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PHILOSOPHY OF MINISTRY PAPER
PHILOSOPHY OF
INISTRY APER 1
Yomoca
Joseph CHMN
201
PHILOSOPHY OF MINISTRY PAPER2
Abstract
In this paper, I will discuss and explain the meaning of Ministry to me, the motives of
why I am doing Ministry, the essentials of Ministry in my life and the methods I will use in
Ministry.
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PHILOSOPHY OF MINISTRY PAPER
Even though I have been in Ministry for sixteen years, I have found that this paper is not
easy for me to write. The questions that are given have made me challenge my outlook on
Ministry. This course has made me truly think of why and how I am doing Ministry and also
what Ministry really means to me. This has been a self-evaluation process for me. I pray that I
can articulate and explain what each section means to me.
The Meaning of Ministry
How am I preparing for ministry? In reality, I thought I was prepared for Ministry once I
accepted Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior. There have been many times in my life where I
asked God, “why is it so hard being saved?” His replied to me was this, “Being saved is not hard
you just make it hard.” I have learned over the years that anything that you want bad enough you
spend money, time and everything that you have to obtain it. This is how I view Ministry. Ever
since I accepted Jesus Christ into my heart it has been my desire to please Him and learn
everything I need to know about Him. So how have I been preparing myself for Ministry, every
opportunity that God gives me to study His Word and participate in classes to learn more about
Him, I take the opportunity. It is not easy but in the end, I know it is worth it. When I was in
Seminary School in Louisiana, there were many times that I wanted to quit because I got to the
point of asking why do I need to know all of this. Why do we have to learn so much about the
Old and New Testament? Why do we need to know that the Bible is written in three languages? I
had and still have so many why questions. I will continue to grow spiritually by continuing to
study the Word of God every day for at least 30 minutes a day, Praying and Listening to God
every day for at least 30 minutes to an hour, and continuing to ask questions to those who have
the experience and wisdom that I am searching for. I have learned over the years to stay
The Motives of Ministry
My beliefs about the local church that the role with the Gospel of Jesus Christ must be the main
focus of the church. Why else do we go to church? What else are we supposed to be teach? It is
my belief that the Gospel should be presented in every message that is spoken from behind the
pulpit. The disciples were given the Great Commission in Matthew 28:19-20 “Go ye therefore,
and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy
Ghost. Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am
with you always, even unto the end of the world. Amen.”[Hol] I believe that this command was
not just for the disciples then but it is for us now. This is why we minister, we are to lead people
to Jesus and nothing else. So many people have this misconception that Ministry is about having
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faithfully to my time alone with God takes discipline. Being a mother of three and the wife of a
soldier has it challenges. I have found ways to discipline myself: 1. I get up early around 5:30am
after my husband leaves for physical training (PT) and I pray. I then get on a prayer call with my
Pastor and other Ministers and we all pray and do a devotion for an hour. My time alone with
God honestly is best when I am in my kitchen. My kitchen is like a sanctuary to me. I am able to
focus on what God is saying to me and I am in a place of listening. There have been times where
I had to stop what I was doing because I could feel the presence of God with me as I spoke to
Him in my kitchen. I have such a peace at these times that I do not want the experience to end. I
have noticed for me in Ministry that everything that I hear from God is not for everyone and that
is my pitfall because I want to share everything that I hear with everyone I know. This can be
discouraging when they do not understand what I am talking about or they just do not want to
hear it.
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a big name and thousands of people following them to be considered successful in Ministry. This
way of thinking and this action has lead people many people away from Jesus instead of to Jesus.
After taking this course, I have learned so much about the Mind of Christ that I did not know
before. To help those around me in Ministry, I have prayed and asked God to help me with the
three-fold mindset: unity, humility and selflessness. In unity as Dr. Gutierrez explains in chapter
1 of Biblical unity: “Unity of Affection- having the same love, loving people for who they are
and loving them on the days that is difficult to do so. Unity of Spirit being of one accord, taking
the time to know the ones with who we minister. Unity of Purpose being of one mind, focus on
the purpose or reason for why we are ministering and allowing this God-given purpose/mission
to motivate us to do whatever it takes to make sure that we both fulfill this purpose and all Glory
is ushered to God.”[Last] Humility is an area that I constantly pray about. In chapter 2, as great
point was “The Enemy of Humility is Pride.”[Last] To help those around me in Ministry with
this mindset, I had to first ask for help myself. I remind myself of what Jesus told the disciples in
John 15:5, “I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same
bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.”[Hol] I can do No Thing without
Jesus. I have realized that any and everything that I do or accomplish is because of God. In
Ministry, selflessness was shown to us in the greatest form by Jesus. My prayer for selflessness is
that I see people the way that God see people.
The Essentials of Ministry
I believe that one of the greatest essentials of ministry is committed to obedience. It was
because of Jesus obedience to the cross that we are saved today. It was not the sacrifice, in my
opinion, because there has always had to be a sacrifice since the beginning starting with Adam.
God sacrificed and animal to cover Adam because he said he was naked. 1 Samuel 15:22, “But
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Samuel replied: “Does the Lord delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as much as in obeying
the Lord? To obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed is better than the fat of rams.”[Hol] When
we are obedient to God and His Word, we will do what He commands us to do.
The Methods of Ministry
The methods that I will incorporate into my ministry are: praying for those who serve and
leading small groups. The only way I know how to help others is by praying. I truly believe that
situations happen in our lives on purpose and people come into our lives for purpose. I believe
that prayer is a key that opens doors to many mysteries that we cannot find in books, and God
gives us this key to uncover things that many others cannot. I love being in a small group
atmosphere because you can share things that you cannot share with a large amount of people. I
have found myself on many occasions a leader in small groups. I started out being the Youth
Minister in a church in Germany. Through this experience, I learned that the teens opened up
easier to me because it was a more relaxed and intimate setting. The things that I learned early in
Ministry, I am now expanding my knowledge in those areas.
In closing, Ministry is a choice that every individual person has to make. I have learned that I
cannot force Jesus on anyone. God waited on me to make my mind up to serve Him and every
person has that same right. I am truly thankful and grateful that I have the opportunity to serve
Jesus Christ freely without restraints or consequences. As I continue my journey, I pray that I
will accomplish the mission is which God has created me to accomplish on this earth.
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Bibliography
Gutierrez, B. (2011). Living Out the Mind of Christ. Virginia Beach: Academx Publishing
Services, Inc.
Holy Bible. (n.d.). King James Version.
