God Wants All Whom He Has Saved To Serve Him In Whatever Situations He Puts Them.
Why is total member involvement so vital for the church and its members? I believe that every-member mobilization is crucial to the very life and witness of the local church. The growth of any movement, secular or spiritual, is based on its ability to mobilize its membership in effective, continuous, expansion-related activity. The church is no exception.
For this reason, the church must be intentional about helping people find their places in ministry and become members of the believer’s priesthood, thus providing the discipleship necessary for service. We should understand and begin to practice the basic habits necessary for spiritual growth and ministry, including intercessory prayer, Bible study, worshipping, and sharing one’s faith with others on a personal level.
A good way to reach this goal is to offer specialized training to members for a specific ministry, such as usher, greeter, small-group leader, Sabbath School teacher, outreach coordinator, and other areas of service. Training helps believers maximize their ministry gifts and provides opportunities for them to find a place of belonging, support, and relationship with others. They develop a sense of community. Ellen G. White says, “Every church should be a training school for Christian workers. Its members should be taught how to give Bible readings, how to conduct and teach Sabbath School classes, how best to help the poor and to care for the sick, how to work for the unconverted. There should be schools of health, cooking schools, and classes in various lines of Christian help work.”1
How important it is for church members to discover the meaning and importance of having a ministry! It helps them to understand and accept their identity in Christ. Explaining the biblical teaching of the priesthood of all believers and the biblical guidelines for using their Godgiven gifts will help them understand the church’s mission. So, teach members about the place of service in their spiritual development. Discuss spiritual maturity and why it is required for effective ministry.
Church leaders must help believers discover their God-given gifts, calling, personality strengths and limitations, interests, abilities, motivations, and skills. People need to discover God’s unique design for their lives.
If we are followers of the One who came to seek and save the lost (Luke 19:10), we must commit ourselves to the same goal. Think about it!
1 Ellen G. White, The Ministry of Healing, 148, 149.
