Philosophy of Ministry
I believe a biblical philosophy of ministry is shaped by an unalterable set of Scriptural principles, either explicit or implicit, from which a ministry is to function; i.e. a philosophy of ministry defines what we do and why we do what we do in church and the work of any particular ministry.
I) A High View of God.
God is holy, just, loving, omniscient, omnipresent, omnipotent, veracity, immutable, eternal, aseity, infinity wise, wrath, gracious and unalterable in His decrees. All ministry must reflect His perfections and have for its’ purpose His glory in order for the Church to accomplish its biblical mandates. Preaching, evangelism, discipleship, counseling and all programs ought to center on His excellencies, majesty and holiness and have as their purposeful outcome, His exaltation. A low view of God leads to an anthropocentric focus of ministry and seeks to accommodate man’s inferior methodologies.
II) A High View of Scripture’s Sufficiency.
All Scripture is verbally and plenarily God-breathed, innerant, infallible and completely trustworthy in all that it asserts. The Bible is the foundation for the Church and by explicit or implicit statements provides for us the method by which ministry is to be accomplished and the content it is to propagate. The Bible is sufficient in its commands and counsel for all areas of life pertaining to godliness and sanctification. It is profitable for teaching, reproof, correction, training in righteousness and able to adequately equip each Christian completely for ministry and service to our Lord Jesus Christ. Only the Bible is binding and authoritative for the Church, not tradition, nor Church counsels or creeds. As stewards, the Church is to preserve the Scriptures fully and protect sound doctrine from ungodly, corrupting influences in the world and false teachers. All true preaching has as its’ centerpiece the accurate exposition of the Word of God.
III) A Low View of Man’s Sinfulness.
Scripture clearly teaches that man is a sinner (depraved), incapable of earning salvation by any or all works nor is he capable of completing the sanctification process by his own efforts. Man must be born-again, by faith alone, to receive salvation from God through Christ and be filled with the Holy Spirit in order to be empowered for service to God. Unregenerate man is unable to do any good of his own; he does not understand the things of God, he is hostile to God and holy things, he is not able to subject himself to the Law of God, the gospel is foolishness to him, his heart is deceitfully wicked, and he is dead in his trespasses and sins. Only the Holy Spirit can regenerate and convert a man and cleanse him from his sins. This He does by the preaching of the gospel and the Word. Man’s greatest need is not legislation, education, nor relocation; it is regeneration by the preached Word of God. Man is devoid of any intrinsic righteousness; yet Christ graciously imputes to him His righteousness at the moment of salvation for justification before God.
IV) A Biblical View of Salvation in Christ.
Man is utterly incapable of saving himself. Salvation from sin and judgment is an act sovereignly initiated by God, sustained and completed by Him solely because of His grace and eternal decrees. Upon belief in Jesus Christ for forgiveness of sins, the sinner’s wickedness, transgressions and disobedience is imputed to Jesus Christ on the cross where the punishment for sins are atoned for. At the same time the righteousness of Jesus Christ is imputed or credited to the sinner for justification. This transaction is eternal and irreversible. A biblical philosophy of ministry reflects God’s sovereignty and providences in His working in and through the Church, His bride for evangelism.
V) A Biblical View of the Church.
The Church universal is the bride of Christ. Jesus said that He will build His Church. Church growth is the work of Christ through the preached Word, the ordinances of the Lord’s Supper and baptism, and the sanctification of its members. The Church is built upon the preaching of the apostles and prophets; it is the bride of Christ elected by God and given to Jesus for His glory. Jesus bought the Church with His blood, sanctifies her by His Spirit, enables her through spiritual gifts to edify itself, and manifests Himself through her to the world of non-believers. The Church is to worship God, pray, propagate the gospel, preach the Word, hold to sound doctrine, be the family of God, train believers for service to Christ, and lovingly provide accountability for each other.
SDG
