Styles and Models of ministry "Reflection from Stephen Saemand"

Styles and Models of ministry "Reflection from Stephen Saemand"

By: Rev. Jesse Amiel A. Ramoso

       Today our churches faces different challenges and difficulties in ministries that forced us to be pushed to unbalance situation/s. We tend to embrace so many kinds of styles and approaches in ministries that might address our current circumstances. These are like the pressures of achieving numerical and spiritual growth, raising skilful ministers and launching for exposures of neophytes ministers. However Seamands, remind us in his book “Ministry in the Image of God” chapter five, that if we are going to use different approaches we should be very careful not to compromise Biblical and moral standard. In order also to understand the mystery of Trinity as ministers to anchore our basis that might not lead us into a mechanical and not reliance anymore of the work of the Holy Spirit but rather confidence to our own ways. These are happinning sometimes in changing and implementing or incorporating new styles in ministry that are "NOT" properly consulted to God and also the members regarding views and concerns. We forget to consult ordinary members because we assumed that they have no rights and positions to be heard because of our prejudice "they're just a member"; this is impartiality. By this we suppressed or deprived their capacities and abilities to hear from God, their abilities and opportunities to share their talents and wisdom and likewise we missed to witness and evaluate  the works of God in their lives. This is how corporate runs "supressing sobourdinates", this is not church because we suppressed the function of the Holy Spirit that speaks or convicts to their hearts. Remember everyone hears God or else they’re not in church they’re just somewhere else because only those in the church are "CALLED OUT ones" from darkness into His marvelous lights. If they're called out meaning they HEAR God calling them that is why they're in the church. Therefore we need to respect the rights of individual to be heard respectfully "because they hear God". Before we implement new things in the church we must descern those who has capabilities to hear God. By doing this we advocate church unity and transparency and also can test how the Holy Spirit works to individuals for the church by synthesizing their views that is from God. This is the best way to maximize styles and models of ministry and avoid disasters in the ministry like church split or mutual division and disunity. Lets us consult how the early churches “Apostles” process their decision making for the early church.

        Harold Westing, In his book he said that "..early Christians practices can be traced back to Jerusalem where the first apostles of Jesus developed during their time and these can be found in Acts 2:42-47". They delegated other tasks to the “DEACONS” that serves table Acts 6:2-7. Table here means in Greek usage is referring to CHURCH/MINISTERIAL office or adminitrative jobs. Deacons means to serves in office for administerings task in church business/miniterial/leagal matters. This is to secure governmental requirements including tax and benefits, HR, and policies or church constitution, property costudians. Their tasks is serving administrative or managerial fuctions in order to organize or put the church into order and stewarship. Their job is more than serving bread and wine during the Sunday service, they're suppossed to be the first on the hands on or visible in church activities not just when the spot light is on. Like Stepehen, he was martyr because of sharing the gospel but he was just a deacon not an apostle. We should revive the call of the deacons today to be first in the battle field and be in the first battle line instead of lording it over to their congregations. This is how Apostles delegated and gave chances to other members to serve, because they qualify them first. The qualification is based on how the member transformed after he/she professed they believed Jesus as their Lord and saviour. Then we see here how they prioritized scriptures. Because by this they and we believed that Jesus speak to us. It was from their hearts that they were committed to scriptures, to one another, to prayer, to praise and worship and to evangelism. Of course we cannot remove the fact that it is by the empowering of the Holy Spirit that made them committed to accomplish all of these, they give everyone chances to serve.

The churches today have difficulty on implementing these five simple practices that our early apostles of Jesus leave us. The early church spread sporadically because of these, discipline in the Word, prayer, worship and evangelisms. We knew also that their faiths were tested through different situations and challenges in life. They even stone to death or sawed in two, burned or chopped yet they never give up. This kind of attitude we need today in our church not because we need church growth and increase our attendance, beautiful buildings and large amount of cash. What Satan is doing today is that he kept us away from what the early church is doing; rather we will be self cantered and tends to be individualistic.

 However we should be prayerfully seek these things “Acts 2:42-47” to do the same things as they do during their time. These are Commitment to scriptures: Commitment to one another, commitment to prayer, commitment to praise and worship, commitment to evangelism. In this five aspects of commitments lead us into realizing that on early church has values that now reminding us to highly consider it. Seamands, In his book he outline six values that should be developed in our church. Number one core value, “values come from a close companion ship with Him “Jesus”. John 10:27 Jesus said, My sheep hears my voice, I knew them and they follow me”. We need to impose these in our church that without the Word of God in our church, the church can never be a church it is an organization assumed that it is a church. Therefore, the value of treating the Bible should be with great respect and reverence by reading, studying and obeying. The entire Bible should be a Word of God; therefore it should be treated as a voice of God when it is being, read and hear through preachers no matter who preaches. The Bible has two natures, the literal nature and the Divine nature "Josh A @ ASCM"; the literal printed words in the Bible becomes Word of God only if this we engage with humility and acceot it as a voice of God accept it without prejudice and partiality. Yes, we knew that the Bible is the entire Word of God, but how much we value this in our daily walk will affect the our behaviour towards church people and our worship.

Second core value; is “Prayer” is next to Word of God.  As Karl Barth emphasized that a Word without prayer is blind and prayer without word is misleading”.[1] A person that stays in the presence of God in prayer will find refuge, shelter or even provisions from God though cannot be seen but it can be sense to everyone when we minister. Prayer is two way communication like telephone according to "Rev. Henry A". We call to God, but sometimes wait for God of His answer
and when He talk we will listen and vice versa. Prayer without allowing God to talk is just nagging to God. We nag to God when we just talk and not interested His Word to study, understand, apply and share it.
Third core value is “preaching”. In Jn 14:8 when the Holy Spirit comes He will convict people from their sins”. Preaching is very important to impart core values, whether people will follow or not at least when they heard preaching it will dramatically affect their values and perspectives. Preaching in the pulpit is a great venue where people and God can communicate each other. Therefore, pastors or any church leaders should also give people chances to response or even speak. Weshould value their comments as God might speak to them.

Fourth core value is, “doing your theology, hermeneutics and exegesis”. We need to preach but what we preach is needed to examine contextually and locally theologized not just down loading preaching outlines from the West which anti-Filipino culture. A lot of a good preachers today preach controversial context that creates scandal in the family because of cultures. Example, the west doctrine strongly teach individualisms while Asian teach value for being clannish and respect to elders with gestures “Mano Po!” and verbal like using “PO and Opo”. These are not teach in Western theology, rather they teach autonomy and rights of individual that creates tensions in the Philippines but suitable in the Western culture. Therefore preachers and Bible study leaders should carefully study the cultures that is introduce in the downloaded preaching material or even books because this enculturation. This is to avoid the stereotyped in the church especially to the pulpit speakers and teachers. Filipino congregation should see the values of pulpit speakers on how it is applied in his personal life and in public. Therefore a person has lack of examples discourages others  to apply in their context because there is no model.

Fifth core value is, imparting values that will push people into positive disequilibrium. Yes, this is true because people will observe at us they we behave in public; it is because this makes them comfortable or sometimes uncomfortable due to our professed faith and practices. People might throw us away when we engage their comfortable situation by confronting them their sins or even simply share our faith. Unusual but true, some people of God avoid to share the gospel even they’re already in church because of “seeker sensitive” doctrine that which I respectfully admit that it is effective in USA. However we people in the Philippines are naturally “THEOCRATIC PEOPLE” it is no offensive for us to hear gospel or any Word or about God.

Sixth core value, Biblical behaviour towards martyrdom will lead us to Biblical Values instead of being religious. We need to expose our congregation into a real world not only in our churches, classrooms and even houses where they can hide themselves from realities. We need to bring them to a ground where their attitude can be challenge. We need also to expose them to people who will be a model of biblical values or expose them to people to challenge their faith.

to be continued........

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[1] Barth