Journal: Westminster Theological Journal
Volume: WTJ 36:2 (Winter 1974)
Article: The Developing Of A Ministering Congregation
Author: Wallace Carr

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WTJ 36:2 (Winter 1974) p. 216

The Developing Of A Ministering Congregation

Wallace Carr

When God spoke to the church through the Ephesian letter one of the concepts he emphasized was the “equipping of the saints for the work of service, to the building up of the body of Christ” (Eph. 4:12, NASB). This directive is a realistic solution to at least two serious problems facing most pastors and congregations. One, when rank-and-file church members are in real distress, experiencing a crisis in their lives, they need and have a right to expect more from their church than the traditional “once over lightly plus a prayer.” But, many an exhausted pastor will testify that one man simply can’t provide an intensive ministry to very many people at the same time. Two, a large number of Christian people in our congregations are looking for a way to give themselves sacrificially to Christ’s service. But, not many people are willing to expend themselves on trivia, even if it has been “baptized.” Ephesians 4 speaks of saints engaged in ministry. That is, a shepherd-teacher guiding members of a congregation as they develop and use their God-given gifts in ministering to one another.

When people experience crisis situations, they need a genuine Christian ministry right away that will reach them at the “bed-rock” issues of their lives. For example, a young couple’s first child is born paralyzed with an exposed spinal cord; a family who had already experienced the death of two children in a highway accident is suddenly faced with their youngest child being struck by an automobile; or a widow in a strange community finds her sons rejecting their Christian training and entering the drug culture; and on and on. A crisis can be a means of growth to greater hope (Rom. 5:3, 4), or it can lead to a hardened heart. If a person adopts a bitter attitude it might even lead to a major disorganization of one’s personality. The

WTJ 36:2 (Winter 1974) p. 217

outcome may well be influenced by the presence of a solid, total, Biblical ministry at the moment of need. Romans 12:3–21 describes just such a “down to earth” (or “up to heaven”) ministry that Christians can provide each other in Jesus Christ.

In his Commentary on the Epistle to the Romans F. Godet1 suggests that the “charismata” mentioned in Romans 12:6–8 are natural talents that the Spirit appropriates and sanctifies for the development of the spiritu...

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