Everyone Is a MinisterSample

The modern church has two groups of people: the clergies and the civvies. The clergies are full-time church workers who have gone through some ministry training. These clergies are the ones who preach, teach, baptize, and conduct weddings and funerals—all the essential and spiritual stuff.

On the other hand, the civilians, or the civvies, focus on church finances and care ministry. They must raise funds and set budgets while ministering to widows, orphans, and the elderlies. In some churches, they may even lead small groups and teach smaller classes. But they don’t do anything significant or important, certainly nothing that requires mature spiritual discernment.

But not preaching. Not evangelizing. Not praying the corporate prayers in the middle of a weekend service. Because sometime in the past, some clergies read Acts 6 and then told the civvies not to worry anymore about preaching and praying. “You need to do these menial things so that we can focus on the more important and spiritual things like praying and preaching.”

Nonsense. Pure unadulterated nonsense.

First, the Bible clearly states that caring for others is as important as preaching and praying. Taking care of widows is not just a meaningless chore.

Second, it’s clear that these seven Greek-speaking leaders never thought of themselves as mere social workers for the church. They did their assignment, the food distribution for the widows. But on top of that, they also prayed for sick people, performed miracles, and preached the gospel. One of them, Stephen, was so successful preaching the Good News that the Jerusalem high council martyred him.

Listen up. We are all empowered by God’s Holy Spirit to do his work in this world. We are all God’s New Testament prophets. There should only be differences in titles between modern-day clergies and civvies. But never in function. Everyone has the right, the authority, and the responsibility, to pray, teach, preach the gospel, and care for the ones who need it the most.

So don’t wait for an invitation. Don’t wait for your pastors to assign you a ministry position. And most importantly, please do not allow someone else to stop you from serving Jesus just because you lack a proper title. Every member of the church is a minister. Start serving God and his church today and see what he can do through you.