BUSINESS, OR MINISTRY?

Taken from my Facebook, first posted several years ago.

A recent post on social media has me concerned that many people treat ministry like it was business. While the two endeavors are similar, especially concerning logistics, acting as if ministry is just a business produces reduced and sometimes negative results.

   The post in question told the story of a man who presented himself as a "professional" soul winner. He showed up in a California city with a plan to get the whole town saved. He invited the city's pastors to a special meeting where he would present the plan to them.

   He displayed a large street map of the city and marked with push pins the location of each pastor's church building. He then drew a circle around each pin.

   Then he told the pastors that the people who lived in each circle were members of the congregation represented by the circle, and the pastors just need to go out and tell them.

   When I read that, I immediately recognized that it was a business plan, and not a ministry plan. It resembles the plan used by large corporations that have multiple locations in large cities; chains such as McDonald's, Quik Trip, Autozone, etc.

  The problem with this approach to ministry is that it shifts the focus of ministry from obedience to results, and the responsibility for results from spirit to flesh.

   I could go on about how often I see this happen, because I don't see the need to do that, but I will give one example. Years ago, a local Tulsa pastor spoke at a ham radio club meeting about applying church growth techniques to club growth. The methods he presented were the same as those used by businesses to recruit and retain new customers. Obviously, someone learned how to apply those business practices to congregational growth. Denominational organizations must have picked up those practices and taught them to their pastors.

   Now, I must state that God will bless and use any ministry effort that lines up with His will. How much He can use them depends on how much they line up with His will. The closer the alignment, the bigger the blessing.

   How should we conduct ministry? Let's look at what Jesus said and did.

   When Jesus called His first disciples, He said, "Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men."

   Before we consider what He said, let's look at what He didn't say.

   He didn't say, "I will make you soul winners." While you chew on that, look into the origin of the term "soul winner."

   He didn't say He would teach them the business of fishing, and how to apply those lessons to making converts. They were professional fishermen. They already knew how to catch and sell fish. What could a carpenter-turned-rabbi teach them about that? They knew He was talking about something beyond their daily lives of boats, nets, smelly fish, and spending hours out on the lake.

   In John chapter 3, Nicodemus wanted to know how Jesus was able to perform miracles, for might have wanted to work miracles too. Jesus talked about the New Birth instead of His success in ministry.

   Later on, in the Gospel of John, Jesus claimed that His teaching was not His own, it came from His Father, and He only did what He saw His Father do. When the people asked Jesus how to do the works of God, He said, "Believe on Him whom He has sent."

   We see throughout the Gospels that Jesus spent large amounts of time in prayer. That's how He was able to receive teaching, and to see what His Father was doing. When He said, "Follow Me," He meant, "Stay close to Me, as I stay close to My Father."

  When the Corinthian believers began to separate into groups based on their favorite preachers, he told them those preachers were merely servants through whom they believed, that one sowed, another watered, but God gave the increase. Paul did not take credit for the results of his ministry.

  What this all comes down to is this: the best approach to ministry is to pray and listen continuously, until God speaks. Then do what He says. While obeying, trust Him to provide whatever is needed to complete His plan, and continue to pray and listen in case He has further instructions.

Since then, I have learned that some ministers started their ministries with the intention of running them like businesses.  They turned worship services into entertainment without real ministry.  Megachurches would open up new campuses (campi?), just like franchises.  Angels cry "Holy! Holy! Holy!"  Posing pastors think, "Money! Money! Money!... MuuuuuhNEY!"

ENOUGH!!!