Philosophy of Ministry
CHMN 360:001
Foundations in Ministry Programming
LIBERTY UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF DIVINITY
Submitted to Prof. Jackson Richardson,
in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the completion of
1
Having a philosophy of ministry can be the deciding factor between a successful
ministry and an unsuccessful ministry. One reason is because a philosophy of ministry provides a
mission and vision for those involved to grab hold of and pursue wholeheartedly. Additionally,
having a philosophy of ministry helps alleviate confusion and provides clarity for the purpose of a
ministry. A philosophy of ministry also provides momentum for the people helping the
ministry by pushing them towards the goal of the ministry. Finally, having a philosophy of ministry
helps ensure that the ministry itself is using and allocating the resources God has
blessed them with in a way that is pleasing and honoring to Him. However, what constitutes a
philosophy of ministry? There are four main components that comprise a philosophy of
ministry: primary purpose, perceptions of people, the focus of the ministry, and the practices of
the ministry.
The primary purpose of the ministry is the first, and most essential step in creating a
philosophy of ministry. The primary purpose serves as the foundation upon which the ministry is
built. A ministry can only be as strong as the foundation it is built on; therefore, the primary
purpose is extremely important. The primary purpose of a philosophy of ministry should answer
questions regarding why the ministry exists, or why they do certain practices and not others. Part
of the primary purpose is outlining the mission of the ministry, as well as the vision of the
ministry. The mission is a broad general statement about what a ministry will accomplish, while
a vision is a very clear and specific picture of the ministry in the future as the leader believes it
can be. The mission and vision of a ministry are what bring people in and excites them about the
Primary Purpose
Definition of a Philosophy of Ministry (Section One)
The focus of the philosophy of a ministry is built upon the primary purpose and the
perceptions of people. The focus is what makes the ministry unique. There are many ways that a
ministry can be unique. However, the focus of the ministry narrows it down to two or three
ministry. The mission and vision are the driving force behind recruiting and inspiring volunteers
and staff members to buy into the ministry.
2
Another part of having a philosophy of ministry is the perceptions of people. This
component is directly involved in identifying the target audience of the ministry, as well as
distinguishing the primary needs of the target audience. There are three main methods of
gathering data to determine the target audience of the ministry: geographic, demographic, and
psychographic. Geographic data involves the general location of the people, as well as the needs
their location presents. Demographic data gives an insight into the sociological issues that the
people in the target location are dealing with. The demographic data also helps the ministry to
understand the types of people in the target location, such as age, gender, median income, and
other demographic statistics. Finally, psychographic data gives the ministry a glance into the
way the target audience thinks. This could come out of demographic data to an extent.
However, psychographic data is more concerned with the inner workings of the audience, rather
than the outward statistics. Using all three of these methods for gathering data, a ministry can
begin to understand and identify the primary needs of their target audience. They can first
identify and meet the felt emotional and physical needs of the community. After meeting the felt
emotional and physical needs, the ministry can begin to focus on meeting the true spiritual needs
of the community.
Focus of the Ministry
Perceptions of People
unique areas that the ministry wants to focus on. In order to determine the unique focuses of a
ministry, one must first consider the internal and external factors that make the ministry unique.
The internal factors that make the ministry unique are the things that differentiate one ministry
from another. The external factors are the things that differentiate the ministry from a secular
organization trying to accomplish similar goals or trying to reach the same target audience.
Additionally, one should also consider the acronym S.H.A.P.E. when determining the unique
focuses of their ministry. By considering the Spiritual gifts, the Heart, the Abilities, the
Personality, and the Experiences of those in the target community, one can better determine the
unique focuses that would best suit their ministry.
3
The practices of the ministry are what flow out of the other three components. Practices
of the ministry are the driving force behind the advancement of the mission, laid out earlier in the
philosophy of ministry. It is here where the “rubber meets the road.” Within the practices of the
ministry, the programs are outlined. These are the specific events that help accomplish the
practices that meet the needs and goals laid out before in other sections of the philosophy of
ministry. The programs outlined in the practices help to establish a process for how ministry is
done and how the philosophy is accomplished. This process should achieve at least one of the
five levels of ministry programming. These include relationship building, outreach, growth,
ministry, and reproduction. From there, the process should work backwards and show how the
events achieving a specific level of ministry programming accomplish the goals laid out in the
philosophy.
Practices of the Ministry
In the future, I will be working with a parachurch organization called Cadence
International, serving active duty military across the world. However, I specifically want to
work with military members at Naval Station Rota, in Rota, Spain. The purpose of this ministry
is to serve the active duty members serving at NAVSTA Rota and help them to know and
understand the love of Christ and His plan for their lives. My mission statement is to Engage,
Empower, and Embolden active duty service members toward a life with Christ. My vision is to
make a lasting impact on military members at NAVSTA Rota through the building of intentional
relationships, sharing of the Gospel, and discipling of active duty members as they begin and
continue in their faith journey.
4
This ministry will be focused on serving single, active duty military members, between
the ages of 18-25, as well as families with parents between the ages of 21-50. Ethnically, there is
a mixture of black, white, hispanic, and asian. The primary differentiator would be rank. The
majority of the population on base are enlisted, below the rank of E-7 or E-8 (Petty Officer First
Class and Chief Petty Officer, respectively). The highest ranking officer on the base is an O-6
(Captain). Most other officers on base are between the ranks of O-1 and O-5 (Ensign and
Commander, respectively). Geographically, these active duty service members are from all over
the United States, sometimes from other parts of the world. This makes it a little difficult to
determine geographical background in a general sense without getting to know specific
individuals. Regarding psychographic data, many military people tend to think very similarly
about many issues. The main thought many military members have is “How can I make my next
Perceptions of People
My Personal Philosophy of Ministry (Section Two)
Primary Purpose
promotion?” Higher promotions result in higher pay, and many times a better job opportunity or
better job locations. This in turn affects the felt physical and emotional needs. Many times, one
parent of a military family is deployed, which puts stress and strain on the families. As a result,
many family members end up feeling lonely or disconnected. The greatest felt emotional need for
a military member is community. Additionally, the greatest physical need is generally just a
support system during times of transition. Regarding true spiritual needs, all military members
need to be converted, churched, taught to crave God’s word, develop compassion for the lost,
and ultimately consecrated. These are the needs that will inform the practices, and ultimately the
programs of my ministry.
5
Establishing a process may be a little difficult, given the unpredictable nature of many
military members' lives. With that in mind, however, I do believe it is possible to create a
rhythm of ministry that the members of the community can participate in. In my ministry, our
practices and process will be centered around the 5 levels of ministry programming. The first
level is relationship building. It is here that we will focus on the aspect of community, as well as
relationship building. Second, there is outreach. This will involve specific events and programs
that will allow us to reach into the community and invite them into our ministry. Thirdly, there is
growth. These events will be centered around helping those in our community and ministry
grow in their walk with Christ. The fourth level is ministry. Here, we will be ministering to
those in our community and teaching our people in our ministry how to minister to those around
them. Finally, there is reproduction. At this level, our events will revolve around sending out
the people in our ministry to replicate what we have done with them.
Practices of the Ministry
Specific Programs (Section Three)
To begin, each week we will host a Bible study that will be rotated between topical and
exegetical series. This Bible study will meet once a week, and fulfills the levels of growth,
relationship building, and ministry by creating a space for people to grow closer to one another
while learning about God. Additionally, we will also host separate men’s and women’s groups,
once a week. By doing so, we are fulfilling the levels of relationship building, outreach, and
growth. This is done by allowing for a space where people can meet with their respective
genders and grow in community and support. This is also a place for people in the ministry to
invite friends from the community to join. Also on a weekly basis, our ministry will host
discipleship groups for those who wish to grow deeper in their faith and ministry abilities. This
fulfills the levels of growth, ministry, and relationship building. On a monthly basis, our
ministry will host specific events that will be geared towards outreach and relationship building.
This could be a community event, a watch party for a sports event, or anything that involves
inviting people from the community. Quarterly, our ministry will host a retreat or event of some
kind to help those in the ministry to grow deeper in their faith, build deeper relationships with
one another, and train them in ministering to others. Also quarterly, our discipleship groups will
reset and we will send out the current attendees to begin discipling military members of their
own. This fulfills the level of reproduction. These are the base level programs that our ministry
will input in order to fulfill the levels of programming outlined earlier in my philosophy of
ministry.
6
Engage,
Empower,
and
Embolden
active
duty
service
members
toward
a
life
with
Christ
Make
a
lasting
impact
on
military
members
at
NAVSTA
Rota
through
the
building
of
intentional
relationships,
sharing
of
the
Gospel,
and
discipling
of
active-duty
members
as
they
begin
and
continue
in
their
faith
journey
Felt
Physical/Emotional
Needs
True
Spiritual
Needs
.
Craving
God's
.
ity'S
Converted
,
ion
for
Consecrated
Comaumaty
Support
Churched
Word
Compassion
for
System
the
lost
Practices/Levels
of
Ministry
Programming
Relationship
Building
Outreach
Growth
Ministry
Reproduction
Weekly
Gender
Discipleship
Community
Retreat
Bible
Study
Specific
Groups
Groups
Event
7
