Why Are Leaders "Giving Away" Ministry?
Philosophy of Ministry: Statement #1

By Elders Al Finch & Doug Turner

By now, most of you have at least heard of Central's new 7-point Philosophy of Ministry, even if you couldn't name a single one of them. These brief statements, recently adopted by the Session, address how we are going to go about doing ministry as we fulfill our mission statement "Moving people towards Christ..." Today, we want to help you understand the first of those statements, and in future weeks you will hear more about the others.

# 1 - Leaders (staff and volunteer) are primarily equippers
who give away ministry.

When there is something to be done, it often seems easiest just to dig in and do it yourself. We have probably all followed the advice: "If you want it done right you need to do it yourself." And "I can get it done faster if I do it myself." Right? And that works ... for that one task, that one time. But what if you took the time to train others to do what you've learned to do? Isn't it better for God to have two servants equipped to minister in that way. That is investing for the future.

Training and equipping others is a major biblical responsibility of leaders - at every level - whether teaching Sunday school, leading a small group, or serving as a deacon or elder. And it's not easy. We've grown up in a culture where getting things done is of primary importance - an even greater focus than loving those God has placed around us. But ministry is about people, not tasks!

Jesus himself spent countless hours pouring himself into his disciples, equipping them so they could carry on his ministry to others. These are hours he could have spent ministering directly to others himself. Yet he chose to take the risk and trust they could do it, even though he could do it better, and he was frequently frustrated that they didn't get it "right." Jesus gave ministry away. Giving it away doesn't mean forgetting about ministry or being irresponsible. It does mean letting go, and letting those you've equipped and empowered run with it. And being there to support and encourage.

We asked staff Bill Pitts and Rhonda Herman what this 1st statement means to them as ministry leaders.

Bill - "I believe I should work myself out of a job so the ministry isn't limited only to what I can do myself, and so it doesn't falter when I'm not available. My role is to train others to do ministry."

Rhonda - "To find those with a passion and giftedness for a particular ministry and equip them with the right tools to accomplish that ministry."

How many of us could take a lesson from Jesus in how we choose to lead? As elders, we know we should. And by God's help we are.