One of the classes that I taught in Bible College was called Leadership. We offered Leadership I and Leadership II levels. It was normally only Juniors or Seniors who took the classes. I team-taught this class with the academic dean of the school whose name was Bill (name changed). One day, Bill distributed a handout to the class that truly began to open my eyes. The handout said that everyone in a local church, including all of the staff and congregation (I’m not absolutely positive about the congregation being included), was to function in the “ministry of helps” and serving to minister to the senior pastor and his vision.
Since the NT mentions the ministry of helps in I Corinthians 12:28 and the gift of serving in I Peter 4:11, I believed that there were (and are) such gifts in the church. But, to hear Bill say that everyone in a church and on a church staff was to function in those gifts to help the senior pastor accomplish his vision began to be too much for me. This handout raised many questions in my mind. Among them were these two:
(1) What if there are believers in a local church or on a church staff that have other gifts besides the gifts of helps or serving? What are they to do with their gifts?
(2) How are the other spiritual gifts like the gift of teaching, prophecy or leadership suppose to function within the confines of a service of “helps” or “serving” directed to benefit the senior pastor?
Anyone see Joyce Meyers mug on CBC’s website? Nice, real nice. I don’t know why we even do this blog anymore. If people are dumb enough to pay money to make her more rich they deserve to be poor. It’s like a tax for mindless people. I guess some people will just never get it. I know, I know, her books are good. I agree with that part, but does character count for anything anymore? Apparently not at the up at the double bubble. I just hope her ‘benz, jet and yacht or running well. Dave, I think we could easily pick apart most of the theology of Kevin Conner (just trying to guess on the who part since this sounds like something he would come up with). On the gift of helps though, I’ve always wondered about that one. Is it just to fill in wherever needed at the church? I guess in that aspect we all are called aren’t we? Perhaps you could help me understand this gift better.
well here’s another question, what about the gift of helps being about helping those in the community rather than some admin slave to the machine of religion?
There are several stories in Acts that highlight God’s blessing on those who help the poor & needy. God raised Tabitha (Dorcas) from the dead because she worked tirelessly for the poor. God sent Peter to the Centurion Cornelius because Cornelius used his authority to serve the needy.
Jesus washed the feet of his disciples. When DI passed the baton on to FD, he washed his feet as a reminder of how he was to serve the people.
It doesn’t take a Bible scholar to see the pattern of who is supposed to help whom. If you really think your job is to keep the pastors happy, shame on you for robbing those are in real need.
ficm has got their preach on. good comment…… and btw, i am friends with ken loyd who hangs out with people who live outside. check out my homepdx stories category on my blog to learn more about his unspectacular method of being jesus to the invisible of our fair city….
Good call, Pam. Ken is the coolest person I have ever met. I don’t say that lightly. I’ve had the privilege of helping out HomePDX and it’s quite amazing. No agenda, no preaching, no “witnessing”… just talking, serving, loving, and handing out socks. Ken is my hero.
sola fide, I don’t know who came up with the material I heard in Leadership class that day. It might have been KJC or someone else. I wasn’t team-teaching with KJV for this class; it was another academic dean.
Superficially, I see the gifts of helps and serving as the God-given desire and ability to assist anyone in need – whenever, whoever and whatever. This is why I’m going to try to use the parable of the Good Samaritan in my upcoming book against the mandatory tithe to show that the Christian life is living life in the community and in the neighborhood (as Pam and FICM just pointed out so well) and not only around the local church “commune.”
If we are truly following Jesus and being led by his Spirit, then the only times that we will reach out to people in need will not be only when the senior pastor organizes an official “outreach” on Saturday mornings…