You then, my child, be strengthened by the grace that is in Christ Jesus, and what you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses entrust to faithful men who will be able to teach others also.
2 Timothy 2:1-2.
For though you have countless guides in Christ, you do not have many fathers. For I became your father in Christ Jesus through the gospel. I urge you, then, be imitators of me.
1 Corinthians 4:15-16.
Most of us grew up in a program church. Our churches had programs, and we participated in them. Many of them are very good, but regardless, every program has limitations. No one program can do everything, and most realize this. We have had good and bad experiences with programs and the people who run them.
On the other side of the coin are leaders who run programs. Many find a niche for their gifts and values and would not miss this ministry for anything. The ministry is of high value, and they are diligent in spending their life investing in it. The regularity and consistency of a weekly or bi-weekly program are predictable and manageable for most. We see how those who went through the program were impacted and changed because they were involved. For many people, their emotional attachment to their church is directly connected to a program. If anyone were to change that program, they might just leave the church because it would be anathema to touch such a sacred program.
When programs allow us to invest in people so they experience life change, fewer things can bring more joy and encouragement. But programs have a pitfall, too. Sometimes, leaders become so attached to the program that it becomes their kingdom. They own that ministry, and no one is going to take it away. After all, it has been working for years, so why mess with it if it isn’t broken? The danger of course, is that “program church” can get very territorial and established silos. No new leaders are added, no innovation for the program, no imitation, or methodologies, and literally nothing changes.
I know churches that have not changed a single program for decades. They still run the same schedule, and the same people run the same activity at the same time frame every week. If they change, it is only because circumstances forced them to change. On the one hand, that consistency could be a good thing. On the other hand, it could mean that the ministry has been entrenched for a long time. So, how do we know if this is good or bad?
The goal of ministry is not running a well-oiled program. The goal of ministry is to invest in people. Reproducing Christ in others is the objective of true ministry. Some might assume that is exactly what the program does – but technically speaking, the program does not change people; God does. Paul’s definition of owning a ministry was investing in the life of another, which must step beyond just running a program once a week. We live in a highly distracting world, and once a week won’t get us there.
Paul was not threatened by multiple mentors. He acknowledged that the Corinthians had many guides but only one spiritual father—the person who brought them to Christ. We grapple with our significance and struggle with what success looks like. The answer? When the people we invest in start investing in others we are on the road to successfully owning our ministry.
Pastor Brad
