How God’s Love Will Change UsSample

Anger Danger

The role of leaders in the church is not to do ministry but develop ministry. Leaders develop ministry when they equip, empower, coach, cheerlead, and encourage God’s people.

When the church was started, everyone understood this. But at some point, there arose a group of professional clergy, a spiritual elite who took over the ministry. The attitude then developed that meaningful ministry was for the professionals and that the people were recipients and spectators of ministry.

This is not God’s way of doing church. In fact, this is a diabolical strategy to hamstring God’s work and to stifle the spiritual growth of God’s people. Moreover, pastors and priests were also to blame for this tragedy, because they enjoyed their status as the spiritual elite and did not want to give up control.

Let me ask you: What is the most effective way of doing church? Should we put the ministry in the hands of a few seminary-educated, robe-wearing, jargon-talking professionals, or should we empower all of God’s people to do the ministry?

I think it’s a no-brainer. Let’s go with God’s way.

God says you are a minister—you. Moreover, you are a missionary, because you are on a mission for God wherever you are. You are a soldier of the gospel in the great battle.

And the church? It’s not a cruise ship where you go to be served and entertained.

It is a battleship, and every soldier is needed to man their battle stations. What is your battle station?