Raising up everyday Christian leaders for ministry
/When we truly value everyday people and the gifts God has given them, and we disciple them effectively, it follows that people will begin to recognise that some everyday people have the character, convictions and competencies to become leaders in our churches, whether in voluntary or paid ministry positions.
This is good! Why? Because we need everyday Christian leaders who will serve in all types of ministries and at all levels of leadership – from kids’ and youth ministries, to men’s and women’s ministries, to leading church services, to serving on parish councils or as elders … to being ordained pastors.
In fact, I believe that training and appointing everyday leaders is the most significant way we can overcome the obstacles to making disciples of everyday people.
This is not the current practice in many Reformed evangelical churches, though. Instead, there is a focus on identifying, training and appointing godly, university-educated men and women to be pastors and lay leaders.
But consider this: Jesus sought out everyday men for his inner circle, to be part of the Twelve. He didn’t choose teachers of the law; he chose people like Andrew, Peter, James and John, who were fishermen. (Peter and John are described as ‘unschooled, ordinary men’ in Acts 4:13.)
Let me outline some very important reasons to identify, train and appoint everyday men and women for leadership in our churches.
Different leadership styles
I heard one everyday Christian leader say that one of the most valuable ministry tools he had when he entered pastoral ministry was his trailer.
This tool allowed him to do more Word ministry in the community than any other ministry tool he had. As he helped people move their stuff, served people and worked alongside them, he had many gospel conversations.
I don’t know any university-educated Christian leaders who’ve said a trailer was one of their most valuable ministry tools.
This illustrates one type of God-given difference between everyday and university-educated people.
Generally speaking, everyday people are often ‘doers’. Everyday leaders will, on the whole, not be in danger of spending too much time in their office each week; they’ll be in danger of not spending enough time in their office. They will be out in the community with people, practically ministering to people and discipling them.
University-educated leaders, by contrast, may be in their office more, contemplating biblical teaching and ideas, and focusing on how to explain God’s Word and exhort and encourage others.
Both types of leader are needed!
Different teaching styles
The teaching style of everyday people is typically very different, too. Because everyday people are ‘doers’, they are inclined to teach and train others by showing them what to do and giving some explanation.
It’s the sort of thing you might see on a building site where a licensed plumber is teaching his apprentice how to lay pipes, or in a clothing store as the store manager teachers a new employee how to process a customer’s purchase.
This aligns closely with the ways we see Jesus and Paul teaching people in the New Testament – whether it is Jesus washing his disciples’ feet and telling them to do likewise (John 13:1–17) or Paul telling the Philippians to follow his example and the example of others who live as Paul lives (Philippians 3:17).
So an everyday leader’s preaching might be different from what we are used to hearing. Their sermons may be strongly practical and moving; they may feel weighty and be full of practical insights and wisdom.
And this use of their God-given gifts, I’m sure you would agree, will be extremely edifying to all God’s church, and especially engaging for other everyday Christians.
Uniquely gifted and essential
Everyday Christian leaders are uniquely gifted to serve God’s church and bless it; and if they are visible as leaders in the church, no longer will everyday people see church as just an ‘upper-class gathering’.
If we want to demonstrate that our church is for everyday people, it’s essential to give them a voice in our churches and demonstrate that they are valued for the unique contributions they can make.
What’s happening in Wagga Wagga?
Pastors Dale Skewes and David Strong have been running VBC training at their church in Wagga for the past five years.
David identified a need to train church members – in particular, people who would never move away to attend Bible college, like young farmers and tradesmen – to equip them for things like preaching and leading.
So every Tuesday evening during school terms, Dale and David are onsite at Wagga Wagga Baptist Church, running VBC training.
This training is part of what they call the Bush Apprenticeship. Apprentices are assigned a mentor, plugged into a particular church ministry, and signed up for theological training.
Dale explains that the training has equipped each participant in different ways. He says:
One fellow is a farmer – he’s done all the subjects. He would say that it has equipped him as a better leader. He leads a Bible study and he mentors young men.
He says that a single mum in their church has also benefited from the training:
She’s quite a gifted speaker. So it’s given her opportunities to develop that and have some theological foundations for doing that. We’d love to see her doing some speaking in women’s ministry. She also leads church services and ministers in Bible studies.
Others who have completed the training include a young man with a difficult past who has spent time in jail. He’s now back on his feet, and has really loved doing the Bush Apprenticeship.
The impact on participants is profound. Dale says:
One girl who went through the training shared that she had never grown so much in her faith or been so happy in her faith as when she was doing it.
So it’s essential to train everyday leaders for ministry positions – and this extends to paid ministry work as well.
But what’s the best way to do this?
This article is one of a series that I’ve written about making disciples of ‘everyday people’.
It can be read on its own, but if you’d like to gain a greater understanding of how my thoughts around this important topic have developed, you may wish to read the full series of articles in order.
All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com The “NIV” and “New International Version” are trademarks registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Biblica, Inc.™