Why the Church? Ministry

June 20, 2022 (Monday)

Have you noticed any changes in your favorite restaurant? Chances are that the nice people who take your orders, bring you food and attend to your needs are not labeled, “waiters” and “waitresses” anymore. Today they are known as “servers.” And that’s not just a change that does away with sexism; it is a change that emphasizes what is going on when you go out to eat. People serve you.

Jesus made clear that His followers must be “servers.” His most expressive lesson about this was the washing of the feet of his disciples. After doing that, He said to them, “And if your Lord and teacher has washed your feet, you should do the same for each other” (John 13:14 CEV).

Jesus Demonstrates Servanthood

When someone says that a major objective of the church is ministry, he or she means that a characteristic of God’s people is “servanthood.”

There was a time when “Missions” was an item in our budget as churches. But over the last several decades, in many churches mission work has become less of a “line item” and much more a project for the Lord. “Missions” is no longer confined to “Cooperative Program,” but includes trips to Mexico, Colombia, Cuba and ..

When I was pastor in Houston in recent years, the congregation on Sunday morning seemed to average 17 in attendance, but several of those Christian people had “ministries” for which they felt responsibility. One was a recovering alcoholic who had a ministry all her own among those suffering from alcoholism. She helped them in additional ways, including introducing them to Jesus as Savior and bringing them to church where they made public professions of faith, and found new life in Christ. Others included a couple who took to heart the people who worked with those employed on ships or in the local port, sponsoring projects like gift boxes that encouraged citizens and non-citizens and created a good influence in the name of the Lord. Still another lady sponsored fund raising to some extent for a local food pantry and mission to the needy people of the city. Others had mission work of their own, as did people in every church in which I have served through the years.

The idea of “servanthood,” or whatever we may wish to call it, should characterize every Christian in a church, permeating its atmosphere with helpfulness of every kind. Ministries to church members as well as those outside the church must occupy our thoughts and actions on a permanent basis. Jesus Christ ministers to us so that we may minister to others. Or, to bring the language down to everyday usage, Jesus Christ serves us so that we may serve others.

This is just a little introduction to the subject of “Ministry.” Volumes could be written, or, better still reports could abound about people helping people, all in the name of Jesus.

The printed order of these five objectives is not necessarily the order of importance. They are all important, and each one is needed in the church. Local churches determine priorities as they are led by the Holy Spirit.