Ministry Health Electronic Journal
What distinctive things do the following have in common?
The first and easiest distinguished commonality they share is that
they are all Old Testament prophets. The second and also readily
distinguished commonality they share is that none of them were CEO's,
either. What's The Point? When one examines the record of Scriptures it is rather interesting
to note that insofar as individuals were called to the exercise of the
prophetic office, they did not use executive powers. Instead, the
repeated pattern is that the prophets of God, when acting as God's
spokesmen, relied exclusively on the the working of God in His Word.
Notice how this scriptural understanding of Church and Ministry
operates in the church: 1) The pastoral office is always no more and no less than a
preaching Office. As such, the office exists for no other purpose than
the ministry of the Word. 2) When the pastoral office aspires to more--or less--than that
which God has called and created it, the office suffers, the
office-bearer (i.e. the pastor) suffers, and the whole Body of Christ
suffers. 3) Pastoral over-functioning (such as that experienced when the
pastor is quasi-CEO) and pastoral under-functioning (such as experienced
when pastors back away in laziness in a hypocritical "I just let
God do it" avoidance of appropriate ministry responsibilities) sets
the stage for an increased potential for health-threatening dynamics in
both the pastor and the congregation. From God's perspective the results
are never good. 4) Pastoral over-functioning promotes in the Church the false
expectation and erroneous theological notion that the pastor's role goes
far beyond the ministry of the Word. The ministry of the Word ought not
used as an excuse or justification for pastoral totalitarianism. As such
pastoral over-functioning desecrates the ministry by its sheer use of
CEO-ish power, pastoral under-functioning also desecrate the office and
cheats the faithful of their God-given heritage to receive the Word of
Law and Gospel in their lives. 5) When congregations and pastors have succumbed to false notions of
the ministerial office, the harmonious relationship between the
ministerial office and the congregation is disrupted by extraneous--and
contradictory--expectations foreign to the ministerial office. These
unhealthy expectations, having once been formed, may die hard--if at
all--and sometimes only via conflict and schism. 6) Disruption of the proper nature, relationship, and function of
the ministerial office and the Church--no matter how well intended, what
the circumstances, or the urgent "neediness" at hand--is
always unhealthy. Indeed, it is a spiritually dangerous undertaking
which always exacts a price. 7) Satan always wins when God's people are drawn away from the
proper calling of the pastor. When Pastors are CEO's--without essential
time, energies and a principal focus for ministry of the Word--God's
people risk spiritual starvation. Lest they be constantly urged and led
by their pastors to be in the Word, the unthinkable becomes reality.
Legalism takes hold as the Gospel no longer predominates in all things.
A Quiz For The CEO In You! Answer each of the following questions "Yes" or
"No." 1) Are you the one who is most singularly responsible for carrying
out the tasks of the day-to-day operation of the entire church's
operation? 2) Do you find yourself carrying out so many administrative tasks
that you find it hard to find priority time to do things specifically
related to the ministry of the Word? 3) Is the abundance of your time spent in the ministry of the Word
crowded out by the pressures of the urgent, the immediate and the
mundanely "necessary"? 4) Do you find yourself spiritually empty or, at least, increasingly
so? 5) Is your schedule crowding out personal and prayerful meditation
on God's Word? 6) Do you feel that you must have a voice in every decision at the
church? 7) Are you afraid the lay leaders will make a "mistake"
without your input? 8) Do you spend more time helping and being with people with odd
jobs and volunteer duties around the church than you spend time with
them in spiritual growth and prayer? 9) Are you personally frustrated that God is not fulfilling the
goals you have set for your ministry? 10) Do you feel that if you changed your job description so that you
only did those things which ministered the Word that you'd give up
control and power? 11) Are you "hyper-responsible" for everything in the
church? 12) Are you putting in more than 50 hours a week on a regular basis
in your ministry? 13) Are you inseparable from your church--and your family knows it?
14) Are you inseparable from your church--and your congregation
takes advantage of you because of it? 15) Are you on a "career track" of ministry hoping
(secretly, of course) for something bigger, better, more prestigious, et
al? 16) Do you feel the greatest strengths in your ministry are your
speaking skills, your charisma, your hard work and dedication, etc.
instead of your conviction and trust in the working of God in His Word?
(If you had to change your answer to "no" after reading the
words "instead your conviction....", give yourself two
"Yes"'s here.) 17) Do people, in general (not just antagonists), think you always
need things your way? 18) Do you feel so self-secure and in control that you don't have
any concerns about the health of your ministry, your family, or
yourself? 19) Do you read and listen to more books, tapes, magazines on
administrative literature than you do the Scriptures? 20) Do you find this quiz really annoying because it makes you
uncomfortably close to having to experience confession and
absolution...and consider a change in your ministry? The Pastor-CEO Quiz: Score And Rating 0 "Not at all CEO" You're probably lying, in denial, or
the mythical "perfect" pastor of the non-existent
"perfect" church. Seek spiritual renewal...fast! 1-8 "Incipient CEO Tendencies" Ministerial health is
somewhat significantly at risk threatened. Seek spiritual renewal. 9-15 Quasi-CEO Definitely at risk for reduced ministerial health.
Seek spiritual renewal. 16-20 Full-Blown CEO You are in extremely serious need of spiritual
and ministry renewal. Seek spiritual renewal! Is There A CEO In Your Church? It is a sobering idea to think that part of the current ministerial
health crisis may really be a crisis of an improper understanding of the
office of the ministry and of the nature of the church. If such is the
case, in light of Scripture's mandate for the ministry it becomes
imperative to consider what things you--as "Ex CEO"--can do
you to begin a long-term process of restoring a proper Biblical
relationship between pastor and people. Suggestions For Aspiring Ex-CEO's If you want to be an "Ex-CEO," here's some suggestions to
help get you and your congregation back on track toward and healthier,
scriptural understanding and practice of God's plan for His Church and
His ministry. 1) Begin re-focusing your ministry on the ministry and power of the
Word. In some congregations this can be the greatest challenge. External
pressures to maintain the CEO mode can be extraordinary. But you must
start somewhere. So start with yourself. Involve yourself in in-depth
study of the Word, significant time in prayer, private meditation and
other means to focus on your ongoing spiritual development (cf. Ministry
Health articles #243 "God's Little Surprise" and #146
"Twelve Steps Of Transformation" for further insight). 2) Study Christian resources which discuss the teachings of church
and ministry. Most denominations have literature in their tradition
which discusses these critical issues. C.F.W.Walther's Church and
Ministry (Concordia Publishing House) is just one of many Christian
standards. 3) Take inventory of your ministry. What "service" areas
can you begin to gradually work yourself out of to enable you to focus
more on ministry, teaching, equipping and prayer? 4) Teach the congregation what the Scriptural ministry really is.
Sermons, Bible Classes, studies with leaders, newsletter articles all go
a long way to help them understand God's calling for them. 5) Incorporate a proper understanding of the ministerial office in
all congregational vision and mission statements. Refer frequently to
these statements to emphasize the role of each member of the Body, the
proper authority of the ministerial office, and the primary
responsibility to be engaged in a passionate ministry of the Word of
God. 6) Implement this understanding. If necessary, move slowing. The
learning process takes time. It can take years for the transition to
start making headway. Besides, having to wait is probably the best
lesson you can have because it makes you depend on the Holy Spirit's
action through the Word. That's OK. It's a good lesson. It's what the
ministry is about. 7) Start with your leaders. Some of the most effective pastors find
that conducting annual workshops on the office of the ministry as part
of the new leader orientation is a most effective strategy to maintain
and uphold a proper understanding of the ministry of the Word. 8) Pray for your leaders... First that God give you more, Second,
that God strengthen the ones you have, and Third, that through your
ministry God would move them toward greater enthusiasm, usefulness, and
joy in the Word. 9) Delegate the ministry to those upon whom you feel the the Holy
Spirit can and/or already is at work and upon whom you can lay your
hands with the confident blessing of God. 10) Be patient. Patience refers not just to time, but to
relationships with people. Some, having been dependent upon their pastor
for everything, won't want to give up their dependency. Some people,
wanting to discover the joy of service and spiritual growth, will revert
back to their old resistant ways. 11) Expect conflict. Welcome conflict as a signal indicating that
spiritual renewal is beginning. God's Word works like seeds. The seed
grows, as Jesus said, automatically. Cultivate the seed anyway you
can...and let God give the growth. See Ministry Health's "Five
Commands For Sowers", Article # 237 for more insight. 12) Continually recruit, urge and celebrate people who "make a
difference for the Lord." The calling of each member of the Body of
Christ is to exercise their faith in a way that makes a difference in
the ministry of the Word. Don't deprive them of their calling. Let go of
the "reins." Give them some support and opportunities to serve
according to their gifts. It may scare you at first. That's OK. It's
just a sign that you're growing too! Does Your God Reign? Finally, be as passionate in your ministry of the Word as possible.
Having shed some of the CEO-related expectations and control issues,
your ministry will become centered on output not outcomes. As Ministry
Health article #246 "CEOcracy or Theocracy" details, the
ministry is not a CEOcracy. It's a theocracy. Where God reigns the activity of His saving Word moves as He
desires. Where God reigns there is comfort. Where the ministry is
focused on God's reign--and not our corporate control--the Gospel has
free course and the ministry of the Word is held in its highest possible
regard. Isaiah wrote, "How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of those who bring
good news, who proclaim peace, who bring good tidings, who proclaim
salvation, who say to Zion, "Your God reigns!" Isaiah 52:7
(NIV) Tell me. What CEO has ever received that kind of commendation? There
is none. It is God's specific commendation exclusively given to the
ministers of His Word. Having been given that blessing tell me, Does God
reign in your ministry? Or is He in competition with an ecclesiastical
CEO? I don't know about you but I prefer it the way Isaiah said God wants
it. "Your God Reigns!" Thank God He does! Rev. Thomas F. Fischer, M.Div., M.S.A. Pastor, Ex-CEO Copyright 1998--Thomas F. Fischer, M.Div., M.S.A., Editor Ministry
Health Web Site. All Rights Reserved
http://genesis.acu.edu/ministryhealth Support For Your Ministry In Jesus
Christ!
Isaiah, Son of Amoz, CEO
Thomas F. Fischer, M.Div., M.S.A.
Number 135
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