Philosophy of Ministry

Philosophy of One God, Three Persons

Philosophy is the English rendering of the combined Greek words for love (philo) and wisdom (sophia).  Those who read the Word of God know that God is love (1 John 4:16) and the beginning of all wisdom (Prov. 1:7; 9:10).  God gives this wisdom generously to those who ask of Him (Jas. 1:5) because it is meant for the express purpose of winning souls for Him (Prov. 11:30)—while ministering is defined generically as “to help or care for.”  I am always reminded that Solomon prayed for wisdom so that he would be able to discern between good and evil, and thereby govern God’s chosen flock (1 Kgs. 3:7-9).  

We must keep in mind to never restrict the winning of souls to invisible/spiritual matters.  As His covenant people bound by God’s promises through the ages, we have the honor of inheritance in the earthly and spiritual kingdom that He is building.  While this may not look like the worldview that was popular in Old Testament Israel, our religion still calls us to care for one another in tangible, visible, and indeed, material ways—made possible only by His grace of faith (Jas. 1:26-27; 2:14ff).

My philosophy of ministry, then, is not my own or those of men who taught me, but what I have received from God Himself (wise as they are at Westminster Theological Seminary and the Christian Counseling and Education Foundation) (Gal. 1:12).  It is derived from studying His inspired Living Word—because one cannot believe/administer what one does not know.  And nowhere is knowing more important, than when we are talking not about something, but Someone: our Triune God, who is One simple essence, yet three distinct (not different) persons.  Nothing created can possibly compare to God’s transcendence and immanence, but the fact that each Person of the Trinity is operative in every work of the intensive plural Elohim, points to how we can minister as members of one body because of our one federal head Jesus, and the one Spirit who proceeds from Him—glorifying God by making His love complete (1 John 4:12).

Philosophy of One Body, Many Parts

What do we do once we have identified ourselves as one body is the question (1 Cor. 12:7-31)?  There are so many gifts and so many offices (Rom 12:3-8; Eph 4:7-16)!  Well, we start by rejoicing/suffering with the others.  We carry others’ burdens and do everything (1 Cor. 16:13-14; Gal 6:2; Jas. 4:13-17) as the Master would do if he were here (Matt. 25:14-30): we would give His body something to eat (Matt. 14:13-21).  We would feed His sheep not only because He told us to do what He did, but we would do it because we love Him (John 21:15-19).  We should not be surprised that we should, or even can, because Jesus Himself said that we would do greater things than what He did in His earthly ministry (John 14:12).  And again, we would be able to do it only because of His Spirit of truth who dwells in us (John 14:15-17).  

But what specifically does that look like, you ask?  Certainly, it’s putting together a healthy liturgy of preaching sermons and teaching children’s Sunday School and Men’s/Women’s Bible studies; as well as eating at one another’s homes and fellowshipping through various forms of recreation; then praying corporate praise, ad hoc intercession, and individual repentance (Acts 2:42-47).  But for me, even before these miracles, it requires the wonder of kneeling beneath the weight of His new mercies every morning; bringing my family before God for His powerful love to overflow among us to overflow to others (Lam. 3:21-23; Eph. 3:14-19).  It requires leading/disciplining brothers in baptism so that he can baptize his family with him—teaching to obey by dying to sin in order to be saved to do good and live righteously—to be a godly man to be a godly husband to be a godly dad (Matt. 28:19-20; Titus 3:5-8; 1 Pet. 2:24).

Big Partners in Holy Matrimony

After all, my wife and I met while serving in special needs children’s ministry, began our first date (and every Sunday date thereafter) at Redeemer Presbyterian’s evening service, and were joined by God in holy matrimony just to learn to submit to one another out of reverence to Jesus—who we are in union with first—in ways that have proved immeasurably more than we can ever ask or imagine (Eph. 3:20-21; 5:21).  We were blessed to learn from our pastor and his wife and so would be honored to show others how to trust in His humbling sanctification process (2 Sam. 7:18).  We sought out the wise to walk with to become wise and present this as the foremost focus on what church can offer to those who are dating or already married (Prov. 13:20).  Only then can we hope for the Spirit to answer our prayers (1 Pet. 3:7).

Little Messengers of Peace and Favor

Because only God can empower our daughters to walk the walk and talk the talk as they have—saying “God bless you” to everyone they meet on the street and reciting alternating words in entire passages of Scripture—even before reaching the age of 2; because as our children’s names (faith/message of Peace and faith/message of Favor) indicate, they have been fitted with the readiness of the Gospel of peace (Eph. 6:15) that rests in the hearts of those on whom His favor rests (Luke 2:14).  

But as those who He entrusted to be their parents, we have the opportunity to join in His work.  So while I could have gone to seminary as a man, I chose to go as a husband and father who brought his wife and children; my classmates saw my daughter as much as they saw me and she enjoyed learning from every class and small group.  It didn’t take long before she began to bless us, singing: “Great is Thy Faithfulness” every morning and then “God is so good” through the day (capping it with: “He’s so good to me… and you and you.  We’re friends!”)  When she turns 2, I will begin casting her in the Scripture Skits and Verse Voiceovers that I began as a children’s ministry teacher in Africa.  It is how we envision infants/children blessing the church.  It is how we learn to be children of God from the children of God who minister to us (Matt. 18:1-5).  Indeed, His faithfulness continues through all generations when we minister to one another as a family-in-Christ: knowing God as His children, shouting His joyously good news to others, and worshiping Him in song together (Ps. 100:1-5).  Selah!

Priests Standing, In Between, and All Around

Beyond solidifying the family-in-Christ around marriages and infants/children, emphasis needs to be placed on those who are perhaps the best placed to minister to others: adolescents (1 Tim. 4:11-14), young professionals (2 Tim. 2:15), and mature single adults (Gal. 6:4-5).  These are the ones on the front lines of spiritual battle, whether they like it or not, whether they are aware of it or not.  To use a baseball analogy, the family-in-Christ must be the home base that one needs to launch from and return back to for those struggling with one’s identity as an adolescent (Eph. 1:4-14), finding one’s bearings as a young professional (Ps. 90:17), or journeying in the wilderness as a mature single adult (Prov. 24: 30-34).  

At a moment’s notice, these are the ones who are given the singular opportunity to pull back those wandering from childhood faith or fish for those souls whom Jesus will haul in if one only shares His message.  Offering a place of love and wisdom to come into and go forth from—all thanks to Jesus (John 10:9)—is what we envision.  These are the most socially relevant in the royal family of priests standing between God and the world, and it is a wise and loving family that prepares them for ministry (1 Tim. 4:15ff), particularly those from shaky homes (Prov. 18:24).  We can be the family who raises leaders bold in accepting Christ’s Commission as ambassadors who lovingly disciple (John 13:35; Gal. 6:18-20).  

These will be known by their wise love: disciples who strengthen roots in faith from real-life experience on short-term missions during formative years, and disciples who receive life-meaning by giving to others on long-term missions when they have the most to share.  These mission fields are schools, playgrounds, streets (cyber or city), transportation hubs, offices, restaurants (or other social venues), and other people’s homes.  Ministry that makes ministers at home, or missionaries away, is a meaningful mission.  

Philosophy of Wisely Loving

As a Reformed practical theologian, covenantal presuppositional apologist, and Biblical counseling clinician, I take God’s commands (and resulting blessings/curses) seriously.  Following His precepts requires purposeful and disciplined ministry.  Having this philosophy of ministry is just the beginning.  Ministering this philosophy to others is another.  It will leverage the experience that I gained by common grace in other spheres of influence to plan wisely and operate lovingly.  To that end, I am working towards a doctoral degree (researching to develop evidence-based treatments that apply God’s redemptive-historical truth to crisis and trauma counseling in the marriage/family context), and hope to write books useful to the family-in-Christ, bringing the whole counsel of God to bear on situations for all believers through every stage of life (Acts 20:27-35).  Answering His call to serve will allow our family to write words of wisdom, while loving His/your family with His actions and in His truth (1 John 3:18).