Equipping and Empowering
God’s People for Ministry
Facilitator: W. C. Dishon
Associate Professor of Pastoral Ministry
Chaplain for Adult and Graduate Studies
MVNU (Fall, 2002)
Previous Pastoral Experience: Port Arthur, TX; Johannesburg,
South Africa; Kansas City, Fort Wayne, Houston
Prior Experience: Administrative Assistant, Dept. of Evangelism,
Church of the Nazarene (3 years)

S chool of
T heology and
P hilosophy

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 Reduces friction
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Good Theology does that in the
Church!
 Reduces friction
 Improves efficiency
 Increases power

Theology of the Church
Good ecclesiology frees the people of God, the Church,

 to grow toward maturity as disciples of Jesus
Christ and to effectively serve, or minister, in the power of
His Spirit, as channels of His love and grace.

“Building the Church by
Being the Church”


Ecclesiology
Christ’s prophesy and promise:
I will build my church, and the gates of hell will not overcome it (Matthew 16:18).
1. The Church is Christ’s and is His doing.
The ultimate responsibility for building the
Church is His, not ours.
2. We are co-workers in that process.
Our responsibility is to faithfully obey the
Spirit of Jesus Christ as He works in and through us in the task of building His Church.

Ecclesiology
3. The Church will prevail.
-Whatever the enemy does, he is doomed to fail.
-While individual local churches may wither and even die, the Church will always survive.
-Just as He called the Church into being by the outpouring of the Holy Spirit on the day of
Pentecost, Jesus Christ will continue building His
Church through the work of His Spirit until it reaches completion and he returns to take his bride to the marriage supper of the Lamb
(Rev. 19, Eph. 5).

Ecclesiology

C. S. Lewis in Screwtape Letters :
One of our great allies at present is the
Church itself. Do not misunderstand me. I do not mean the Church as we see her spread out through all time and space and rooted in eternity, terrible as an army with banners. That, I confess, is a spectacle which makes our boldest tempters uneasy.
But fortunately it is quite invisible to these humans” (p. 15).


Ecclesiology
The Church is a divine organism.
The Church is neither an accident of human history nor the result of a master plan strategy concocted by the disciples to keep alive the memory of a great man, Jesus Christ. Instead, Scripture clearly portrays the Church as God’s doing . Called into being by the Holy Spirit on the Day of Pentecost when his fiery presence freed those in the Upper Room from a carnal preoccupation with self, He fused them together with Jesus Christ and with one another into a new unity now characterized by genuine love for
God and for one another. Symbolized by the sound of wind, the
Spirit breathed life into this new unity and it became a living organism.

The Church

What is the purpose/mission of this divine organism, the church?




To build buildings?
To develop organizations?
To gather a crowd?
To make converts?

The Church

No, while any or all of those may be involved, the purpose/mission of the church is to make disciples !



By baptizing
By teaching
Matthew 28:19-20

Disciples are:



Fully devoted followers of
Jesus Christ
People who are growing in
Christ-likeness
People who increasingly
‘think like Jesus’

Disciples are:

To become a disciple means a decisive and irrevocable turning to both God and neighbor. What follows from there is a journey which . . . never ends in this life, a journey of continually discovering new dimensions of loving God and neighbor (David Bosch, Transforming
Mission ).

Disciples are:

It is not our responsibility to make people “Christians” and get them baptized into a particular denomination, but rather to help people decide to follow Jesus and his radical message.
Maybe this is why the New Testament writers only use “Christian” three times but “disciple” on 269 occasions! (Tom
Getman, World Vision).

Disciples are:

It has become popular to preach a painless Christianity and automatic saintliness. It has become part of our
“instant” culture. “Just pour a little water on it, stir mildly, pick up a gospel tract, and your are on your Christian way” (A. W. Tozer, Jesus, Author of Our
Faith ).

Disciples are:

A disciple is one who responds in faith and obedience to the gracious call of
Jesus Christ. Being a disciple is a lifelong process of dying to self while allowing Jesus Christ to come alive in us
(Greg Ogden, Discipleship Essentials ).

Disciples are:


People who share Paul’s commitment :

For to me to live is Christ (Phil. 1:21).

I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me (Gal. 2:20-21).
People who share Paul’s confidence :


Being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of
Christ Jesus (Phil. 1:6).
and we confidently and joyfully look forward to actually becoming all that God has had in mind for us to be
(Rom. 5:2 LB).

The purpose/mission of the church is:


To make Christ-like disciples and to facilitate their growth toward Christ-likeness
To nurture disciples toward maturity in Christlikeness: It was he who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers, to prepare God’s people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature , attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ (Eph. 4:11-13).

Developing Maturing Disciples
What does a mature disciple look like?
What are the qualities, traits that characterize a mature, Christ-like disciple?

Profile of Holistic Discipleship
Lower Lights Community Church of the Nazarene
Heart
(The core of your being)
1) Motivated by a growing Love for God, others, self.
2) A movement away from self-serving motives and toward motives that are God-glorifying.
3) Desires to be totally pure (Christ-like) in motive of heart.

Profile of Holistic Discipleship
Lower Lights Community Church of the Nazarene
Soul
(Emotions, Will, and Thoughts)
1) You know and accept that God has forgiven your sins, you have forgiven yourself for your past sins, and have extended forgiveness to others who have sinned against you. When appropriate, you have attempted reconciliation.
2) Your identity is in Christ not in what you do or your vocation or your status.
3) Recognizes that emotions are healthy as long as they are handled or responded to in Christ-like ways.

Profile of Holistic Discipleship
Lower Lights Community Church of the Nazarene
SOUL
(cont.)
4) Worshipping regularly, both privately and corporately.
5) Practicing Spiritual Disciplines of scripture reading, prayer, fasting, meditation, journaling, etc. which leads to a growing understanding of God’s will.
6) A contributing part of the fellowship both socially and in ministry.
7) A growing confidence in God that leads to greater obedience.
8) Recognizes all is God’s and we are stewards of it.
9) Is involved with outreach to neighbors, family, coworkers.

Profile of Holistic Discipleship
Lower Lights Community Church of the Nazarene
Strength
(The physical body)
1) A Christian understanding of sexuality
2) Abstaining from substances that cause harm to the body and others (tobacco, alcohol, drugs)
3) Developing a lifestyle that is God-honoring and leads to health for the body.

Developing Maturing Disciples

It is essential for those involved in pastoral ministry to keep this purpose clearly in mind.


We should routinely evaluate our effectiveness.
Willowcreek--REVEAL

Ecclesiology

The Dominant N.T. Image for the Church–
Body, a Divine Organism:


1 Corinthians 12:12: The body is a unit, though it is made up of many parts; and though all its parts are many, they form one body. So it is with Christ.
Romans 12:4-5: Just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, so in Christ we who are many form one body . . .

Ecclesiology

Organism vs. Organization:

Organization-An association of individuals and derives its power from those individuals.

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Organism-Common life shared by individual members who derive power from the source of that life.
The life-giving, empowering presence of the Holy Spirit is essential to the existence and function of the Church as a divine organism.

Ecclesiology


Are “organism” and “organization” mutually exclusive?
Or is there a place for both in the life of the Church?

Ecclesiology

Christ is the Head of His Body, the
Church:


Ephesians 1:22: And God placed all things under his feet and appointed him to be head over everything for the church, which is his body, the fullness of him who fills everything in every way .
Ephesians 4:15: Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will in all things grow up into him who is the Head, that is Christ.

Ecclesiology

The Spirit Is the Giver of Life and Gifts.

Pentecost:

“The Holy Spirit has generated the Church. . . .
This appears quite plainly in the story of
Pentecost” (Kraemer, p. 126).

“Pentecost is more than the birth of the church; it is the indwelling power of the Spirit of Christ as the source of the church’s life and ministry”
(Anderson, p. 111).

Ecclesiology

Without the Spirit’s presence and work, the Church is lifeless and dead.

Never true of the Church of Jesus Christ



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May be true of individual local body of believers
May be true of individual member
95%
There is no substitute!

Ecclesiology

Holy Spirit is the giver of gifts.

Each part of the body makes some contribution as enabled by the Spirit.


Primary scriptures: Romans 12, 1 Corinthians 12,
Ephesians 4
Define: “Divine abilities distributed by the Holy
Spirit to every believer according to God’s design and grace for the common good of the body of
Christ” (Bugbee, 52).

Ecclesiology

How many and what are they?


Specific, fixed number?
Comprehensive lists?



Single or in clusters?
Infinite variety?
“There appear to be as many gifts available to the community as there are needs, with some highlighted in each community according to the ministry focus” (Anderson, The Soul of Ministry ).

Ecclesiology

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Points to emphasize:
All God’s children have gifts.
These gifts are intended for the common good.
As stewards of the grace of God, we will give account for the use of these gifts.
Therefore, each person who is part of the body is called to ministry.

Developing Maturing Disciples
Who Minister

Every Believer is a Minister.

Called to walk as Jesus walked:


Whoever claims to live in him must walk as
Jesus did . 1 John 2:6
To this you were called, because Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in his steps.
1 Peter 2:21

Starts with a servant attitude.

Mark 10:43-45

Philippians 2:1-8

Developing Maturing Disciples
Who Minister

Impact of consumer mentality on church

“The roots of the church’s identity crisis are found in the consumer mentality so pervasive in our culture…. People flit about in search of what suits their taste at the moment…. People change congregations and preachers and even denominations as readily as they change banks or grocery stores…. Capitulating to consumerism has profound consequences for the church. It changes the very character of the church” (Colson and
Vaughn, The Body ).

Developing Maturing Disciples
Who Minister

“It is hard to move people from a consumer mind-set to a servant lifestyle when so much in their world militates against this transition. Yet, it is exactly this transformation that will provide them
with the greatest joy and maturity. To build an equipping culture in a sea of opposing forces requires bold prayer, careful strategy,
and persistent, never-ending work.” (Mallory &
Smith, Equipping Church Guidebook)

Every Believer is a Minister.


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The Church’s goal: not a congregation of consumers, but an army of disciples.
Failure to move people from self-centered consumers to committed servants will undermine the very nature and function of the Church as the body of Christ.
The lack of willingness to serve one another within any local body of believers will render that church ineffective.

Every Believer is a Minister.

The Biblical Ideal:
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Mark 10:45: “Diakonia” (serve, minister)
John 20:21: As the Father has sent me, even so send I you.
“The more we study the early Church the more we realize that it was a society of ministers”
(Trueblood, Incendiary Fellowship ).
“If you are a Christian, you are a minister…. Every layperson is called to ministry” (Garlow, Partners in
Ministry ).

Every Believer is a Minister.

Agree or Disagree? Why?
“In our time it may well be that the greatest single bottleneck to the renewal and outreach of the church is the division of roles between clergy and laity that results in a hesitancy of the clergy to trust the laity with significant responsibility, and in turn a reluctance on the part of the laity to trust themselves as authentic ministers of Christ, either in the church or outside the church” (Robert Munger, quoted in The
New Reformation ).

Every Believer is a Minister.

The Church Gathered and Scattered:
“The renewal of the Church will be in progress when it is seen as a fellowship of consciously inadequate persons who gather because they are weak, and scatter to serve because their unity with one another and with Christ has made them bold. This is the only kind of Christianity that can stand up to the challenge of the militant paganism and the fanaticism of the new Left. It will win, in the long run, because it is more revolutionary than they are”
(Trueblood, Incendiary Fellowship ).

Church Gathered and Scattered

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Church Gathered: The Base

Hebrews 10:25


Koinonia
Equipping
Church Scattered: The Field

Stevens, The Other Six Days

Refers to the Church out in the world, between Sundays

Church Gathered and Scattered

Challenge:

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To get beyond the sacred/secular split in one’s thinking and living
To avoid compartmentalizing one’s life and Christianity

Church Gathered and Scattered

Trueblood: “We gather in order to scatter! The Church is a particular fellowship of men and women involved in common life, sharing the life of
Christ, who assemble with one another for the purpose of sending. Christians are perpetually being ‘sent out’” (Mark
6:7).

Church Gathered and Scattered

Slocum: “When I search for my place as part of the Church Scattered, I must get in touch with my own spiritual gifts—the special gift or gifts placed in my life by the Holy Spirit. These gifts are valid and active all week long. I must look at my vocation and ask, ‘What is God calling me to do?’ . . . I must ask what it means personally to follow Jesus Christ into my everyday world.”

Church Gathered and Scattered

Ephesians 4:11-16:
It was he who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers, to prepare God’s people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of
God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ. Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of men in their deceitful scheming. Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will in all things grow up into him who is the Head, that is, Christ. From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work .

Church Gathered and Scattered

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Issue 1: Who does the work of ministry?
Issue 2: Who does the equipping?
Issue 3: How do we understand
“prepare?”

Church Gathered and Scattered
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To Mend and Restore:*
Fix what is broken.


Bring back into proper alignment.
Supply what is lacking.
To Establish and Lay Foundations:
Jesus Christ, the True Foundation
The Word of God
Modeling, the Incarnational Way

Church Gathered and Scattered

To Prepare and Train:


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A spiritual gifts-oriented church
A sense of call
Specialized training
*Ogden, Greg. (2001). Unfinished Business: Returning the Ministry to the People of God. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing.

Church Gathered and Scattered

What are the implications of this understanding of Ephesians 4 for the church and/or our approach to ministry?

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Education and Training
Modeling and Mentoring
Multiply rather than Monopolize Ministry

Church Gathered and Scattered

“I envision the layman out in the stream of life, in the situations and crises of our community, equipped with a personal relationship to Christ, empowered by His Spirit, knowledgeable with the plumb line of His will, in fellowship with other Christians so as to withstand the pressures and ambiguities of life. In the church, I ask what we must do to provide all the resources to train and equip that person. I see everything in that light— worship, fellowship, study—and it provides the basis to judge what should have priority and what should be eliminated as irrelevant” (Lloyd Ogilive, quoted by
Howard, Nine Roads to Renewal ).

Surrender and Service?



In our consumer-oriented society and seeker-sensitive church world, what happens to the commands of the
Gospel and the concept of discipleship?
Is it possible to have salvation without discipleship?
Is there any place for the concept of surrender in today’s Christianity?

Surrender Is Essential for Service

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What is implied by Christ’s call to “Follow me?”
Does self-denial still play a role in discipleship?
Does it have any bearing on effectiveness in ministry?
What connection is there between surrender and the presence and power of the Holy Spirit in one’s life and ministry?

Motivation for Service

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What is the Christian’s motivation?
Where does that motivation come from?
How does this relate to the work of the
Holy Spirit?

Summary

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Christ is the Head of His Body, the
Church.
The Spirit is the giver of Life and Gifts.
Every Believer is a Minister.
The Church Gathers to Scatter.
The Church is an Equipping Center.
Surrender is Essential for Service.
Love Makes the Difference.

Developing Maturing Disciples
Who Minister in/as Teams

Is the concept of Ministry Teams biblical?

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Term is not used in scripture.
Examples are numerous:

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Moses, Jethro
Nehemiah
Jesus, Disciples, 70
Acts 6

Paul, Barnabus, Silas, John Mark, Timothy, others
Ecc. 4:12: Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.

Developing Maturing Disciples
Who Minister in/as Teams

Putman, Church Is a Team Sport
I believe that the church is supposed to be a collection of transformed individuals molded by God into a team. .
. . When I speak of church, I mean a body of believers working as individuals and together as a team to achieve the Lord’s goals. God’s plan is to glorify
Himself through this team.

Developing Maturing Disciples
Who Minister in/as Teams
Before we can play, we must be developed through a discipleship process that helps us understand our mission, play this new game, and be successful in our position on the team. . . . As we grow in Him, we move from selfserving, thoughtless, hard-hearted beings into the players
God wants us to become. We are now able to become one with other believers to form His team. Yes, we play as individuals and as a team as well. God has given each person gifts and talents for the purpose of using them for this team. The result of the discipleship process is people who can serve God wherever they work or play as part of
His team.

Developing Maturing Disciples
Who Minister in/as Teams

Pastor as coach, player-coach (Trueblood)

To “prepare” (train, develop) each player and the team as a whole:
The job of the coach is to create and environment where every person can grow. He knows the game well enough to know what the player needs.
He guides the student through the process of becoming a great player and even a great coach.
When we win and train up men and women who are able to win and train up others, growth becomes exponential. (Putman)

What is the
Pastor’s Leadership Role?



Manager--
Or Mentor?
Supervisor--
Or Shepherd?
CEO--
Or Servant?

What is the
Pastor’s Leadership Role?

Shepherd (cares for sheep)
I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. . . . I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me—just as the Father knows me and I know the Father—and I lay down my life for the sheep (Jn 10:11-15).


Servant (stoops to serve)
You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be your slave—just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many (Matt. 20:25-28).

What is the
Pastor’s Leadership Role?
If anyone wants to be first, he must be the very last, and the servant of all (Mk 9:35).
Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another’s feet. I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you (Jn
13:14).

What is the
Pastor’s Leadership Role?

Be shepherds of God’s flock that is under your care, serving as overseers—not because you must, but because you are willing, as
God wants you to be; not greedy for money, but eager to serve; not lording it over those entrusted to you, but being examples to the flock. And when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the crown of glory that will never fade away (1 Peter 5:2-4).

What is the
Pastor’s Leadership Role?


Shepherd/Servant


Caring, Compassionate
Consensus-builder

Facilitator

Equipper
True greatness, true leadership is achieved not by reducing men to one’s service but in giving oneself in selfless service to them.
( Spiritual Leadership , Sanders)

Developing Maturing Disciples
Who Minister in/as Teams
The Church is a ‘team of teams’:



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Leadership teams
Ministry teams
Small groups
Others

Developing Maturing Disciples
Who Minister in/as Teams

Is ‘team’ just a glorified name for a committee or work group? How does a ‘team’ differ?


Work groups are collections of people who come together for a particular duration to accomplish a specific task.
Committees are collections of individuals who meet for discussion and perhaps to make recommendations on policy, programs, etc.

Leadership teams are small groups of leaders who share a common vision, have complementary gifts and skills, are committed to one another’s growth and hold themselves mutually accountable. (Barna)

Developing Maturing Disciples
Who Minister in/as Teams

A Christian ministry team is a manageable group of diversely gifted people who hold one another accountable to serve joyfully together for the glory of God by:

 sharing a common mission accomplishing a meaningful ministry
 anticipating transformative results
( Becoming a Healthy Team: 5 Traits of Vital Leadership,
Macchia)

Developing Maturing Disciples
Who Minister in/as Teams
Five Traits of Healthy Teams:
T rust
E mpower
A ssimilate
M anage
S erve
( Becoming a Healthy Team: 5 Traits of Vital Leadership, Macchia)

Developing Maturing Disciples
Who Minister in/as Teams




Christ said: I will build my church and the gates of Hell will not overcome it (or prevail against it)
(Mt 16:18).
John, the revelator, portrays the risen, victorious Christ, who says: I am the First and the Last. I am the Living
One; I was dead, and behold I am alive for ever and ever!
And I hold the keys of death and hell (Rev. 1:17-18).
Message of Revelation: “Jesus will win!”
Jesus is building His Church and we are privileged to be part of that grand process!