7 Biblical Truths That Must Shape Life and Ministry

7 Biblical Truths That Must Shape Life and Ministry

In our post-modern generation shaped by relativism, even the Church is filled with differing views on the largest issues of life and ministry.

The question that defines us more than any other is:

“Upon what do we base our life and ministry?”

Here are seven of the truths that must shape the way we see life and ministry. I call them:

Life’s Seven Ultimate Questions and Answers.

They teach us what makes biblical ministry truly biblical.

1. Question 1: “What is truth? Where do I find answers?”

Answer 1—The Word: “God’s Word is sufficient, authoritative, profound, and relevant.”

All that we need for life and godliness we find in Scripture (the written Word). In Christ are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge (the Living Word). We live and breathe every nano-second not by bread alone but by the Word of God. Therefore, in life and ministry every question is ultimately a God-question and every answer is fundamentally a God-answer.

2. Question 2: “Who is God?”

Answer 2—The Creator: “God is Trinitarian.”

God is not the “alone with the alone.” The God of the Universe is, always has been, and always will be Three-in-One, communitarian, Trinitarian. Before God created, He related. Thus God created us not out of need but graciously from the overflow of infinite Trinitarian fellowship. Reality is relational because God is Trinitarian. Therefore, in life and ministry our purpose is to glorify God as we combine Scripture and soul, truth and love.

3. Question 3: “Who am I”?

Answer 3—Creation: “We are created with dignity by God in the image of Christ.”

I am not an accident. I am fearfully and wonderfully made with the purpose of worshipful fellowship with the God of the universe and sacrificial one-another fellowship with my fellow human beings. Together we are to enjoy God by glorifying Him forever as we fulfill our calling as stewards of His universe. Therefore, in life and ministry our goal is to reflect increasingly the inner life of Christ.

4. Question 4: “What went wrong?”

Answer 4—The Fall: “We sinfully and foolishly choose god-substitutes over God.”

The only explanation for sin and suffering is humanity’s fall into rebellion initiated by Adam and Eve and continued to this day by every person who ever lived. We sinfully forsake and attempt to replace God because we have lost our awe of God and chosen to love false gods. Therefore, in life and ministry we must recognize and confess that our core problem is spiritual adultery.

5. Question 5: “Can we change? How do people change?”

Answer 5—Redemption: “We must apply our complete salvation to our daily sanctification.”

Our only hope for change is our acceptance by faith of God’s grace in Christ. Those who are new creations in Christ can change because they have already been changed. Justification (our new pardon), reconciliation (our new peace), regeneration (our new purity), and redemption (our new power) provide the four-fold basis for daily growth into the image of Christ. Therefore, in life and ministry our identity in Christ is foundational to our transformation in Christ.

6. Question 6—“Where am I headed? What is my destiny?”

Answer 6—Glorification: “Heaven is my final home.”

For those who enter into eternal relationship with God in Christ, our destiny is endless relationship and purpose—sacred communion within God’s holy and happy family. The biblical answer to the question of ultimate destiny ought to impact drastically how we live today—our future destiny impacts our present reality. Therefore, in life and ministry, reading the end of the story makes all the difference in how we respond to present suffering and how we overcome besetting sins.

7. Question 7—“Can I help? How can I help?”

Answer 7—Sanctification/Ministry: “We dispense God’s cure for the soul—grace.”

Grace is God’s prescription for our disgrace—the disgrace of sin and the disgrace of suffering. Grace is God’s medicine of choice for our sinful and suffering world. God calls us to be dispensers of His grace which sustains and heals us in our suffering, which reconciles and guides us in our sin, and which moves us toward sanctification in Christ. Therefore, in life and ministry we must be dispensers of grace.

The Life of the Soul through the Lens of Scripture

These seven biblical categories are essential for seeing the life of the soul through the lens of Scripture. They are absolutely vital because these relevant biblical categories address life’s seven ultimate questions that every honest person asks.

If You Want a Meaningful Job and a Purposeful Life, Then Minister

If You Want a Meaningful Job and a Purposeful Life, Then Minister

Where do America’s most satisfied workers work, and in what jobs do we find the people with the highest general happiness? We no longer have to guess, because a University of Chicago Study by Tom W. Smith (Job Satisfaction in the United States)[1] provides the answers.

And the Study Asked

Smith asked 1000s of people in 100s of occupations two questions.

1. Job Satisfaction:

On the whole, how satisfied are you with the work you do—would you say you are very satisfied, moderately satisfied, a little dissatisfied, or very dissatisfied?

2. General Happiness:

Taken all together, how would you say things are these days—would you say you are very happy, pretty happy, or not too happy?

And the Survey Says

Only one occupation ranked in the top twelve in both questions.

The clergy.

That’s right. Those whose work is self-defined as “conducting religious worship and performing spiritual functions associated with beliefs and practices of religious faith or denomination” reported very high job satisfaction and being very happy with life.

In fact, of over 198 occupations, the clergy ranked number one—highest—in both categories! Other than members of the clergy, only firefighters (3rd and 2nd) and special education teachers (9th and 5th) scored in the top dozen in each category.

In job satisfaction, 87.2% of clergy reported they were very satisfied with the work they do. Next in order were physical therapists, firefighters, educational administrators, painters and sculptors, teachers, authors, psychologists, special education teachers, operating engineers, office supervisors, and security and financial services salespersons.

In general happiness, 67.2% of the clergy reported that overall, they were very happy with life. Next in order were firefighters, transportation ticket and reservation agents, architects, special education teachers, actors and directors, science technicians, mechanics and repairers, industrial engineers, airline pilots and navigators, hardware and building supplies salespersons, and housekeepers and butlers.

The Contentment Source

So what is it about the ministry that leads to very high job satisfaction and very high general life happiness? The Rev. Dr. Rick Wright answered that question for Kristina Cowan, of PayScale.com, saying he enjoys helping people and being creative. “With ministry, I get to tie in my fundamental beliefs about God and life with what I do all day. So I get to work with people and assist them. And in ordained ministry I think it’s a bit unique that people will open up to you because you are a priest/pastor and share who they really are inside.”[2]

Frankly, this should come as no surprise or shock for students of the Bible. Nearly 2,000 years ago the Apostle Paul described his delight in ministry and his contentment as a minister. “We loved you so much that we were delighted to share with you not only the gospel of God but our lives as well, because you had become dear to us” (1 Thessalonians 2:8).

The Creator of the Universe built into the very fabric of our being a core other-centeredness. Only when we are ministering for others will we find life’s meaning for ourselves. “Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others. Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus” (Philippians 2:3-5).


[1]Tom W. Smith, Job Satisfaction in the United States, NORC/University of Chicago, April, 2007.
[2]Kristina Cowan, “Where Do America's Happiest People Work?,” PayScale.com, November 11, 2008.

How to Ruin a Good Church, Part I

How to Ruin a Good Church or Para-Church Organization:
Treat It Like a Business

In 2005, Jim Collins, author of the best-selling Good to Great, penned a brief but time-worthy monograph Good to Great and the Social Sector. His subtitle should say it all, Why Business Thinking is Not the Answer. However, just in case anyone missed his point, Collins’ first paragraph begins with these prescient words, “We must reject the idea—well-intentioned, but dead wrong—that the primary path to greatness in the social sector is to become ‘more like a business’” (p. 1). (Note: All quotes and references are from, Collins, Jim. Good to Great and the Social Sector: Why Business Thinking is Not the Answer. A Monograph to Accompany Good to Great. Boulder, CO: Jim Collins, 2005.)

What does Collins have in mind with his term “social sector”? He’s picturing churches, para-church organizations, elementary schools, high schools, colleges, seminaries, non-profit organizations, hospitals, social services, charities, the arts—any non-business, any non-profit organization.

When Collins says that social sector organizations should not function like a business, is he saying that they should function in shoddy ways? Absolutely not. “We need to reject the naïve imposition of the ‘language of business’ on the social sectors, and instead jointly embrace a language of greatness” (p. 2).

What Collins provides in Good to Great and the Social Sector is a research-based framework for greatness that articulates timeless principles that explain why some social sector organizations become great and others remain mediocre. He defines five issues of vital importance to non-profits:

1. Defining “Great”—Calibrating Success without Business Metrics

2. Level 5 Leadership—Getting Things Done within a Diffuse Power Structure

3. First Who—Getting the Right People on the Bus within Social Sector Constraints

4. The Hedgehog Concept—Rethinking the Economic Engine without a Profit Motive

5. Turning the Flywheel—Building Momentum by Building the Brand

Issue One: Defining “Great”—Calibrating Success without Business Metrics

Collins’ first “take-away” states that “In the social sectors, money is only an input, and not a measure of greatness” (p. 5). In other words, for a social sector organization, greatness must be assessed relative to mission, not financial returns. For non-profits, the critical question is, “How effectively do we deliver on our mission and make a distinctive impact, relative to our resources?” (p. 5).

Of course, in non-profits, great goals can seemingly defy measurement. Still, leaders are to ask a simple question, “What do we mean by great results?” (p. 7). Even when you cannot quantify results (specific measurable numbers) you can ask qualitative (quality-based) questions.

Taking It Home

As I’ve reflected upon Collins’ emphasis, I’ve integrated them with my own MVP Organizational concepts.

 M Stands for Mission: The universal calling of the organization.
 V Stands for Vision: The unique dream of the organization.
 P Stands for Passion: The unmistakable obsession of the organization.

Combining my thoughts and Collins’, I would suggest three types of guiding questions.

 Mission Questions: What does superior performance look like in our organization given our mission statement? In what ways are we “delivering” on our mission?

 Vision Questions: What distinctive impacts are we making that align with our organizational vision? If we were to disappear, what hole would we leave that could not be easily filled by any other organization on the planet?

 Passion Questions: What lasting, enduring statement about the meaning of life are we making that advances our organizational passion? What eternal principle drives us and how are we sharing that truth in love everywhere, all the time?

Questions such as these, altered and specified to “fit” specific non-profits, can become diagnostic indicators. Collins explains, “What matters is not finding the perfect indicator, but settling upon a consistent and intelligent method of assessing your output results, and then tracking your trajectory with rigor” (p. 8).

Relative to these questions, social organizations must make a relentless commitment that drives them to ever higher levels of performance and impact. In this regard, Collins makes a simple but profound point about the difference between goodness and greatness. “No matter how much you have achieved, you will always be merely good relative to what you can become. Greatness is an inherently dynamic process, not an end point. The moment you think of yourself as great, your slide to mediocrity will have already begun” (p. 9).

Issue Two: Level 5 Leadership—Getting Things Done within a Diffuse Power Structure

Social sector leaders do not normally have concentrated executive power. However, they have the power of influence, the power of inclusion, the power of language, the power of shared interests, and the power of coalition.

Thus, executive style leadership is impractical in the social sector (p. 10). This is why many business executives fail when they move into the social sector.

It is also why, as I have witnessed repeatedly as a consultant and a pastor, many “lay leaders” (such as elders, board members, etc.) fail miserably when they attempt to bring their “business savvy” and workplace style of leadership into the local church or para-church.

Collins concludes that there are two types of leadership skill:

1. Business Sector Executive Skill

Here, the leader has enough concentrated power and structural authority to simply make the “right” decisions.

2. Social Sector Legislative Skill

Here, the leader relies upon persuasion, political (people) currency, and shared interests (shared MVP) to create the right conditions for the “right” decisions to happen (p. 11).

Level five leaders are “ambitious first and foremost for the cause, the movement, the mission, the work—not themselves—and they have the will to do whatever it takes (whatever it takes) to make good on that ambition” (p. 11). In the social sector, the Level five leader combines personal humility and professional will to create legitimacy and influence (p. 11).

As an aside, though Collins resists the term “servant leader,” I personally embrace it. Collins fears that the “servant” part of the phrase implies the lack of a strong will (the inability to do whatever it takes to advance the MVP of the organization). Biblically, Christ, Moses, Paul, Joshua, Debra, and all other godly leaders, combined person humility with “ministry will.”

In the social sector, what does level five servant leadership require? It necessitates that the people know the leader’s heart so well that they are convinced that he or she has the greater good of the organization in mind, not him or herself (p. 11). Otherwise, why should those over whom a leader has no direct power give themselves over to a decision that they view as primarily being about and advancing the leader, rather than the organization’s mission, vision, and passion?

Collins brilliantly illustrates the difference between the practice of leadership and the exercise of power. “If I put a loaded gun to your head, I can get you to do things you might not otherwise do, but I’ve not practiced leadership; I’ve exercised power. True leadership only exists if people follow when they have the freedom not to” (pp. 12-13).

Taking It Home

What are my take-aways from this? Social sector leadership:

1. Requires a shared commitment to the MVP, jointly developed and embraced.

2. Requires the “sharing of life together” so that people see into the leader’s heart enough to confidently entrust themselves to his or her leadership.

3. Requires the wisdom to apply change-management principles. Legislative leaders do not force change. They shepherd people who then voluntarily enact change because they have discerned the wisdom of the change and been given a voice in the change discussion.

Note: See Next Post for Part II