Jesus said in Matthew 16:18, “I will build my church,” But he did not specifically say how that would happen. This is explored in Ephesians 4:11-16 where we read, “[Jesus] gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastor/teachers” (v11) Paul then sets forth God’s progressive plan for the church in verses 12-16. The purpose of the pastor is to prepare the people to do the work of the ministry! Not to do the work themselves. It seems that today many churches have “professional teams” designed to do all the work of the church, and those attending are there to support that work financially, and be entertained by the services. Great expense is being laid out to create a platform where the performance will take place every week. Pastor’s are being trained in administration, and oversight, but not theology, and teaching. The church has great speakers, but not great theologians. As a result those who are attending are often weak in their understanding of the truth. We spend an hour and a half singing, and 15 minutes with a devotional thought designed to make those in attendance feel good about themselves. While this is not necessarily bad, it is not enough to challenge those present to grow and mature in their faith. There is little to challenge the average church member to be involved in the ministry of the Lord. God never saved us to have us sit by passively, God calls us to follow Him, and His design to make that happen is through the pastor. It is key that the pastor of the church work to encourage those who are apart of the church to be involved in the work of the ministry. It is his role to train those in the church to understand what the Word of God says, so that they will be able to teach others. It is easy to sit passively by in our churches, but that is not the plan of God for the follower of Christ. Look for ways to be involved, and ask your pastor to help you to be all that the Lord desires of you!
