According to the grace of God which was given to me, as a wise master builder I have laid the foundation, and another builds on it. But let each one take heed how he builds on it. 1 Corinthians 3.10

The Christian Ministry: Part I, chapter III
Charles Bridges (1794-1869)
“If it [the Church] be a building, he [the pastor] is the ‘Master-builder,’ to build upon the ‘sure foundation’ lively stones – a spiritual house – ‘growing into an holy temple of the Lord, builded together for an habitation of God through the Spirit.’”

Bridges is plying us with various images to guide us in thinking about the church and our ministry there: household, field, city, building. Proper shepherding of each of these implies a vision of the end product, a plan for working toward that vision, and gifted co-laborers to assist us in the project. No master builder would be hired for a job if he lacked any of these. What’s your vision of a healthy, growing church? Do you have a plan for growing your church in unity and maturity, and for equipping the saints of God for works of ministry? And are you enlisting faithful and diligent co-laborers to join you in this high and holy calling? Without vision, plans, and co-laborers, we won’t build anything that will be a source of praise, joy, healing, and salvation to our community.

What goals do you pursue for equipping the saints? For growing your church in unity and maturity? How do you measure the overall state of health of your congregation?

Twelve Questions that Could Change Your Church
How do you determine the overall health of your church? Paul’s template in Ephesians 4.11-16 outlines his approach to building healthy, growing churches. Download our free assessment tool, Twelve Questions that Could Change Your Church(click here). Make copies for all your leaders. Work through it together, then discuss your observations, and you will discover areas where you can better focus your efforts in building your congregation into a healthy, growing church.

Work on Your Ministry Skills!
All pastors and church leaders should be working to improve the skills necessary for leading and growing the flock of the Lord. Our book Fan into Flame provides an overview of the work of pastoral ministry – the context in which we do this work, the tools available to us, and the goals we should be seeking. Helpful self-assessments enable you to identify areas where you can “fan into flame” the gift God has given you in calling you to the work of ministry. Fan into Flame is a useful tool for personal or group study. Order your copy by clicking here.

Help us build up the community of readers who are learning from great pastors of the past. Pass along this copy of Pastor to Pastor to a friend in ministry, and encourage him to sign-up at our website, www.ailbe.org, to receive it every day.

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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.