Focus on the Basic Functions of the Church
Every church needs to be a healthy church. Sometimes a church will emphasize only one facet of church life and neglect other important elements. A healthy church will have a balanced approach to the basic functions of the church.
Everything a church does should relate to one of the following basic functions.
Worship
The primary reason for the church to meet is to worship the Lord Jesus Christ. Everything we do should come out of our worship of Christ. Activity sometimes gets in the way of worship. Too often a worship service is turned into a performance where the attention is on the singer or speaker and not the Lord. Motivation and Strength for ministry is the by product of worship.
Evangelism
Sharing Christ with others should be a natural part of every Christian’s life. We are commanded by our Lord to carry the gospel to every person on earth. Training and planning for evangelism must be a major emphasis in every church. Too often the focus in on the membership instead of those outside the church.
Discipleship
The heart of the Great Commission is to make disciples not converts. Some churches are strong on evangelism but are weak on discipleship. We are to not only reach people, we must teach them the ways of Christ. The job is not complete until the new Christian is a reproducing disciple-maker.
Prayer
The Lord said that his house is to be a House of Prayer. He taught his disciples the value of gathering together and praying in his name. The church is to fight its battles on its’ knees. The lack of power in most churches can be traced back to a lack of prayer.
Fellowship
God made us social creatures. We want to interact with other people. If a person’s social life does not center around the church, he will be tempted to socialize in places with not nearly as positive an atmosphere as the church. Activities should be planned to give the members plenty of opportunities to fellowship with one another. True fellowship always includes the Father and the Son of God. If the presence of God is not real in the fellowship, it will be nothing more than a social club.
Ministry and Missions
We are commanded by our Lord to look beyond ourselves to others who need a witness or helping hand. The church is at its best when it is giving itself away. It is an unhealthy church that spends all of its time, money and energy on itself. Every church should develop a Christian world view by which it sees itself as a vital part of what God is using to reach the world.
If a church focuses on these basic functions it will be quite busy and will maintain a healthy balance. It would be wise for a church to periodically stop and evaluate its programs and activities to insure that it is keeping a balanced approach to ministry.
To serve God in any capacity is a great honor. To be allowed to serve Him as a bivocational minister is a special privilege. He deserves our best. We can give Him no less.
Ray Gilder is the Bivocational Ministries Specialist at the Tennesee Baptist Convention and is also a bivocational pastor. He has graciously shared the training he does for bivocational pastors in the following free articles:
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