We are working through an article by Scott Thomas on replanting an existing church, that is, renewing a church so that it grows and matures as a church plant does.
f. Envision an equipping staff (Ephesians 4:11-13).
- What changes need to be made with the staff (paid or volunteer) to meet the church’s goals?
- Are the staff members doing the ministry or leading people to do the ministry? If they are doing the bulk of the ministering, how will they develop the body to do the work of the ministry?
- Are you over-staffed or under-staffed to meet both financial obligations and the development of lay people (taking responsibility for ministry)?
Hmmm. An equipping staff. What would that look like?
(Eph 4:11-13) It was he who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers, 12 to prepare God’s people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up 13 until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.
Who are the equippers?
Now, I’m totally sold on this idea. I just don’t think that it’s good enough. I mean, Paul isn’t really addressing the paid staff here, is he? The “pastors” are the elders. I have to figure that the “teachers” are the teachers (big stretch, isn’t it?). An evangelist is someone who preaches the gospel, not meaning general Biblical truths, but the truth about Jesus. Missionaries would be a classic example. Some of our preachers are evangelists and some are not.
So while I certainly wouldn’t deny the importance of having fulltime staff serve as equippers, the emphasis has to be on the “lay” leadership: the elders and teachers. And this is important because they have natural advantages over the paid staff: they’re not going to leave and they have non-church jobs. Therefore, they can equip from a perspective that’s unattainable by many fulltime ministers.
So, yes, the paid staff should be filled with equippers, but so should the eldership and the Bible class faculty. And more, too. I don’t think Paul meant for his list to be exclusive. He was just saying, “Leaders should equip,” whoever those leaders may be.
Equip to do what?
But equip to do what? Ministry 101? Door knocking? No, the text is actually quite clear: “works of service.” “Service” translates diakonia, often translated “ministry,” as well. It’s most commonly used by Paul as referring to his own ministry as an apostle — his work as a missionary — and to the ministry of caring for the poor. We’d say “evangelism” and “benevolence,” although both words have been infected with the notion that these are church programs rather than lifestyles.
This phrase actually picks up an important theme in Ephesians [bracketed language is a more literal translation of the Greek] —
(Eph 2:10) For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared [or ordained] in advance for us to do.
(Eph 4:15-16) Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will in all things grow up into him who is the Head, that is, Christ. 16 From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up [edifies itself] in love, as each part does its work.
(Eph 4:28) He who has been stealing must steal no longer, but must work, doing something useful [working something good] with his own hands, that he may have something to share with those in need.
(Eph 4:29) Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful [good] for building [edifying] others up according to their needs, that it may benefit [give grace to] those who listen.
(Eph 6:7-8) Serve wholeheartedly, as if you were serving the Lord, not men, 8 because you know that the Lord will reward everyone for whatever good he does, whether he is slave or free.
We were saved to do good works. Indeed, we work at our jobs so that we’ll have money to give to those in need (4:28). And we’ll be rewarded based on the good we do (6:8).
To make sure we all are well rewarded, God charges the congregational leadership (paid, volunteer, fulltime, part-time) with equipping the membership to do good works — to teach the gospel and to serve those in need.
Look at 4:15. “Truth” in the New Testament vocabulary is the truth about Jesus — the gospel. “Speaking the truth in love” is not about instrumental music and the qualifications of deacons. It’s Jesus of Nazareth, Messiah, Lord, and Savior. It’s a reference to personal evangelism.
In short, the congregational leadership is charged with preparing the members to live missional lives — lives as missionaries in a foreign land (any land that’s not heaven) — to teach the truth about Jesus and to serve those in need.
For those who aren’t in fulltime church employment, our jobs are means to that end. We work to have resources to give away: money for the poor but also vacation time to do volunteer work and a house for hospitality. It’s all God’s and it’s all missional.
Allow me a moment to write something that will probably come across badly. I agree that we should equip one another. I don't know if I can find anyone who says that equipping Christians is a bad idea.
So let's all go out and equip, but what does that mean? (Here is the part that will come across badly.) Instead of reading Romans in Bible class on Sunday morning, let's have a class on soccer.
Where I live, kids play soccer in the many leagues on weekends. Being a Christian parent at soccer games is a great opportunity for service, i.e. being a missionary. Most parents know little or nothing about soccer. It is easy for Christian parents to make asses out of themselves at soccer games (I know because I have done it).
Looking back, I wish someone had taught me some things about the game and the flow of the game and the pace of officiating (it is quite different in soccer) and what a parent can do as acts of service for a soccer team.
I wish someone at church had better equipped me to be a soccer parent. In the same vein, I wish someone at church had better equipped me to be a better baseball parent, basketball parent, math parent, band parent, track and field parent…lots of opportunities for equipping here.
This is where we live. This is where we can be missionaries – or act like asses.
Good comment, Dwayne. Why can't we be practical in at least some of our classes? But, of course, a good teacher will make practical application from Romans instead of just teaching systematic theology.
Jay, a fantastic post. This is an area where very few (if any) congregations excel. We just do not know how to equip people. We think, "just teach them the Bible and they'll know how to use it." People need to be shown how to apply the Scriptures to real situations in their own lives.
How many young people are "equipped" for marriage? Most spend more time planning their wedding than they do in planning their marriage. How many teachers are "equipped" to teach? Most are handed a teacher's manual of the current quarterly and told where the class meets (maybe). How many are equipped to comfort the dying or the grieving? How many are equipped to tell the good news about Jesus? The list could go on. We have a long way to go before we can say we are equipping our people to serve.
Great post and comments. This reminds me of the fact that many institutions of higher learning teach students to become teachers who teach others to become teachers who…… Meanwhile not one in ten thousand knows how to fix a broken lawn mower.
We are teaching classes in our churches that teach people to teach classes or to repeat the same dogma couched in familiar terms over and over and over. Meanwhile the guy down the street has a drinking problem he needs help with and we give him a Bible lesson and wish him good luck.
Until church folk are eating and drinking with sinners and serving the down and out and the up and out in tangible ways we have missed the whole point of loving our neighbors.
Money spent on rent, clothing, food, schools supplies etc is a much more pleasing to God than money spent on stained glass and wall to wall carpet.