Spirit-Led Ministry in the Twenty-First Century Revised and Updated Edition: Spirit-Empowered Preaching, Teaching, Healing, and Leadership

Copyright © 2017 Thomson K. Mathew.

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ISBN: 978-1-5127-9231-7 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-5127-9232-4 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2017910228

WestBow Press rev. date: 7/31/2017

To

Molly

Amy, Fiju, Philip, and Joseph

Jamie

Contents

Foreword to the Second Edition

Foreword

Introduction

Chapter 1 Defining Ministry

A Biblical View

Biblical Metaphors

Jesus’s Model

Jesus the Pastor

Pre-Ministry Encounter

A Theological View

Hope-Bearing

God’s Messengers

Ministerial Authority

Kingdom of God

Sacred Vocation

Revealing God’s Heart

A Practical View

Ministry as Leadership

Ministry as Relationship

Incarnational Presence

Ministry as Memory

Contemporary Images

Rewards of Ministry

Chapter 2 Ministry: A Historical Perspective

General Story of Christianity

A Brief History of Ministry

The Particular Story of Shepherding

Church Fathers on Pastoral Work

Pastoral Care during the Middle Ages and Pre-Reformation Period

The Reformers and Pastoral Ministry

Pastoral Work during Post-Reformation Period

Ministry in America

The Evangelicals

Pentecostal-Charismatic Ministry

A Thematic History

Impact of Dominant Social Characters

Positive Ministry Trends in the New Century

Chapter 3 Ministry and the Holy Spirit

When the Spirit Came

Ministry Practices in Acts

Understanding Empowerment

Power and Powerlessness

Love and Power

Revelation and Risk

Poverty and Prosperity

Authority of God’s Son

Authority of God’s Word

A Spirit-Empowered Church

Caring and Meeting Needs

Evangelizing

Seven Forces

A Strategic Proposal for Evangelism

Making Disciples

Organism and Organization

Under Authority and Accountable

Portrait of a Healthy Congregation

Chapter 4 Empowered and Competent Ministry

Competent Ministries

Ministry to Families

Ministry to Women

Ministry to Children

Institutional Ministry/Chaplaincy

Praise and Worship Ministry

Continuing Education of Ministers

Why Continuing Education?

History

Needs

Resources

Being Healthy in Ministry

Chapter 5 Preaching in the Power of the Spirit

Eight Preaching Principles

Spirit-Led Interpretation of the Bible

Chapter 6 Teaching As Jesus Taught

Jesus, Teaching, and the Holy Spirit

Educational Philosophy

Good Teaching

Adult Education

Teaching Teens

Teaching for Daily Decisions

Types of Faith

Theological Reflection

Church as a Theological Seminary

Chapter 7 Healing Ministry in the New Century

Faith and Healing

Signs and Wonders

Evangelistic Versus Pastoral Healing

Theological Presuppositions

Healing Ministry in the Local Church

Chapter 8 Empowered Servant Leadership

Next Stage of Leadership

Biblical Language of Leadership

Secrets of Success

Management and Conflict Resolution

Limits of Ministry Leadership

Effective Leadership

A Spirit-Led Model

Encounter with God

Anointing of the Holy Spirit

Walk by Faith

Chapter 9 Becoming a Spirit-Empowered Minister

A Call to Ministry

A Call to Empowerment

A Call to Excellence

Notes

Bibliography

Foreword to the Second Edition

M inistry is no easy task. Ministry leaders are keenly aware of the complexity of ministry and their dependence on God’s power and leading to effectively execute His calling for their lives. Without the divine dimension, the minister sooner or later exhausts her or his own resources and skill sets. Thankfully, the Spirit of God empowers the minister for the tasks at hand. Dr. Thomson K. Mathew seamlessly weaves the practices of ministry together with Spirit empowerment in this text.

Dr. Mathew writes as an insider to the Spirit-empowered movement. He grew up in the Pentecostal tradition and served for decades in a university institution marked by the Charismatic renewal of the latter half of the twentieth century. These traditions grew exponentially in the twentieth century and have influenced all corners of the Christian world today. In the twenty-first century, the Holy Spirit has become mainstream. Furthermore, postmodernism’s emphasis on experience as bearer of truth contributes to the marginalization of cessationism and fosters a longing to be Spirit-led in ministry. In this second edition, Dr. Mathew uses the language of Spirit-empowered ministry throughout the text in a way that speaks effectively and contextually to today’s ministers.

The multifaceted role of the minister is attested to by the breadth of scripture. While the shepherd metaphor for the minister reverberated meaning in an agrarian world, it does not speak with such clarity in the twenty-first century. Even its translated equivalent, pastor, remains vague in today’s world. The various Christian traditions and subcultures each conceptualize ministry leadership differently, complicating our understanding of what the minister does. Dr. Mathew carefully unpacks the complex role of the minister for the reader. In the pages of Spirit-Led Ministry in the 21st Century, the reader gains a robust understanding of ministerial identity and function for today’s world.

Dr. Mathew is a pastor’s pastor. I have known him for nearly two decades and can attest to both his reservoir of ministry wisdom and his caring pastoral heart for all those he encounters. Students love his wisdom, colleagues seek out his counsel, staff treasure his loving care, congregations are captivated by his preaching, and all see Jesus in his character. Fifteen years ago, he spoke words into my life that served as a rudder as I sailed out into the deep waters of church planting. Remember, he said, you are planting an orchard, not a cornfield. I clung to those words of truth during the following ten years of church planting. In the pages of this book, the reader will discover keys to cultivating a ministry orchard that produces fruit year after year.

John Thompson, DSL

Director of the Doctor of Ministry Program

Graduate School of Theology and Ministry

Oral Roberts University

Spring 2017

Foreword

C urrently there is a plethora of books, journals, and magazines dealing with the subject of the role of a pastor including preaching, teaching, healing, and leading. Most of these books are written by leading evangelical ministers. Their works are well done and insightful, but often underemphasize the Holy Spirit’s work in these roles.

There is a great need for information on ministry from a Pentecostal/Charismatic dimension. This book by Dr. Thomson Mathew meets that need. Here is a well trained and experienced Pentecostal/Charismatic pastor, chaplain, and theological educator writing out of years of experience about roles of the minister with a balanced emphasis. We now have a textbook quality guide to add to the current offering of books on the subject. This book is both academic and practical at the same time.

Undergirding Dr. Mathew’s four major roles of a minister are two strong foundational stones—character and skills. In Psalm 78:72 we read, And David shepherded them with integrity of heart; with skillful hands he led them. These twins of balance are found in each of the roles delineated by Thomson Mathew. In fact, he practices this balance in his own life and teaches them by his example. Really, what good are skills if they are not accompanied by character of heart, and how effective is a person with character minus skills?

This book is both cutting edge and basic. May its truths impact all readers in an ever changing and sometimes dangerous world, one that desperately needs Spirit-empowered ministers with integrity (character) and skills.

Kenneth Mayton, EdD

Graduate School of Theology and Ministry

Oral Roberts University

Introduction

F or a number of years now, I have felt the need for a book on Spirit-empowered ministry that is biblically sound and theologically balanced. While there are plenty of books on ministry and various specialized ministries, there is a real shortage of books on ministry from a Spirit-filled perspective. Most books on ministry do not pay adequate attention to the role of the Holy Spirit in ministry. And many of them seem to neglect the church’s ministry of healing.

I have been teaching courses in ministry and pastoral care at Oral Roberts University Graduate School of Theology and Ministry for nearly three decades. My students kept asking me to put into writing some of the material I have been teaching. Being the dean of a college and seminary, there never was a convenient time to do so. Finally, I came to the conclusion that there never would be an ideal time and started to put a collection together. I first produced it more than a decade ago as a class reader for my students titled Spirit-Led Ministry in the 21st Century. A generous sabbatical I received during the 2016–17 academic year has made it possible for me to revise and update that work to produce this volume.

This is meant to be an essential reader and a practical guide on Spirit-empowered ministry for anyone currently engaged in ministry or contemplating ministry. I hope ministers and ministry students in all faith groups will read these pages as I have sincerely attempted to present a theology of ministry that is faithful to the Bible and open to the empowerment of the Holy Spirit in this volume. I have also focused on the four major things Jesus asked His followers to do—preach, teach, heal, and lead. I have presented these topics in light of the challenges posed by the twenty-first century.

I have not written an original treatise. In addition to my own observations, these pages contain ideas I gleaned from many people—family members who are ministers, several teachers and mentors, and a number of authors I have read. Additionally, I owe much to the theological faculty at Oral Roberts University, whose outlook on ministry is reflected here. We have spent countless hours in the last few years discussing and debating what biblical ministry ought to look like today. We have argued about what a Spirit-led minister—the intended product of our seminary—should be like. I want to express my deep gratitude to these colleagues, especially to those who participated in the lunch room table talks on a regular basis.

I am indebted to several individuals who made this work possible. My wife, Molly; long-term administrative assistant, Judy Cope; and editorial assistant, Marlene Mankins, are among them. I am also grateful to President William M. Wilson and Provost Kathaleen Reid-Martinez of Oral Roberts University for granting me a generous sabbatical.

Probably my strongest qualification for writing this book is that I am a third-generation minister within the Pentecostal/Charismatic tradition whose ancestors were Saint Thomas Christians of India. My father and grandfather were Pentecostal preachers in South India. My wife’s father and grandfather were also Pentecostal ministers there. My father-in-law pastored one church for forty years in Kerala State, India. My father pastored his last church for thirty years as he supervised thirty other churches in his district. My brother and my wife’s brother are pastors. All four of my sisters are married to pastors. I grew up in parsonages in India until I came to America in 1972. After my studies at Yale Divinity School, I pastored a local church in New Haven, Connecticut, for five years before becoming a chaplain and professor. All these relationships, experiences, and observations have influenced this writing.

At my father’s funeral service a few years ago, I spoke about our family’s self-understanding by making reference to the conversation between Joseph’s brothers and the Pharaoh in Egypt: Pharaoh asked the brothers, ‘What is your occupation?’ ‘Your servants are shepherds,’ they replied to Pharaoh, ‘just as our fathers were’ (Gen. 47:3). We are also a family of shepherds and this book is written from the perspective of a shepherd. I hope it will be seen as a special strength of this work.

The modern Spirit-empowered movement is more than a hundred years old now. The pioneers of the movement faced their day and finished their course. I believe that the movement needs more well trained leaders with passion and competence who can address the challenges of their own day. I have accepted the preparation of such ministers as the calling and mission of my life. This book is a humble contribution toward that mission.

If a current pastor or future minister receives an insight or a sense of encouragement by reading these pages, I will be more than grateful. I submit these pages to God for His purposes.

Thomson K. Mathew

Graduate School of Theology and Ministry

Oral Roberts University

Tulsa, Oklahoma, USA

Spring 2017

Chapter 1

Defining Ministry

He appointed twelve that they might be with him and that he might send them out to preach and to have authority to drive out demons.

—Mark 3:14–15

W hat is this vocation called ministry? How is it different from contemporary helping professions? Is it really unique among the professions? Responding to these questions may be a good place to start a book on Spirit-empowered ministry. Since ministry can be viewed from biblical, theological, and practical perspectives, let’s begin this discussion with a biblical definition of Christian ministry.

A Biblical View

Since Christian ministry must be guided by its biblical mandates at all times, it is appropriate to begin with the scriptural texts. First, Christian ministry is a total response to God’s call on a person’s life (2 Tim. 1:9; 1 Thess. 2:12). While the Bible acknowledges the priesthood of all believers, it clearly indicates that God calls certain individuals for specific offices of ministry. In The Purpose of the Church and Its Ministry, Richard Niebuhr outlines four distinct calls in the life of a minister.¹ The first is the call to become a Christian. Everyone receives this call, but the future minister receives an additional secret call. This is one’s inner sense of a calling that is not shared by anyone else. This secret call is followed by a providential call that voluntarily manifests itself through God-given gifts and talents. Finally, the minister receives what Niebuhr calls an ecclesiastical call that publicly acknowledges God’s call on his or her life. In this stage, God’s call is publicly affirmed by the body of Christ and may be confirmed through ordination.

Scripture defines ministry as being a coworker with God, carrying out His purposes in the world (John 4:34; 2 Cor. 6:1). The almighty God chooses to depend on fragile human beings to complete His work of restoration, reconciliation, and redemption in this fallen world. Ministry is, therefore, doing God’s will in the world. Before God’s will can be carried out, it must be sought in prayer. Ministry, then, is seeking God’s will in prayer and doing His will through one’s life (1 John 2:17).

Ordained ministers are not expected to carry out all of the practical aspects of ministry. God gave apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, and teachers for the equipping of the believers to do the work of the ministry, according to Ephesians 4:12. To a large degree, ministry is simply equipping and enabling other believers to fulfill the multiple ministries of God’s church. The ultimate purpose of ministry is, therefore, to produce people who minister. Although not all are called to the offices of ministry, all believers are called to minister. True ministry is enabling others to serve in the name of Jesus by edifying, equipping, and helping them to grow.

Ministry involves bringing men and women into a vital relationship with God through Jesus Christ (2 Cor. 5:20). It is also the proclamation (kerygma) of the gospel of Jesus Christ (2 Tim. 4:2, 5). As people are reconciled with God, they are also called to become reconciled with one another; therefore, one can say that biblical ministry is a relational enterprise involving the work of reconciliation.

Scripture confirms that ministry is bringing wholeness to individuals: May your whole spirit, soul, and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ (1 Thess. 5:23). According to this text, biblical wholeness is holiness. God calls His broken children to wholeness and holiness; therefore, ministry must seek to restore persons to wholeness by bringing healing to body, mind, spirit, and relationships.

True ministry can only be accomplished through a life of servanthood to God and others in the name of Christ (Gal. 5:13, 6:2, 5). Diakonia means service. The highest title in the kingdom of God is that of servant; thus, leadership in God’s church must be servant leadership.

Scripture also emphasizes the importance of koinonia, the fellowship of believers and the communion of saints (1 John 1:7). Ministry involves facilitating this fellowship and communion in the body of Christ.

In essence, ministry is the call of God on one’s life. A minister is a gift of God to the church (Eph. 4:11), and he or she is a representative of God who pleads with the world to be reconciled with God (2 Cor. 5:18–19). A minister, as an ambassador, must dialogue with the world while at the same time remaining in constant communication with God. The pastoral epistles list other ministerial duties, including reproving, rebuking, exhorting, enduring, and doing the work of an evangelist. They also include equipping, perfecting, edifying, unifying, and bringing persons to maturity.

Biblical Metaphors

The Gospels are filled with images of ministry and discipleship. David W. Bennett, in Metaphors of Ministry, categorizes these as images of people and images of things.² Some images are relationship oriented, while others are task oriented. Relationship-oriented images include those of brother, sister, child, son, friend, guest, and disciple. According to Bennett, images of servant, manager, shepherd, worker, apostle, witness, and fisherman are primarily task-oriented metaphors. Scripture uses commonplace things such as soil, field, firstfruits, vine and branches, wheat, sheep, salt, light, building, and body to bear the image of ministry.

From these images