Equipping
“So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.” Ephesians 4:11–13
“Just as a body, though one, has many parts, but all its many parts form one body, so it is with Christ. For we were all baptized by one Spirit so as to form one body — whether Jews or Gentiles, slave or free — and we were all given the one Spirit to drink. Even so the body is not made up of one part but of many… Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it.” 1 Corinthians 12:12–14,27
Imagine you’re at a game of your favorite team. I am not very into sports, so I will picture a Moncton Wildcats game (which is hockey for those who don’t know). They’re taking on their greatest rivals and the crowd is going nuts. As the teams are introduced and the first period starts, something strange happens… only one Wildcat is on the ice. The entire rest of the team is on the bench. Clearly, the beating that one player is about to get doesn’t leave much hope for a Wildcats win.
This sounds absurd, doesn’t it? Why would a hockey team put one player on the ice, with a bench full of great players watching on the sides? Yet I believe this is what the church does all the time when it comes to ministry. Jesus commanded his disciples (his followers) to go into all the world… make disciples… teach them. Yet too often ministry is seen as the work of the Pastor. According to the verses above, it’s not. It’s the work of the Church.
I’ve gotten some funny reactions when I tell people what my role as NextGen Pastor entails. Often it’s because they picture me as the one doing all of the ministries I’m describing (Children, Youth, Young Adults, Small Groups).
I don’t.
I equip others to do it.
This is such a mind shift in the church… I didn’t even learn this in seminary! It wasn’t until I got into this role that I truly learned what equipping is. And I think it’s absolutely essential to growing disciples and bringing more people to Jesus. Here’s 3 reasons why.
Why every Pastor’s top priority should be Equipping
1) God’s Mission is bigger than me
If I am the only one that can do NextGen ministry at my church, we are in big trouble. Each weekend we have 60 children attending our 2 locations on Sunday mornings, 40+ youth on Sunday nights, and a worship arts ministry that brings 40–50 kids on Saturdays. Could I do all of this? No. In fact, stats show that a ministry will not grow past 20–30 with only one leader. I can’t accomplish much if I do it all. I believe God wants us to reach even more kids and youth with the Gospel. But that won’t happen if I am the only one engaged in ministry. Which leads me to my second reason…
2) Ministry by addition vs. multiplication
The greatest model of this is Jesus himself. After training and mentoring the 12 disciples, Jesus sends them off to do ministry. He gives them power and authority — a lot of it! And a lot of trust. But if Jesus had to do it all himself, the Gospel wouldn’t have reached as far as it did. And the disciples would have been robbed of this incredible opportunity (more on that in a minute). If Paul had to remain at the first church he planted, he never could have traveled to all the other places to plant all the other churches we read about in the New Testament. If I led every Youth & Kids program at our church, I would burn out, I wouldn’t be passing on my experience & knowledge to others, and the ministries wouldn’t be the same after I’m gone. “They need me” (sometimes I wonder if Pastor’s struggle with a need to be needed, and that’s why they don’t hand over the reigns…). Instead of running around like a maniac trying to do everything, if I focus on investing in others, I can multiply my effectiveness. Jesus had 12 he invested in, and 3 that he deeply fed into. If he did his ministry that way, surely I should too! The best way I can steward the gifts God has given me is to pass them on.
3) The alternative robs others
Think about the journey Jesus’ disciples went on. It is true that some didn’t make it, and others had some stumbles along the way, but ultimately, being equipped to share the Gospel resulted in many more coming to Christ, and the disciples coming to a full understanding of who Jesus is and what that means. If Peter wasn’t given a chance, he never could have become the rock on which the Church was built.
4 years ago a 17 year old came onto our youth team as a small group leader. When I met her she had planned to do journalling in University; ministry was not in her future. 4 years later, she’s about to begin her MDiv at seminary. God has called her and gifted her, and she’s been able to learn and develop that gift through the youth ministry at our church. I half-joke that she’s the actual Youth Pastor at our church. But it’s true! She runs youth night, she manages everything, she goes into those conversations that are sometimes tricky. But I get to meet with her regularly and help her along the way. She will now move on to Pastor, and who knows what God will do with her!! But if I didn’t allow a 19 year old to take over our Middle School Youth Group, I’m not sure if she would have gotten to this place.
Ministry is a gift. Romans 12 says that when we become a part of His family, we are each given spiritual gifts. And each one of those gifts are meant to work together to accomplish God’s will on earth. Ministry also helps the individual on their journey of faith — it puts people right in the middle of what God is doing, giving them an upfront view to the working of His Spirit in the lives of others. What a gift to be used by God! The thing is, God doesn’t need any of us (not even the paid Pastors) — he chooses to use us. And that is awesome!
If your church is struggling with a certain ministry need, chances are the answer is sitting in your pew. God wouldn’t call the church to something unless He also gave the abilities to the people there. It’s time to get the church off the bench and in the game. And that begins when the Pastor understands their key role in the church — not as the A-star player, but as the coach of the team.
“Just as a body, though one, has many parts, but all its many parts form one body, so it is with Christ. For we were all baptized by one Spirit so as to form one body — whether Jews or Gentiles, slave or free — and we were all given the one Spirit to drink. Even so the body is not made up of one part but of many… Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it.” 1 Corinthians 12:12–14,27
This sounds absurd, doesn’t it? Why would a hockey team put one player on the ice, with a bench full of great players watching on the sides? Yet I believe this is what the church does all the time when it comes to ministry. Jesus commanded his disciples (his followers) to go into all the world… make disciples… teach them. Yet too often ministry is seen as the work of the Pastor. According to the verses above, it’s not. It’s the work of the Church.
I’ve gotten some funny reactions when I tell people what my role as NextGen Pastor entails. Often it’s because they picture me as the one doing all of the ministries I’m describing (Children, Youth, Young Adults, Small Groups).
I don’t.
I equip others to do it.
This is such a mind shift in the church… I didn’t even learn this in seminary! It wasn’t until I got into this role that I truly learned what equipping is. And I think it’s absolutely essential to growing disciples and bringing more people to Jesus. Here’s 3 reasons why.
Why every Pastor’s top priority should be Equipping
1) God’s Mission is bigger than me
If I am the only one that can do NextGen ministry at my church, we are in big trouble. Each weekend we have 60 children attending our 2 locations on Sunday mornings, 40+ youth on Sunday nights, and a worship arts ministry that brings 40–50 kids on Saturdays. Could I do all of this? No. In fact, stats show that a ministry will not grow past 20–30 with only one leader. I can’t accomplish much if I do it all. I believe God wants us to reach even more kids and youth with the Gospel. But that won’t happen if I am the only one engaged in ministry. Which leads me to my second reason…
2) Ministry by addition vs. multiplication
The greatest model of this is Jesus himself. After training and mentoring the 12 disciples, Jesus sends them off to do ministry. He gives them power and authority — a lot of it! And a lot of trust. But if Jesus had to do it all himself, the Gospel wouldn’t have reached as far as it did. And the disciples would have been robbed of this incredible opportunity (more on that in a minute). If Paul had to remain at the first church he planted, he never could have traveled to all the other places to plant all the other churches we read about in the New Testament. If I led every Youth & Kids program at our church, I would burn out, I wouldn’t be passing on my experience & knowledge to others, and the ministries wouldn’t be the same after I’m gone. “They need me” (sometimes I wonder if Pastor’s struggle with a need to be needed, and that’s why they don’t hand over the reigns…). Instead of running around like a maniac trying to do everything, if I focus on investing in others, I can multiply my effectiveness. Jesus had 12 he invested in, and 3 that he deeply fed into. If he did his ministry that way, surely I should too! The best way I can steward the gifts God has given me is to pass them on.
3) The alternative robs others
Think about the journey Jesus’ disciples went on. It is true that some didn’t make it, and others had some stumbles along the way, but ultimately, being equipped to share the Gospel resulted in many more coming to Christ, and the disciples coming to a full understanding of who Jesus is and what that means. If Peter wasn’t given a chance, he never could have become the rock on which the Church was built.
4 years ago a 17 year old came onto our youth team as a small group leader. When I met her she had planned to do journalling in University; ministry was not in her future. 4 years later, she’s about to begin her MDiv at seminary. God has called her and gifted her, and she’s been able to learn and develop that gift through the youth ministry at our church. I half-joke that she’s the actual Youth Pastor at our church. But it’s true! She runs youth night, she manages everything, she goes into those conversations that are sometimes tricky. But I get to meet with her regularly and help her along the way. She will now move on to Pastor, and who knows what God will do with her!! But if I didn’t allow a 19 year old to take over our Middle School Youth Group, I’m not sure if she would have gotten to this place.
Ministry is a gift. Romans 12 says that when we become a part of His family, we are each given spiritual gifts. And each one of those gifts are meant to work together to accomplish God’s will on earth. Ministry also helps the individual on their journey of faith — it puts people right in the middle of what God is doing, giving them an upfront view to the working of His Spirit in the lives of others. What a gift to be used by God! The thing is, God doesn’t need any of us (not even the paid Pastors) — he chooses to use us. And that is awesome!
If your church is struggling with a certain ministry need, chances are the answer is sitting in your pew. God wouldn’t call the church to something unless He also gave the abilities to the people there. It’s time to get the church off the bench and in the game. And that begins when the Pastor understands their key role in the church — not as the A-star player, but as the coach of the team.
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