What is ministry? The word “ministry” has a variety of contexts, and I think it’s something quite often misunderstood.
There’s a danger in thinking you are not really in ministry unless you are serving full time in a pastoral position.
I think this is quite mistaken thinking.
It is true that certain people are called by God to do specific tasks that we often associate with “ministry”—however, as we’ll discuss below there’s much more to it than that.
More Than ProfessionalRight off the bat, it seems clear to me that ministry is something that goes beyond being a pastor, elder, or deacon for a local church.
The word most often translated “ministry” in the New Testament is diakonia. It appears 34 times and in a variety of contexts. It appears twice in Acts 6:1-4, in an interesting way:
And in those days, when the number of the disciples was multiplied, there arose a murmuring of the Grecians against the Hebrews, because their widows were neglected in the daily ministration. Then the twelve called the multitude of the disciples unto them, and said, It is not reason that we should leave the word of God, and serve tables. Wherefore, brethren, look ye out among you seven men of honest report, full of the Holy Ghost and wisdom, whom we may appoint over this business. But we will give ourselves continually to prayer, and to the ministry of the word.
“Ministration” in v.1 and “ministry” in v.4 are the same Greek lemma, diakonia.
Notice the issue of the passage: Almost humorously, smack dab at the beginning of the church, people are complaining because their needs are not being met.
What’s going on here is that Christianity is spreading so fast and the disciples of Jesus were working so hard to minister in teaching the Word that some of their other duties were being neglected.
Thus, they appoint other disciples to take over these particular duties in order that they can continue “the ministry of the Word.” But does this mean the ministry of the Word, whatever that is, is more important?
It seems to me this question requires some nuanced thinking:
In one sense, it certainly seems appropriate to say that the preaching and teaching of God’s Word is of maximal importance. After all, the preaching of God’s Word is how people come to believe (1 Cor. 1:21). The disciples obviously thought this role was extremely important.
However, it is also true that God’s plan for bringing people to himself involves ministering to others through service. In fact, to see this, we need not look further than the next few verses of our same passage (v.5-7):
And the saying pleased the whole multitude: and they chose Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Ghost, and Philip, and Prochorus, and Nicanor, and Timon, and Parmenas, and Nicolas a proselyte of Antioch: Whom they set before the apostles: and when they had prayed, they laid their hands on them. And the word of God increased; and the number of the disciples multiplied in Jerusalem greatly; and a great company of the priests were obedient to the faith.
As a direct result of this decision, the Word of God increased, the number of disciples multiplied, and even many priests were converted!
Grant Osbourne reflects on the success of this decision:
All three verbs in verse 7 are imperfects, stressing ongoing activity. The “word” is not just the gospel but an epithet for the church as the people of the word. So it means, “the church kept on growing.” Moreover, it did not just grow; it “increased rapidly” (or “kept on multiplying greatly”), perhaps even more than earlier. Most astoundingly of all, “a large number of priests,” who had replaced the Pharisees as the major opponents of God’s people, “became obedient to the faith,” another epithet for conversion. Scholars estimate there were between 18,000 and 20,000 priests and Levites all told. That a significant number became Christ followers is a major sign of God’s blessing on the church. The principle is clear—every crisis is a Spirit-led opportunity to surrender further to him and discover a newfound depth of strength, resulting in an even greater growth of the church.1
These seven men who were appointed could have chosen to complain because they did not get to pray, study, and teach the word full-time. Instead, they were obedient to their spiritual vocation, and the church multiplied.
The lesson is important: When God’s people are obedient, his glorious purposes are fulfilled and his blessings rain down.
Don’t think that because your ministry doesn’t look like somebody else’s, it’s not “real” ministry. That’s misguided—and unscriptural—thinking.
But Also ProfessionalSure enough, though, there are particular offices of ministry given for the local church. There is a need for pastors, deacons, elders, evangelists, etc.
As we saw just above, there are those who are gifted with the ability to teach, to preach, and to shepherd a flock.
While a great many churches have a
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