Ok. So, carrying on from where we left off, when it comes to methods in the local church, the most important thing to realise is that the people are the local church. Ministries should be nothing more than structures that allow the body to be the body.

Now you are the body of Christ and individually members of it.

–1 Corinthians 12:27

Chapter 12 makes a prolonged argument that every body part is different, designed for different functions in the body, but all have the same head and all seek the good of the body as a whole. So if every body part has a different gift, a different function, a different focus, then we’ve got to make sure we don’t hinder the body parts from doing their part. In other words, the primary purpose of a programme is to facilitate the proper functioning of the body. Nothing more. Nothing less.

Programmes should not drive ministry

If our programmes are “worker hungry” (always looking for more workers), then they are out of place. Have you ever visited a church and even before you had a chance to evaluate the place you were being told how much of a help you could be to them? That’s evidence that the programmes are driving the ministry. We’ve got to tear that whole mindset down and build a new one based on a biblical theology of the body.

Build your programmes around your people

What we need to be doing is building people. After all, that’s the great commission. And a growing body part cannot be healthy unless it’s doing what it was put there to do. In other words, we don’t need people. People need us! And the purpose of the programmes is to give them a structure in which to use their gifts and fulfil their purpose in the building up of the body.

So what does this look like practically? Well, it means we’ve got to stop asking “Who can we get to help with Kids Klub?” and start asking “What are Bob’s gifts and passions? Where can we fit Bob in so that he’ll function like he’s supposed to in the body?”

Relationship

That means we’re going to have to get to know Bob well enough that we understand Bob’s gifts and passions without giving him a seven week course on spiritual gifts and a three hour personal diagnostic questionnaire and interview.

It also means we might need to start a new programme for Bob and it might mean we have to close an old programme down when someone leaves the body. Why? Because we’re building our programmes around our people. Not the other way around.

Grace to you.

this is part 3 of 3 in the series
Church programmes

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About Jason Harris

Dr Jason Harris is a writer, pastor, and academic. He has authored multiple books, articles, and papers including his book Theological Meditations on the Gospel. Jason has a PhD from James Cook University as well as degrees in theology, music, accounting, and research. Jason has lived in Cairns, Australia since 2007 and serves as pastor at CrossPoint Church. You can contact Jason at jason@jasonharris.com.au.

6 Comments

  1. Alen 12 November, 2008 at 8:29 pm - Reply

    “If our programmes are “worker hungry” (always looking for more workers), then they are out of place. Have you ever visited a church and even before you had a chance to evaluate the place you were being told how much of a help you could be to them? That’s evidence that the programmes are driving the ministry. We’ve got to tear that whole mindset down and build a new one based on a biblical theology of the body.”

    This is a very common scenario from what I know in my own experiences and from what others have told me. The mindset is going to be one tough thing to crack though..

  2. Jason 12 November, 2008 at 9:31 pm - Reply

    I agree Alen. I suppose it’s the natural way we think. But I really think it puts the wrong kind of pressure on people by emphasising getting involved in “what we’re doing” instead of getting involved where the Lord has gifted you to minister.

  3. Robert Apps 12 November, 2008 at 9:38 pm - Reply

    Jason, am I the ‘Bob’ you referred to in your article?:)

  4. Jason Harris 12 November, 2008 at 11:12 pm - Reply

    lol! I should have chosen a more veiled character profile!

  5. Robert Apps 14 November, 2008 at 5:18 pm - Reply

    Jason,

    I have been thinking about your post for a couple of days now.

    I think we are agreed that people need to serve in ministries that maximise their gifts. There is no point, for a variety of reasons, having people do ministries that they are not equipped or suited to do.

    On the other hand, it takes time for people to discover their blending of spiritual gifts. For example, there are a lot of missionaries and evangelists around who served as pastors for a while until they (and others) saw they were called to a different task.

    So people will often begin in youth or other ministries. Some stay in that ministry or move to other ministries as their gifts become apparent.

    I think the best way to assess gifts is in the context of a ministry. Some people simply will not know if they suited to different tasks until they give them a go.

    To avoid people getting stuck in ministries that don’t suit them, churches needs to have clearly defined terms of service so that people don’t see obligations of service as ’till death do them part’.

    People should be asked on an annual basis about their availability to continue serving so that they have an ‘out’ when it becomes clear that they should be serving elsewhere.

    I think that way we will be better placed to get the right people serving in the right ministries (or programs:))

  6. Jason Harris 14 November, 2008 at 9:10 pm - Reply

    Rob,

    I agree with your point. I think for young people, new church members, and newer believers it is completely appropriate for them to just find a ministry that interests them and get involved. But I do think that we need to see this as a means to getting them in the ideal place, not as the ends.

    I like your idea of an annual opportunity to re-sign-up for ministries, though I would probably prefer to see it done even more often.

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