Every Believer a Minister
Note: This post is the first in our “Discipleship DNA” series that covers what we consider core values for discipleship. We’ll post one “DNA” blog each month and one “toolbox” article, which will give practical advice for your disciple-making efforts.
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Can any believer do the Kingdom work Jesus gave his disciples to do? Sharing the gospel. Making disciples. Planting churches. Does every believer really have permission to do this? Isn’t there some rule against this?
Paul does give guidelines for leadership in the church in 1 Timothy. A leader must have good character and have a family of good character. They must able to teach and their teaching and doctrine must align with the teachings of Jesus.
Having good character is something all believers must endeavor to have, but not all believers are able to teach. So…not all believers are leaders.
However, all believers are ministers.
“Every Believer a Minister” is one of the core values of the Pattern team – and not just because we like the concept – but because we see it as a core biblical truth and pattern from the New Testament.
1 Peter 2:9 and Rev 1:6 describe that believers are ministers of God who declare to others what God has done.
Imagine if every believer shared stories of Jesus with lost people and invited them to follow Jesus. Imagine if every believer helped these new followers to gather as a small group to learn the simple practices of a healthy church. Imagine every believer helping these new followers discover more about Jesus by asking simple questions as they study the Bible together in a small group. Imagine these small groups becoming healthy micro-churches that meet in homes and start other groups that meet in homes.
Many believers are not confident to do work in God’s Kingdom because we do not realize that we are ministers who have everything we need.
When faced with the opportunity to make a disciple, the first response from most is, “Wait, I need another tool! I’m not prepared. I never even went to Bible School!”
What did the first disciples have when Jesus commissioned them to go into all the world and make disciples?
- They had the Holy Spirit.
- They had the Scriptures and stories of Jesus.
- They had a community of other followers of Jesus.
As believes today, we have the same “tools” in our toolbox: the Holy Spirit, Scriptures, and Community.
And we have permission and commission from Jesus to minister! Every single one of us!
Author: Kami S.
