Philosophy of Ministry

Creating Common Ground

Creating a Neutral Zone for Conversations in the Secular world without compromising the integrity of our beliefs.

In Acts 1:1-8 one the church received its commission. We as the church “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” This objective was clearly stated, thought the means by which by which the good news should be spread was left ambiguous. Through the first centuries of the church they lived communally, weathering the storm of brutal persecution and growing throughout the Roman empire through means of mission, letter and outreach. Over generations the idea of the Great Commission was perverted or altogether lost. A 2019 Survey found that only twenty-five percent of modern American Christians are even aware of the phrase; even more stark, only seventeen percent actually have a familiarity with the term and its meaning. The preeminent example of the perversion of the great commission are church movements like the Westboro Baptist Church.

How is it that our christian remit of spreading the love of the gospel has been perverted to the point where church organizations (if the WBC even qualifies as christian) have been labeled as a hate group? How did a commission calling christians to preach to the nations lead to virulent antisemitism, Islamaphobia and homophobia? Unfortunately, Christianity is generally judged based on its worst adherents. The issue with the WBC is that they read into and enforce the letter of the law with no attempt to understand the reasoning behind it. They see only the law and the consequences of not following it, meanwhile the doctrine of divine grace falls completely to the wayside.

On the opposite side the pendulum swings to a prosperity doctrine that almost entirely ignores the law and the fact that God is righteous and cannot have sin present. While it is true that the savior’s blood covers all of our sins it is still a subsequent requirement that the work of the Holy Spirit bears fruit. While prosperity gospel preachers like Kenneth Copeland and Joel Osteen may not do damage to christianity’s facade, they promote a generally watered down gospel that is highly appealing to the average American. In the minds of the congregants, it presents an easy hedge against eternal damnation.

While one of these church movements does direct damage to the way the secular world views christians, the other rots the interior of the faith. Attempts at righteousness without grace are moot points but on the flip side, grace without seeking righteousness tends toward christian hedonism. Either are not a balanced view of the gospel and what it means to be christians. Just as we are not saved through works, faith without works is like a tree that is dead and bearing no fruit. Your actions are testament to your transformation.

When considering how ministry should juggle grace and the law of orthodox doctrine, it is important to remain human while retaining the rigidity of knowing we possess absolute truth (in the gospel). The ideal function of ministry is to create an environment that welcomes challenge and discourse while remaining true to Christian doctrine. The way in which you frame your roll in Christ’s kingdom informs the way you act. As I see it, there are three clear ways by which we can share the gospel unadulteratedly without compromising any of its statutes: Accepting challenge to your faith and being able to defend it is grounds for honest and open discourse. Lead with grace and understanding, remain resolute but human; mirror our savior. Stay true to true doctrine as proselytizing a false or watered down gospel is not productive and could lead people astray.

“But in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect” As the world grows more and more hostile towards christianity, our ability to share it becomes more and more limited. The hostility towards the gospel affords us an opening to defend our faith and in doing so we can disarm their hostility toward christ. We have, within the word of God, all the tools we need to disarm antithetical arguments “We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ”

In my own career I have seen answering hostility with gentleness and resolute confidence turn even the most obstinate personalities subtly towards christ. For example, in the fall of 2018 I was flying from Orlando back to Los Angeles, I noticed that my flight attendant hailed from Branson Missouri, a place that I had lived in during my gap year. After brief introductions he invited me to the back to hang with the other flight attendants during the flight. Over the course of the three hour flight, two others came to the back to join us. One, was a veteran who had just returned from Afghanistan, the other I would come to find out was a producer at CNN. She asked me what I did for school and I explained that I was attending film school at Biola. She quickly surmised that I was christian and conservative and she asked as much. Upon my reply her next question made clear her views of christianity “So you probably hate me then huh?” I didn’t quite know how to respond but I figured now would be as good a time as any to try and reshape her view of Christians. I asked what gave her the idea that my christianity necessitated hatred of her. She explained that she was a liberal, feminist who was divorced and slept around (I was astounded by her vulnerability). I rebutted by saying that I could not defend the attitudes of all christians but for me I could follow the actions of Christ. I explained how he cared for and loved Mary Magdalene, how he respected Martha, how he approached the women at the well. I explained to her my lofty view of women as a result of the precedent set by Christ. As a result of this response she realized that I had no iota of judgment for her life and over the course of the next two hours I was able to talk about my faith with all three who were present in the back of the plane. At the end of the flight the woman left me her card and invited me to intern at the studio, the flight attendant (who was a practicing homosexual) filled up a massive bag with food and snacks and wished me luck in school. At the end of the flight we all left with a mutual respect and they each had more of an understanding for what christianity actually is and a clearer idea of what christians should look like. Hardened hearts were rendered soft by following the call set out in Timothy: “And the Lord’s servant must not be quarrelsome but kind to everyone, able to teach, patiently enduring evil, correcting his opponents with gentleness. God may perhaps grant them repentance leading to a knowledge of the truth”

If we are to follow Christ’s example then there is no one whom we should not seek to reach with the gospel. No one is beneath saving. Christ made this apparent time and time again throughout his ministry. If we are to truly follow in his footsteps then we are called to commune with sinners, “And as Jesus reclined at table in the house, behold, many tax collectors and sinners came and were reclining with Jesus and his disciples. 11 And when the Pharisees saw this, they said to his disciples, “Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?” 12 But when he heard it, he said, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. 13 Go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy, and not sacrifice.’ For I came not to call the righteous, but sinners.’” If we have the cure then why would we spend our days in circles where everyone else has the same knowledge? That is in essence what it is like to limit our friendships to those who are christian. We should come to christian circles seeking to be equipped and strengthened but we are meant to bring this message to the world and share it with those who do not know or do not love christ. Christianity is not meant to be an exclusive club but it is a saving religion, the news of which is intended for every nationality, ethnicity and background. With this in mind it is important for me to realize that I’m elect, tasked to share this gift with others and bring them into the fold. I’m not saved by my own strength so I have nothing to be prideful of. Instead I humbly seek to share the same hope with others.

With this framework it is important to highlight the need for grace and understanding. With the basic assumption that all humans will fall short of the Glory of God we must first understand that we are wretches entirely reliant on the mercy afforded to us by christ’s sacrifice. Christ’s sacrifice doesn’t afford christians any elevated status or anything to boast in. Rather we should be constantly aware of our ineptitude. We have no reason to be prideful. If we are not full of pride then out ego cannot be hurt by challenge or questioning: thus we are perfectly postured to share the gospel with no fear of repercussions for our own reputation, but rather we can seek to help others find redemption.

Additionally the motivation for ministry should be solely for the glory of God, not for selfish ambition. In the end, any glories we earn will be played at the feet of Christ so it is important to keep ego or selfish ambition out of your ministry. It is the ego of christians that often turns people off to the idea of christ. “Some indeed preach Christ from envy and rivalry, but others from good will. 16 The latter do it out of love, knowing that I am put here for the defense of the gospel. 17 The former proclaim Christ out of selfish ambition, not sincerely but thinking to afflict me in my imprisonment. 18 What then? Only that in every way, whether in pretense or in truth, Christ is proclaimed, and in that I rejoice.” When we approach the secular world we must do so with humility and wisdom, presenting our ministry to the use of the Lord.

While the defense of the faith and the motivations behind your ministry are of utmost import, it is equally necessary to make sure that the doctrine you share is theologically correct. All to often we see the statutes of the word extrapolated to such lengths that it ceases to be truth (in essence stretched truth). We have within the word, detailed the traditions and way that we should go, we walk on shaky ground when we venture from known truth: “So then, brothers, stand firm and hold to the traditions that you were taught by us, either by our spoken word or by our letter.” Though life is filled with many shades of grey, truth is black and white. Any blur around the edges ceases to be truth. When discussing doctrine I feel like it is important to only make assertions that can be supported directly from the word itself. Where man is subject to error the word is infallible, the word loses authority with every degree of separation. “knowing this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture comes from someone’s own interpretation.” In meh experience, when I have ventured out on my own interpretations about the word it is much easier for secular scrutiny to pick apart my arguments and by association many would assume the same faults are present in my faith. As a result I believe that it is prescient to allow questions to be answered directly from scripture. It is not our words or postulations that can save but solely the Lords “Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life. He does not come into judgment, but has passed from death to life.”

If equipped with orthodox and solid believes, a suppressed ego, and a readiness to face attacks on your faith and humbly defend it; you are ready to share the gospel in an increasingly inhospitable world. Unfortunately we don’t win on this earth “We know that we are from God, and the whole world lies in the power of the evil one” with this knowledge it is easy to get discouraged but we must remember that it is our great commission to share the gospel, whether it falls on hearing ears or deaf ones we are compelled to share it nonetheless. In accepting and disarming challenge, you allow hostility to be transformed into curiosity. In leading with grace and understanding you disarm shame and resentment. In staying within the purview of correct doctrine you maintain steady and tested ground. Unfortunately sometimes christians are their own worst enemy and when it comes to ministry you will often be forced to acknowledge the shortcomings of the church and christians but it is important to differentiate Christ’s attitude from christian’s actions.

The confluence of these methods showed results when I was on set for a film. The wardrobe manager (who was lesbian) found out I was christian and blindsided me asking me to defend the wrongdoings of the church against the LGBT community. I answered saying that I could not defend the wrongs that had beset her but I then explained that my approach to sinners falls in the foostepts of our savior. He communed with and loved the lowest of society and in turn they were redeemed and brought about great revival. I was no different than her, a sinner in need of redemption, helpless without the blood of Christ. While she wasn’t saved on the spot, she made it apparent that her view of Christ had become less negative and she expressed that she was open to exploring the faith more on her own time. A gentle, humble, reasoned response is hard to object to and in a world where objection is expected to be met with hostility a quiet word can be more effective than a counter attack.