Ministry is like Politics in that everyone, especially those not involved in the process, has an opinion. I hear a lot of people saying really good stuff along the lines of “We need to get back to the New Testament Church Model.” I agree in principle. The principles that surrounded how the early church “did” ministry are extremely important in this day and age. However, ministers today face far different challenges than those in the early church did. Yes, I know that there’s nothing new under the sun, but the manner in which it is done has changed, if that makes any sense.
The things which ministers and church goers struggle with today are in essence the same things they struggled with 2,000 years ago. However, the circumstances within which they struggle are significantly different. It irks me to no end when I hear someone say, “We need to literally do ministry the way Paul did ministry.” Oh really? That’s a great goal, but if you’re going to make a statement like that you need to be ready and willing to apply all of Paul’s ministry practices, not just pick and choose the one’s you like. It would be a much more wise statement to say, “We need to apply Paul’s ministry principles in today’s society.” Stating the former has far-reaching consequences that don’t always line up with wisdom. Let me explain.
Gossip is a fact of any public-facing office
I recently told a person that I won’t counsel a teenage girl alone in my office with the door shut. They disagreed and asked me “Would Jesus counsel a teenage girl with the door shut?” They assumed He would. Great question. Would He? Probably not. Not in private at least, especially in that culture. I explained that I’m careful what I do in ministry because of how it could be perceived (albeit incorrectly) by church members. The fellow responded that “We shouldn’t let gossips run our ministries.” I agree, but at the same time we as ministers must be above reproach. We are indeed called to a higher standard and must take practical steps to live up to our high calling. Gossip is a fact of any public-facing office. It’s something you have to deal with pro actively, not reactively and it’s something you absolutely cannot ignore.
At any rate, this has been more of a rant than anything. But I’d also like to hear your opinions. How can a minister today take New Testament Church principles and apply them to 21st century culture? Also, how do you feel a male minister is supposed to handle private counseling with women or girls?
