“Many churches would never say, “We care more about our building than people.” But sometimes, policies quietly communicate exactly that. A simple sign about food or drinks can reveal deeper priorities.” - CPost
“Excellence” might not be the business leadership buzzword it once was, but it’s far from dead. A quick search at Amazon shows plenty of business titles with “excellence” in them. Even if the term isn’t the word of the day anymore, the concept has never waned.
This is because the business world understands that making what they do, and how they do it, better is essential for their survival in a competitive marketplace. Maybe that marketplace mentality is partly why ministry leaders sometimes view excellence as a “a business thing.”
But they shouldn’t.
“We can’t plant a church there. We don’t have sponsorship and funding to do things for people to get them to come to church. No one will believe on Christ unless we have something to offer.” When local believers think this way, there is no real future for sustainable gospel ministry in missions.
Maintaining a consistent spiritual focus in ministry, especially in places where poverty is the norm, is not easy. Faithful proclamation of the Gospel requires deliberate effort to ensure that generosity never overshadows or confuses the message of the Gospel or hinders the obedience of local churches.
“The thing that people don’t know is that after every sermon for years until he started preaching in multiple sites, Tim would have a Q&A after every service and invite people to stay….Most of those sessions weren’t recorded, so only the memories of those who attended will be able to attest to the variety, complexity, and occasional ferocity of those questions.” - C.Lea
“Ministry is not a free-for-all, left up to whims of church leaders or members. Instead, God designed ministry to operate a certain way so the ministry and the message compliment rather than contradict one another.” - Cripplegate
“While every church, pastor, and spiritual leader has a philosophy of ministry, not everyone can articulate what it is. Nevertheless, something is driving the what and the why, even if people are not fully cognizant of those underlying factors themselves.” - Cripplegate
“ ‘Pragmatism’ is an approach to ministry that foregrounds whatever methods most effectively grow the church. It follows trends, borrows wisdom from the marketplace, and accepts strategies that prove to produce more people on Sunday mornings. More people = a greater opportunity for the gospel.” - 9 Marks
“The glory of God is the driving force of missionary work. The result is secure: ‘The earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the LORD as the waters cover the sea’ (Hab. 2:14).” - TGC
“It’s easy to get lost in the busyness of ministry—planning services, running programs, and meeting needs. Yet, without regularly anchoring ourselves in the presence of Jesus, our actions can become hollow, more about doing for God than being with Him.” - Brian Cederquist
“Ministry success [is]… about the tension between competing goods. Each good is vital. Each demands attention. And each represents a genuine biblical mandate. These aren’t problems to be solved but tensions to be managed in ministry.” - Lifeway
