Recently I visited a church well known for its specialized ministries to street people, unwed mothers, international students, business executives, mothers of preschoolers, and other target groups.
But in the worship service that day, the focus was not on their carefully planned outreach; it was on something less likely to get the attention of the media, less likely to be the theme of the next pastors’ conference.
The service centered around two ancient ordinances: baptism and the Lord’s Supper. As the five new believers were baptized, we heard the familiar words, “Buried with Christ in baptism; raised to walk in newness of life.”
Moments later, we were taking the bread and the cup and remembering Christ’s words, “This do in remembrance of me.”
The pastor didn’t deliver a sermon. He simply told about individuals in the congregation who had ministered to others within the body: a couple whose young son had died, an older man with cancer, a single parent struggling with teenage children.
We were reminded that day that the foundation of all our exciting and well-planned ministries is the quality of our love for one another.
It’s good to have goals and strategies that focus on mission, and this issue of LEADERSHIP is devoted to the topic. But as I took Communion that day, I realized setting goals is a relatively new idea. We look in vain in the church’s classical creeds for any mention of specific goals. According to historic Christianity, the church was not structured to accomplish measurable goals; it was established by God to be something.
Yes, it’s vital that we do ministry, and do it well. It’s even more important that we be God’s people.
One of my interests this past year has been the quality of family life, especially for those of us active in church ministry. As I researched and wrote the book The Healthy Hectic Home, I felt anew the pressures and the opportunities of a family that orbits the church. I was particularly struck by the unique stabilizing role that must be played by the pastor’s spouse.
Recently, the editors of LEADERSHIP launched a new magazine for wives in ministry. Sunday to Sunday is a digest-sized quarterly that speaks to both the funny and fearsome sides of being a ministry family. It’s for people who see the cartoon on this page and can respond with a knowing grin.
Each issue focuses on a theme pastors’ wives have requested, such as “Conversational Counseling,” “Ministry Marriage,” and “Friendship.” Articles take the same “Here’s the situation I faced and how I handled it” approach that readers have said they appreciate in LEADERSHIP.
Managing editor Bonnie Rice, herself a product of a pastor’s family, has pulled together excellent contributors like Jill Briscoe, Lauretta Patterson, Martha Reapsome, and Lynne Hybels.
As you’ll notice on the subscription card in this issue, we’re offering LEADERSHIP readers a discount on Sunday to Sunday-a year’s worth for $6.
A pastor’s wife wrote recently to say, “I like Sunday to Sunday’s mix between serious/helpful and humorous/lighthearted selections. I also like the compactness of the magazine-it’s easy to carry around, and I can read it in one sitting.”
My only fear is that if too many readers start wanting magazines they can tuck in their Bibles and read in one sitting, LEADERSHIP is in trouble.
Marshall Shelley is editor of LEADERSHIP.
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