A Church Full of Ministers

What we need is a church full of ministers. I don’t mean ordained clergy. I mean church members who are serving God. Minister means “servant.” To minister is “to serve.” This is the New Testament’s job description for pastors and teachers in the church: "God has given... pastors and teachers to prepare God's people for works of ministry, so the body of Christ may be built up" (Ephesians 4: 11-12).

My job is “to prepare God’s people for works of ministry.” That means it would be wrong of me to try to do all the ministering myself. It makes sense that I would do other “works of ministry,” but my main service to the church as a pastor-teacher is to prepare church members for works of service. I am using my spiritual gifts, abilities, and training to try to prepare a church full of ministers or, as Ephesians 4 says it, “so that the body of Christ may be built up.”

I’m not the only one preparing God’s people called New Hope Baptist Church. We have others gifted, able, and trained to teach including those who teach Bible study classes: Ruth Bradley, Mel Lyons, Shane Gaster, Boyd Frank, Jeanne Mathieson, Leesa Holloway, Cheryl Secunda, and Tim Fisher. Dennis Bucher is our Minister of Music. As his title says, he prepares God’s people for works of ministry through music. Elaine Hardy is our Sunday School Consultant, gifted and trained as a preparer of God’s people. My list is not exhaustive. There are others preparing God’s people in other ways. We work together to have a church full of ministers.