How We Do Ministry at
Grace Bible Church
By Pastor Errol
Introduction.
This paper has been prepared to provide instruction regarding the way we operate as a church at Grace Bible Church. We understand and respect the fact that other churches do things differently. We rejoice in the fact that God not only allows differences in methodology within His Church, but that He uses and blesses different types of ministries. This is not an exhaustive description of every aspect of ministry at Grace Bible Church. Rather, in addition to laying down some specifics about ministry, it provides principles that can
be applied to many issues not specifically addressed in this paper.
I. JESUS CHRIST: THE HEAD OF THE CHURCH
A. Jesus said, “I will build My church, and the gates of Hades will not prevail against it.” (Matthew 16:18) From this we learn the following vital lessons about the Lord and His Church:
The Church belongs to the Lord. It does not belong to men, whether they be
members of the congregation, leaders within the local church, or leaders within
a denomination. The Church is His because He paid for it with His
blood (Acts 20:28)Jesus will build His Church. He does not need us. The Lord uses people in the building of His
Church, but only as they are submitted to Him and doing His will. No human or human agency can take credit for
the building up of Christ’s Church.His Church will triumph. (Ephesians 5:25-27) While there have certainly been ups and downs in the Church, and while there are differing views on how the Church will ultimately triumph, that Jesus is building His Church is guarantee of her success. The success of the building of Christ’s Church is not dependent upon men, but on the Lord Himself.
II. HUMAN LEADERSHIP IN THE CHURCH
A. The Lord has ordained leadership. The Lord has ordained human leadership within His Church (Ephesians 4:11).
B. Leadership roles. The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are co-equal (John 10:30), and yet they have different functions within the Godhead (1 Corinthians 11:3). In a similar way, human leaders in the church are not greater than others, but they do have
different functions. Among other tasks, the leaders are charged with: preaching, teaching, administering the sacraments, praying for the sick, establishing order and discipline.
C. The goal for human leaders. (Ephesians 4:12-16) Jesus gave His Church human servant-leaders to equip the Church for ministry and to nurture its spiritual growth.
D. Human leaders are gifts from God to the Church (Ephesians 4:11). As gifts to the Church, the Church should honor her leaders (1 Timothy 5:17) and should not receive unfounded accusation against them (1 Timothy 5:19). The congregation should obey her leaders as the leaders obey the Lord, not only for the glory of the Lord, and for the good of the Church, but for their own sakes
(Hebrews 13:17).
E. Human leaders are shepherds (1 Peter 5:1-4). Jesus calls His people sheep and identifies Himself as the Good Shepherd. Jesus said His sheep hear His voice and follow Him (John 10:27-28). The Lord has appointed human shepherds to work under Him in Shepherding the flock. Human shepherds must shepherd in the same way the Good Shepherd does. By following Jesus’ example and teaching about how to lead sheep, we discern the following:
Shepherds provide food and water by faithfully preaching and teaching the Word of God (1 Peter 5:2).
Sheep are led, not driven like cattle. The shepherd is out in front, leading by example, not behind pushing (1 Peter 5:3).
Shepherds must protect the sheep from predators and other forms of potential danger (Acts 20:29-31).
Shepherds go after strays (Matthew 18:12-13).
Shepherds love the sheep and are willing to give their lives for the sheep (John 10:15).
As shepherds, our goal at Grace Bible Church is that the congregation here be the best fed and most loved sheep anywhere.
F. Human leaders are called by various names. Pastors, elders, presbyters, overseers, and bishops are different terms that refer to the same body of servant leaders. They have different roles according to their gifts, but they work together toward the same goal. It is imperative that the leaders in a local church share a common vision and are able to work as a team.
G. Elders.
Qualifications. The spiritual qualifications for elders are found in 1 Timothy 3:1-7 and Titus 1:5-9. In these passages it is
clear that elders must have their spiritual lives in order; they must have their personal lives in order; and their families must be in order. They are to be time-tested and approved.Role. The elders are the spiritual leaders of the church. They are even called to “rule” over the church (1 Timothy 5:17; Hebrews 13:7). As spiritual leaders, they are to provide general leadership (business, finance, etc.); they are the preachers, teachers, and biblical counselors in the church.
Diversity of gifts. Each elder has different gifts. Some are more gifted with interpersonal relationships, some with business and finance, and some with preaching and teaching. Most churches have elders who are paid staff. While these are no more important, nor do they have any more authority in the church, because these are immersed in the life of the church as their full-time jobs, these often are more aware of the details of the ministry. They often have insights regarding the ministry that the other elders do not have because they spend more time working in the ministry.
The pastor(s). When there is more than one elder on staff, it is commonly recognized that one of the staff elders will be recognized as the pastor. The pastor is the “first among equals.” This role is generally filled by the primary teaching elder. While staff will look to this elder as their “boss,” as a spiritual elder, the pastor has no more authority than the other elders.
The pastor is no greater than the elders, who are no greater than the deacons, who are no greater than the members of the congregation. However, each has a different function and responsibility. These varying functions and responsibilities require mutual submission and accountability, while recognizing certain members of the leadership team as having limited, yet
greater authority.
H. Deacons. The spiritual qualifications of deacons are found in Acts 6:3 and 1 Timothy 3:8-13. In these passages it is
clear that the deacons are held to virtually the same standards as are the elders. The only difference is that while elders are required to be “able to teach” (1 Timothy 3:2), deacons are not. Deacons assist the elders and are the chief servants in the church.
I. Staff relationships. The pastor answers to the Elders, (excluding staff elders, who cannot be their boss’s boss). All other staff work for the pastor. This alleviates the staff from answering to all the elders, thus avoiding the confusion of having numerous bosses to whom
they must answer.
K. Various Ministries. There are various ministries at Grace Bible Church. These include: Adult Education (men, women, and discipleship), Children, Facilities, Hospitality, Outreach (local evangelism and world missions), Media, Worship, and Youth. These various ministries are led by the elders, assisted by deacons and other interested and gifted people in the congregation.
III. THE CONGREGATION OF THE CHURCH
A. As Christ is the Head, so the congregation is the body of the Church (Colossians 1:18). At Grace, we see those who attend our church in several categories. First, there are visitors. These are people who come to our church for the first time. People remain visitors until they either become regular attenders or stop attending all together. When a person has attended the church for a reasonable amount of time, he is a regular attender. The third tier is membership.
B. Membership. At Grace, we believe in the concept of formal church membership. The church in Jerusalem kept track of its
members (Acts 2:41, Acts 4:4).
To become a member, a person is to read through our “membership information packet,” attend a membership class or interview with two elders, and fill out an application.
When a person becomes a member, he is making a commitment to the concept of membership and to membership in this church. As a member he is expected to attend and contribute faithfully. As a member, he is to hold the church accountable to the scriptures; and as a
member, the leadership will hold him accountable to the faith. Members are not esteemed or loved more than non-members, but they have asked for, and are held to, a higher level of accountability. If a member leaves the church, he is expected to counsel with the elders about the decision with the objective of parting on good terms in mind. Members who leave on good terms are expected to join with another church.
Membership at Grace Bible Church is reviewed and renewed annually. This provides members and the elders an opportunity to discuss the member’s spiritual growth and commitment to the church. This process is discussed more fully in the church’s bylaws.
IV. THE MARKS OF A NEW TESTAMENT CHURCH
Historically the marks of a true church have been defined as: (1) preaching and teaching the Word of God; (2) administering the sacraments (ordinances); and (3) being willing to exercise church discipline as needed. To this, we at Grace Bible Church add a fourth mark: A New Testament church must have a vision for evangelism and missions.
A. Preaching the Word of God. At Grace, preaching and teaching the Word of God occupies a place of tremendous importance. The Word of God is taught authoritatively and without compromise for the sake of popularity. Those who preach and teach at Grace must be more afraid of misrepresenting God than of offending people with the truth. When a pastor or teacher truly loves the congregation and they know it, he can preach as hard as he wishes and the sheep will not be offended.
B. Administering the Sacraments. Jesus gave His Church two sacraments, or ordinances. They are Baptism and the Lord’s Supper, or Communion. Sacraments are outward visible symbols of inward spiritual realties in the lives of those who are born again. As a New Testament church we hold both the ordinances in high esteem. Both sacraments are for people who have been born again, and only for those who have been born again. The following is a brief statement about Grace Bible Church’s teachings on each:
Baptism. We believe that all who have been born again are to be baptized in obedience to the command of scripture. We baptize believers by immersion, but we acknowledge the traditions of others in the Church of Jesus Christ who baptize infants and do so by other means. We do not believe that baptism is a saving act, but rather that it is an act of obedience on the part of the saved. Baptisms at Grace are public events. Every person who is born again is commanded to be baptized.
Communion. We believe that all who have been born again and are baptized are to receive the Lord’s Supper in obedience to the command of scripture. We are to partake of the Lord’s Supper in remembrance of Christ and His sacrificial death and resurrection for those He came to save. While rejecting the Roman Catholic view that the communion elements are transformed into the actual flesh and blood of Christ, we take a higher view than that the Supper is merely a memorial. We believe that Christ is spiritually present in the Supper and that Christians receive spiritual nourishment by partaking of it in faith. We believe that Christians should receive the Lord’s Supper regularly and often. We believe that Communion is only to be received by born again baptized believers. We celebrate the Lord’s Supper regularly in the public worship services on Sundays.
C. Exercising Church Discipline. Cults seek to dominate people, legislating all sorts of things that God does not. We believe the sheep belong to God and that He can deal with them better than we can. Therefore we pray for the sheep, and enter into confrontation only when necessary.
There are varying degrees of accountability in the church. The first is by faithfully preaching, teaching, and counseling from the Word.
This will deal with most problems in a church. If situations arise in which a person in the church is involved in open scandalous sin, the leadership has the obligation to try to lead the person to repentance (Matthew 18:15-17). If the person will not repent, he may ultimately be expelled from the church until such time as he will repent (1 Corinthians 5:4-8). When such a person repents, he should be restored to fellowship in love (2 Corinthians 2:5-8).
Accountability is voluntary. People can only be held accountable if they are willing. While the church must teach the Word of God authoritatively; and while scripture certainly does instruct us about how to live our lives, the church cannot, nor should it try to, dictate particulars about how people live their lives, in areas not clearly defined in scripture. When a person is out of fellowship, we inquire after them, but we do not badger them or seek to intimidate them into submission.
We believe that a person must earn the right to speak to another about issues in one’s life. It is only after we have demonstrated our love for a person that we can effectively speak to them about issues in their lives. Unless such a relationship exists, we offer counselor advice only in three formats:
When we are preaching and teaching. This does not mean that we preach sermons or teach Bible studies with a particular person and/or problem in mind. We should not do that. However, when the Word of God is faithfully and authoritatively preached and taught, godly advice and counsel will be offered to those who will hear what the Holy Spirit is saying.
When it is asked for. There are times when a friend or family member of one in need will ask leaders to contact a person for the purpose of counsel. We do not contact people to offer unsolicited advice or counsel.
When the body is at risk. If a person is engaging in actions that put the body of Christ at risk, confrontation in the form of discipline may be necessary. We must be careful to be sure the body is really at risk. It is at risk less often than we think it is.
D. A Vision for Evangelism and Missions. In Matthew 28:18-20, Jesus left His disciples with what we call the Great Commission. This Great Commission is to make disciples of people from all nations, baptizing and training them in the faith. This process begins with evangelism, both locally and abroad.
A more detailed explanation of evangelism and missions at Grace is found later in this booklet.
V. MINISTRIES AT GRACE
A. Small Groups. Two vitally important small group ministries at Grace Bible Church are Discipleship groups and Home Fellowships.
Discipleship. Discipleship groups are groups of no more than six men or women (they are not co-educational) who meet weekly for the purpose of in-depth Bible study. We provide a recommended list of curriculum for use in these groups. The goal of discipleship is not to complete a series of lessons. It is spiritual growth resulting in a desire to lead people to faith in Christ and mentor others in the faith.
Home Fellowships. Home Fellowships are small “churches within the church” that meet on the second Sunday of each month. The purpose for Home Fellowships is to provide more intimate fellowship and congregational care than can take place in the general worship services of the church. Home Fellowships are led by elders or deacons or by those approved by the elders to lead.
B. Other Ministries. The following is a description of a few of the key ministries at Grace Bible Church.
Worship. Worship is to be God-centered (for His glory) rather than man-centered (for our entertainment). Worship at Grace is congregational. Special music may be presented from time to time. We do this because worship is not primarily for the people’s entertainment, but for God’s. Worship at Grace is a mix of “psalms, hymns and spiritual songs” (Ephesians 5:19). The theological content of the lyrics of worship songs is of utmost importance. We tend mostly to use music that is addressed to God and that exalts Him, but we also sing exhortation and testimony songs. Singing is a biblical way to exalt God and refresh His people’s hearts.
Missions and Evangelism. Grace is committed to local evangelism and world missions. There are many kinds of missionary
endeavors, however at Grace Bible Church we desire to support those who are doing “front-line” missionary work. We support missionaries from other churches and we send missionaries from our church, both long and short term. (For a more detailed understanding of Grace Bible Church’s philosophy of world missions, please see “The Role of the Local Church in World Missions,” available from the church.)Locally, Grace desires to see people come to saving faith in Jesus Christ. We believe that healthy sheep reproduce themselves. Sheep beget sheep, churches do not. As valuable as church evangelistic events may be, the most effective means of preaching the gospel to the lost around us is personal evangelism; individuals talking about Christ to individuals. As a church, we seek to provide encouragement and opportunity for people to share their faith. As a church we engage in “pre-evangelism” by being visible in the community. By doing this, when a person or family in the community does have a desire for spiritual things, including finding a church, they will already know about us. Also, when members of Grace share their faith or invite friends to church, their guests will have already been aware of Grace Bible Church, thus minimizing their anxiety about responding.
Children. Children are a gift from the Lord and should always be viewed as such. Parents are responsible before the Lord regarding the particulars of how they “bring them up in the training and admonition of the Lord.” (Ephesians 6:4) Therefore we provide options.
Parents are free to keep their children with them in the worship service. Of course, if small children become fussy, parents will want to take them to our “Family Room” where together the family can continue to be a part of the service via closed-circuit TV, and where children can be less restrained.
Nursing mothers are invited to utilize the nursing area in the “Family Room.”
For those who prefer to utilize our children’s ministry, we provide a nursery for babies and toddlers, and Sunday School for preschool age through fifth grade. The Sunday school for children begins after the singing portion of the worship service.
Youth. Typical youth ministries tend to separate young people from their parents. We believe that young people are better served by more parental involvement, not less. Because young people are so easily influenced, it is important to provide a great deal of parental influence.
The purpose of Grace’s youth ministry is to assist parents in discipling their young people. The church is not called to be a social activities director. As the church does not seek to attract and keep adults by presenting church as a fun place that sometimes talks about God, neither will we do this with young people. The young people do enjoy activities, but this is not the purpose or the responsibility of the church.
Hospitality. We are committed to doing all we can do at Grace to make our guests feel welcome and at home here. While the gospel may be an offense to those who do not believe, we must not be offensive. We will do all we can to avoid putting guests in situations that will embarrass them. We will do all we can to keep distractions in the worship services down to a minimum.
Sometimes these two goals conflict. In such cases, we do our best.
VI. THE WAY WE DO MINISTRY
A. Purpose. Grace Bible Church has a stated over-arching purpose. We exist as a church to Honor God, Serve God’s People, and Influence the World with the Gospel. Everything we do must have a purpose and be related to our stated over-arching purpose. We do not want to expend our resources, even on good things, that are not in keeping with our stated over-arching purpose. We do not want to do anything, simply because we have done it that way in the past. We do not want to rule something out because we have never done it.
B. Biblical Simplicity. We do not want to be anything less than a New Testament church. But neither do we desire to be anything more. Churches, like government agencies, have a tendency to become bureaucratic, over-organized, automated, and generally ineffective. It is for this reason that, while some organization is necessary, we try to keep everything at Grace as simple as possible.
C. Everything subject to scrutiny. Because they are mandated by the Bible worship, preaching the Word of God, the sacraments, worship, and prayer will never be discontinued. Everything else at Grace is always subject to scrutiny. If a ministry ceases to be an effective means of fulfilling our purpose, it may be discontinued or substituted with something else.
D. We cannot do everything. At Grace, we believe it is better to do a few things well, rather than many things poorly. For this reason, we do not try to offer every imaginable ministry. We are not called to do everything.
E. The importance of excellence. Since Christian ministries are all some people see of the Lord, and because we are His representatives, we must be committed to excellence in everything we do. God deserves no less than our best.
F. Opportunities, not guilt. While we believe all the ministries at Grace are important, we do not believe any person is called to participate in every ministry at Grace. We provide people with information about opportunities for ministry. We do not badger people or push them to do more than they are freely willing to do.
G. Grace and Money. Everything we have, as individuals or collectively as a church, belongs to God. We are charged to be stewards of His possessions. While Jesus paid for our salvation, offering it freely to us all, ministry costs money to operate. The ministry at Grace Bible Church is supported by the tithes and offerings of its members and friends. We do not “pass the plate,” preferring to provide offering boxes in the back of the church in which people can place their tithes and offerings. Grace Bible Church does not engage in business for profit, nor do we engage in fund-raising programs to solicit finances from those outside our church family.
In 1 Corinthians 16:1-3 Paul commands believers to give regularly and proportionally. He charges Christians to see that the money they give is handled by those “approved” for such ministry. In 2 Corinthians 8:1-5, using the examples of the Macedonians, Paul teaches that giving is to be sacrificial. In 2 Corinthians 9:5-7 Paul instructs us to give generously and cheerfully. In Philippians 4:16-17 Paul commends Christians for giving and says that while the gifts were helpful to him, his desire was not for the gifts, but for the reward the giver would receive.
These passages teach much about giving. Those who lead must be exemplary in the area of giving, following the biblical instruction (1 Chronicles 29:1-9). In addition, the aforementioned passages teach leaders how to view the money that is given by the congregation. It is to be handled by those who are above reproach. Leaders should not seek monetary gifts, but God’s blessing on the people
as they give.
Because leaders must be on guard not to be “respecters of persons, showing partiality,” giving records are known only to the church financial secretary. While having responsibility concerning church expenditures, ministers who are supported by the ministry should stay as far away from church funds, especially anything concerning personal giving records, as possible.
The elders and deacons must be wise stewards of the church’s funds. They should seek to get every penny out of every dollar. They are entrusted with “investing” people’s tithes and offerings to yield the greatest spiritual return.
Staff is compensated for their labor by the church. The amount of their compensation, which includes salary, insurance, and pension is determined by the elders, and is disclosed as part of the annual budget.
Every effort is made to keep activities that cost money as affordable as possible, knowing that there are those in the body who have far less than others and we do not want anyone to miss out on ministry opportunities because of expense.
Conclusion. This paper has been prepared to help people understand the ministry of Grace Bible Church. Some of what is written here will never change. Other things will change as we continue to grow and mature in the faith and in our understanding of God’s plan for this church. It is our hope that this will help you know where you fit, and how the Lord would have you serve in the Body of Christ. Soli Deo Gloria.
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