Post by LDM on Sept 7, 2010 7:22:59 GMT -5
Interesting article. If we are the ministers, then what is your calling from God in ministry? Are we fulfilling this? Let's not let another day go past without seeking God to bring us into that perfect place in His Body...perfect because we are aligned with His will and fulfilling His calling in our lives.
Excerpts below.
"Simply put, the people are the ‘ministers’ and the ministry is given to us by the Holy Spirit and resides in the hearts of the individual believer. The main job of church leadership is not to invent or tell the people what their ministry is, but to equip and free the believers for the work of ministry that God has already determined for them before the foundations of the world."
www.illuminate-us.com/#/writings-1-9/strippers-or-promoters
Let me start this article off with a bit of a warning. While what I’m about to say regarding the role of pastors and church leaders might be seen as counter-productive and divisive, I’m convinced that a major factor why the American church is in a state of disrepair today lies at the feet of our misunderstanding of the nature of pastoral and church leadership. Simply put, our leaders just might be killing us! The New Testament Greek word for repentance literally means ‘to change our minds’, and one of the things that many of us in the American church need a change of mindset about is what church leadership actually is. I’m convinced that the implications of this change of mindset may be as dramatic as the protestant reformation of the 1500’s.
I have always been amazed and perplexed that some of the most vocal critics of past revivals, and even the American great awakenings of the 1700’s and 1800’s, have been very well respected church leaders of their day. How did they miss it? Why did they oppose these moves of God? I can tell you from personal experience as a local church pastor that there were many times that I quenched the Holy Spirit’s operation in the church that I was leading as well.
Why did I do that?
Well, we could conclude that these leaders, myself included, were evil people consumed with pride and power hungry hearts. On the other hand, we could also conclude that the real problem just might lie at our fundamental misunderstanding of the nature of leadership in the kingdom of God. I think I’ll assume the latter because the majority of church leaders I know have beautiful hearts who are willing to endure much hardship in their quest to be obedient to Jesus and His call to serve the body of Christ. Simply put, they have good hearts.
In spite of our church leader’s best intentions, this lack of a biblical understanding regarding kingdom leadership has affected the American church in 3 negative ways.
Please click the link to read the rest of the article.
Excerpts below.
"Simply put, the people are the ‘ministers’ and the ministry is given to us by the Holy Spirit and resides in the hearts of the individual believer. The main job of church leadership is not to invent or tell the people what their ministry is, but to equip and free the believers for the work of ministry that God has already determined for them before the foundations of the world."
www.illuminate-us.com/#/writings-1-9/strippers-or-promoters
Let me start this article off with a bit of a warning. While what I’m about to say regarding the role of pastors and church leaders might be seen as counter-productive and divisive, I’m convinced that a major factor why the American church is in a state of disrepair today lies at the feet of our misunderstanding of the nature of pastoral and church leadership. Simply put, our leaders just might be killing us! The New Testament Greek word for repentance literally means ‘to change our minds’, and one of the things that many of us in the American church need a change of mindset about is what church leadership actually is. I’m convinced that the implications of this change of mindset may be as dramatic as the protestant reformation of the 1500’s.
I have always been amazed and perplexed that some of the most vocal critics of past revivals, and even the American great awakenings of the 1700’s and 1800’s, have been very well respected church leaders of their day. How did they miss it? Why did they oppose these moves of God? I can tell you from personal experience as a local church pastor that there were many times that I quenched the Holy Spirit’s operation in the church that I was leading as well.
Why did I do that?
Well, we could conclude that these leaders, myself included, were evil people consumed with pride and power hungry hearts. On the other hand, we could also conclude that the real problem just might lie at our fundamental misunderstanding of the nature of leadership in the kingdom of God. I think I’ll assume the latter because the majority of church leaders I know have beautiful hearts who are willing to endure much hardship in their quest to be obedient to Jesus and His call to serve the body of Christ. Simply put, they have good hearts.
In spite of our church leader’s best intentions, this lack of a biblical understanding regarding kingdom leadership has affected the American church in 3 negative ways.
Please click the link to read the rest of the article.