Healthy, Growing Churches (2)

And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry… Ephesians 4.11-12

On Zechariah 1.228
Didymus the Blind (313-398)
“This is a house set up and ordered by Jesus.… He does not do this in a casual manner. It is with the utmost discrimination and discretion: One is assigned to the rank of an apostle, one to the place of a prophet, others to look after the flock of Christ and to work at the divine instruction of others for those saints who are prepared to learn.”

We note that Didymus considered pastor/teachers to be shepherds. This is in line with Christ’s expectation for those He sets for the care of His flock, as we have seen. But how do they accomplish this work? The work of a shepherd is a work of equipping, of giving “divine instruction” such that those who receive it – the saints of the Lord – are furnished with whatever they need to carry out those works of ministry to which the Lord daily sends them. Pastors do not fulfill their calling by preaching, teaching, and counseling. Preaching, teaching, and counseling – together with prayer and their personal example – are not the end of ministry, but only tools to employ in the work of equipping the saints, building the church, and seeking the Kingdom. We may devote many hours to the ministry of the Word, and that ministry will be validated as the saints of God, those who constitute the flock under our care, are equipped to know and serve the Lord day by day. Shepherds fulfill their callings by equipping the saints, and churches are healthy and growing only where this work is faithfully pursued.

With what do the saints need to be equipped, that they might fulfill their callings in ministry?

T. M. Moore

Healthy, Growing Churches
Our assessment tool, Twelve Questions that Could Change Your Church, can help you discover the extent to which you are building the Lord’s church as he intends. Use this tool with your church leaders to discern the health of your church, then to plan the next phase of your growth as the Body of Christ. You can download Twelve Questionsfor free by clicking here.

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Except as indicated, Scripture taken from the New King James Version. © Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Quotations from Church Fathers are from the Ancient Christian Commentary Series, published by InterVarsity Press.