respond to God's call (the "few") are actually chosen (note the parable in Matthew 24:1-14). In the same way, the second call (to God's purposes) is extended to every person who has already responded to the first call, but God will only use those who personally respond to that call. What is Ministry? To answer this question we need to turn to II Corinthians Here we discover that ministry is the activity and process by which The Church of Christ is enabled and empowered to bring about the RECONCILIATION of all creation. Three Levels of Calling In introducing himself to the Roman Church, the Apostle Paul describes the three levels of his call and ministry. These three levels of calling also apply to every Christian's ministry. The General Calling Paul introduced himself first of all as a servant of Christ Jesus. The Greek word Paul uses for servant is doulos, which actually has the deeper meaning of "bond servant", (see Exodus 21:5-6; Deuteronomy 15:16-17; Psalm 40:6-8). This is the general calling of every believer - the starting point and foundation of all ministry. The Special Calling Paul then identified his special calling - "called to be an apostle". God's grace is given to each believer for a particular kind of function, and here we begin to see the wonderful variety in the Body of Christ (1 Corinthians 12:27-30). The Particular Calling Finally Paul specifies the bounds of his ministry - "set apart for the gospel of God". Paul was an apostle, like Peter and John were apostles, but the particular calling upon his life outworked differently to each of the other apostles. Peter was an apostle to the Jews, while Paul was an apostle to the Gentiles (Galatians 2:7-9). "Now there are distinctive varieties and distributions of endowments [extraordinary powers distinguishing certain Christians, due to the power of divine grace operating in their souls by the Holy Spirit] and they vary, but the (Holy) Spirit remains the same. And there are distinctive varieties of service and ministration, but it is the same Lord [Who is served]. And there are distinctive varieties of operation - of working to accomplish things - but it is the same God Who inspires and energizes them all in all" 1 Corinthians 12:4-6 (Amp). Four Dimensions of Ministry There are at least FOUR dimensions of the believer's ministry:

1. Ministry to the Lord "But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light" 1 Peter 2:9 (see also Matthew 22:37-40; Psalm 150; Hebrews 13:15). Prior to any expression of ministry we need to realize that we owe it all to the LORD. 2. Ministry to Ourselves We build our outreach ministry on the foundation of our commitment to the LORD. This must be followed by a conscious inreach to care for our own self. "Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another. (with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God") Colossians 3:16 (see also Jude 20-21; Psalm 42:1-2,11). As ministers of Christ, we are to take good care of God's resources entrusted to us which includes our body, heart, mind and soul. “How is it with your soul”? “Are you taking care of your health”? “How is your Sabbath practice”? 3. Ministry to the Church "I long to see you so that I may impart to you some spiritual gift to make you strong - that is, that you and I may be mutually encouraged by each other's faith" Romans 1:11-12 (see also 12:13; 14:19; 15:1-7; Ephesians 4:16; 1 Thessalonians 5:11; Galatians 6:2; Ephesians 5:19; 6:18-19). 4. Ministry to the World "You are to go into all the world and preach the Good News to everyone, everywhere" Mark 16:15 (Living Bible) (see also verses 17-18; Luke 10:2; Acts 1:8). Attitude in Ministry Writing to the Philippian Church, Paul delineates what our attitude ought to be in Ministry. He writes: "If you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any fellowship with the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and purpose" Philippians 2:1-2. To be an effective instrument of Christ's ministry, three things are needed: · Being like-minded (to Christ) · Having the same love (as Christ) · Being one in spirit and purpose (with Christ and together) Ministry is not competitive. We measure the success of our ministry not against each other, but against the ministry of the Lord Himself (Ephesians 4:13; 3:19). He is the yardstick of all III. LAITY The term laity is a word derived from laos, a Greek word meaning people. In the biblical sense, it includes all peoplewho believe in and are committed to Jesus as Savior and Lord. The doctrine of the priesthood of all believers is the church's fundamental belief. This belief presents a paradox to all thinking leaders in the Church of God: we acknowledge the "priesthood" of ALL, but still it is a sacred few who actually do the work of ministry. The doctrine of the laity is so important, that if adequately understood and properly expressed in the life of God's people, it could bring about a spiritual awakening that would revolutionize the life and ministry of the church. Here are some practical ways to be a Lay Minister in the secular arena. Excellence and Honesty. The primary ministry of laity in the workplace that Bill Diehl noted in his book, The Monday Connection, (1991) is doing the job with excellence.

Service and Hospitality. One needs to make a conscious decision at some point in work to be among people as one who were there to serve. Try to respond positively and cheerfully to the routine duties and to the special requests that come to you. Know that your attitude makes a difference for you. Create an open and welcoming atmosphere where your coworkers and visitors know they would be received kindly. The Bible calls for hospitality to all even in the workplace and among one's colleagues. Caring and Sharing. Closely related to serving one's co-workers is caring about them as persons and sharing some of your own life and experiences with them. Listening without offering advice or judgment is a way of valuing people and of offering them a measure of God's unconditional acceptance. Witnessing. As God provides the opportunity, talk to people about what it means to you that you are a Christian, a follower of Jesus Christ. As you pray ask God for leading and guidance. Your life itself bears a witness, more than your words. St. Francis of Assissi once said, “Preach by all means, and if necessary, use words” Mere words, without a life (behavior and character) are ineffective. Offer to pray for someone who has illness in the family or has expressed some other concern. Very few people if any will refuse such an offer. This way you send a signal that you are a person of faith and that the door is open for further conversation should they wish to pursue it. Express how your faith has helped you in particular situations. These may seem like "baby steps", however, they will lead you to become more open to this type of ministry on a larger scale. IV. TRAINING Training is essentially a task of equipping the people of God for the work of ministry. Historically Theological Education was exclusively designed and offered to professional clergy in the making, although this has changed over the years. Additionally, such a model catered to 'Parish Ministry' and not to the world. Theological Training and Education must be geared to prepare an individual to reach and relate to the world with the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and not simply lead to one's Ordination as a Clergyperson. On a recent visit to India, I had the privilege to visit with a small Bible College in Hyderabad, where a small band of young persons is being trained for rural as well as urban ministry. The curriculum not only has Bible, Theology, Doctrine, but Computers, Time Management, English, etc. Such a bold approach is necessary today for effective Lay Ministry. Training and discipling are needed in the ministry of both clergy and laity. Training is needed in several areas of Nurture, Outreach and evangelism, Worship and Witness, so that lay people can be fruitful in ministry. Somehow the standard of excellence for lay leaders should be benchmarked to that of the clergy. Standards need to be put in place that would measure the quality of lay training on par with training programs for clergy. Conclusion The future awaits us, a future which will not tolerate yesterday's Church in today's world, let alone the world of tomorrow. The future is in the hands of the leaders in the Church. This is an hour of challenge as well of promise. The choice before the church as we face the future is either continue with our present pattern and style of ministry or to allow for a "second reformation" -- a reformation of the released power of the laity-God's people-in the world today. May the Lord truly bless us with Holy Boldness to achieve this in our time.