A Philosophy Of Ministry : The Great Commission

In their book The Great Commission to Worship: Biblical Principles for Worship-Based Evangelism, authors David Wheeler and Vernon Whaley contribute their respective expertise in evangelism and worship in an attempt to synthesize the two categories by showing each fundamental imperative of the Christian disciple to be integral to and an outflow of the other. The impetus for evangelism par excellence is the “great commission”

The mission of ministry should be “that we exist to know Christ, and to make Christ known.” This primarily is accomplished and becomes reality through creating healthy churches that also plant new churches and revitalize existing churches. As the Apostles were united together in ministry, so should God’s people be united in one purpose, vision, and mission! I believe in the essential function of Ministry Action Teams in the church, given that, a key element is found in the word “action.” The church exists so that something might be accomplished.

I had the privilege of interviewing Brian Bagwell for this project. He is, in my opinion, one of most humble, wisest man we have at Church of the Highlands. Once you get through a joke or two, the fruits of the spirit radiate from his personality. A man that I have the privilege to call my mentor and teacher. He is currently serving on staff at the Church of the Highlands as a Dream Team Coordinator. His shares the vision of the church which is passed down from our senior pastor, Chris Hodges. Evangelism is the definition of the church so to speak, Church of the Highlands stands behind the final authority of God’s word which is the bible. It is often said among the staff “we do not argue the essentials, but we can disagree the non essentials.” The church believes and acts in spreading the good news of Jesus Christ, and helping people move through four steps our God has outlined in the Great Commission. Our Church exists to see people saved, delivered, redeemed, and fulfilled. This is accomplished with four systems that allow the people to move through the four steps. The first is weekend services to allow them to know God (saved), small groups to find freedom (delivered), growth track to discover purpose (redeemed), and dream team to be fulfilled and make a difference (fulfilled). This vision is how the church evangelizes (Bagwell). This vision is clear to all members of the church who call Church of the Highlands home, and even clear to people

According to Ministry Is…, chapter 27, "_____ _ ____ seeks the best for others before the throne of God by bringing their needs to the

This book calls the church to rethink and modify its practices, by providing a middle path between the emerging church and the conservative that aims to benefit all. There are major shift happening in the Western Church that has people talking. The problem is that churches fail to follow a mission-centered approach. Chester and Timmis have found that in order to refocus the churches

In this assignment, the writer will attempt to discuss scenario 1. Scenario 1 deals with examining the pastors in the managerial, messianic, and spiritual director roles. Explaining how pastors help people redirect their focus toward the new life God has for them through Jesus Christ and seeing the role of the Spirit through the eyes of Jesus.

My purpose in life is to be a living sacrifice to my Lord, who gave His life for me so that I might live on purpose for His purpose and others. My personal mission in life is to continue to learn to walk with Christ so that I can walk like Christ. And, to know Him in a more personal way as Apostle Paul stated in Phil. 3:10 (KJV), “That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death;”

May 1, 2016, the Mt. Olive Baptist Church, located in Greenwood (S.C.) County will celebrate its 142nd church anniversary. Many years Mt. Olive have been a church that loved people, gave without limits and took great care of its members. The last five of those one hundred and forty-two years, I have been honored to serve as pastor of this great church. Although this is a great church, Mt. Olive and many churches like it are plagued with a disease that has slowly, but surely, causing the church to drift further away from God and fall deeper into the ways of the world. This epidemic is known as “tradition”. Churches that are bound by tradition and not led by the Holy Spirit will find themselves missing the mark of what God has called us to do. The bible is filled with instructions for the church, but as Christians and Disciples of Christ, Matthew 28 is the foundation upon which we should be operating on in the church as well as in our lives. The Great Commission challenges us to “go, teach and preach to all nations.” Traditional churches will allow church tradition to dictate biblical doctrine. It will allow the church to argue about who’s right instead of what’s right. Sadly, church success has been based on structure and finances rather than saving lost souls.

This paper is the final results of my internship ministry practicum II experiences reflection in my church organization work settings and training. My experiences from different areas of exposure sharpened my skills for my professional role of the Doctor of Ministry Program in the theological field of counseling and teaching. My ministry practicum consists of direct involvements with hands-on, real-life interactions under the supervision of my Supervisor, Chaplain Andrea Fletcher. This Comprehensive Written Review analyzes the full spectrum of my observation and participation in tasks from my Ministry Learning Agreement Form. The opportunity allowed me to view other leaders in ministry exercising their gift and in turns

The individuals that make up a church are builders. These builders have the ability, through Christ, to define, illustrate, measure, and discuss a ministry blueprint that will help bring clarity to their church’s ministry process. This process will not only help define what the goals of their church are, but also how to reach those goals. In addition to bringing clarity to the vision of the church, having this ministry blueprint in place will help the leaders in their church communicate and be understood even more effectively.

Comprised of fourteen chapters, the authors are explicit in readers comprehending this as a guide rather than a fix-all in turning around their churches. One chapter or section will not facilitate a change, rather a sequence of habits and efforts. Comprised of a large volume of statistical data, the facts remain constant; declining or plateaued churches can rebound. However, it will require change, change from the pulpit to the pews. Beginning with “0” or foundation, there are six criteria that should exist in all biblical churches, and are prominently and frequently mentioned in Scripture [2]: (1) Scriptural authority; (2) Biblical leadership; (3) Preaching and teaching; (4) Ordinances; (5) Covenant community; and (6) Mission. Additionally, the foundation emphasizes the need of becoming a

Stephen Seamands proffers a Trinitarian description of Christian Ministry as the ministry of Jesus Christ, the Son, to the Father, through the Holy Spirit, for the sake of the church and the world. The author seems to presume that many in the Christian faith have not adequately observed or applied the doctrine of the Trinity significantly in the vocation of ministry. It is with this perception that he postulates a Trinitarian approach of ministry that emphasizes communion with God shaping our language about God to shape our heart so we might share in the life of God. In arriving at his conclusions, Seamands uses well-grounded Scriptural foundations, along with a descriptive of the Icon of the Holy Trinity painted in 1425 by a Russian Monk, Andrei Rublev, including the historical significance that is traced back to the Enlightenment, and the findings of renowned theologians beginning with Karl Barth. The preponderance of evidence provided supports the author’s contention that the grammar of the Christian faith and life is rooted in the doctrine of the Trinity having created the current Trinitarian renaissance.

The Great Commission states that the Lord commanded us to, “Go into all the world and preach the Good News to everyone” (Mark 16:15 NLT). Jesus’ command for us is to go and preach the gospel. He does not say, “Go into all the world and live a good Christian life before everyone and I will save those who believe.” Another example can be found in Luke 16: 19-31, the parable of the rich man and Lazarus. The rich man asked father Abraham to send Lazarus that he may

The main task of the Church and of the Christian minister is the true preaching of the Word of God. Additionally, Paul in Colossians 1:25 makes the point the central purpose of ministry is the preaching of the Word. Preaching the Word of God also includes protecting the sheep from false doctrines.

Furthermore, it is vitally crucial for the church leadership to clearly articulate its missional vision, which is to be embraced by the rest of the church’s community. The process of spiritual transformation starts from the invitation and continues through engagement and discipleship. This transformational process embodies the missional vision and the language for 'right now ' and 'here '. Surely, the church’s vision ought to be aligned with the missional attributes of the gospel itself, which are 'the good news is for everyone ' and 'belonging before believing '. Our witness should take place amidst relationship and listening. One principle that I consider to be exceptionally useful in my community is St. Patrick’s idea of Celtic Evangelism: establish community, engage in conversation, and invite commitment (2009, 101).