But these doctrines must represent more than just individual pitons. We have
noted that what is needed is a theology for the church that will integrate the many
facets of ministry into a cohesive, unified whole. Our method here will be to
examine these essential theological boundary markers, with a brief assessment
of trends in ministry affected by them. Within what is admittedly a limited
examination we'll attempt to sketch the contours of ministry that can be
characterized as evangelical.
1. The Christological Contour
Evangelical ministry finds its center in the person of Jesus Christ, and finds its
integrity in faithfulness to all that he is, all that he has done, and all that he has
said.
The Ownership and Assessment of Ministry
In our concern for the condition of ministry today, I believe a fundamental
question of ownership must be faced. Who "owns" Christian ministry? Lest that
seem unnecessary, I should say at this point that the approach taken in this
paper to these issues of doctrine and ministry is colored largely by my daily
concern to present them, not to theologians, but to seminary students--novitiates
if you will, whose convictions are under construction, and who will shape
evangelical ministry for the next generation. With most seminarians we are
laying groundwork, and the critical words about ministry I want ringing in their
ears are those of the Apostle Paul to the Corinthian church: "Each one should be
careful how he builds. For no one can lay any foundation other than the one
already laid, which is Christ Jesus" (1 Cor. 3:10-11). This is "issue one" in our
class on philosophy of ministry. Our ministries have meaning and value only as
we undertake them as the shared life and purpose of Christ. Said Thomas Oden,
"If ministry cannot be clearly established as the continuation of Jesus' own
intentions and practice, we lose its central theological premise."
our leadership and service; His proprietary ownership has no rivals.
In the 1970-80's heyday of popular evangelicalism we observed something of a
new phenomenon--the identification of personal ownership of "ministries." We
watched as personal ministries were promoted, shaped around the cult of
personality and celebrity and fueled by the artful use of popular media. When
after a time we began to see the stars of these ministries fall from the sky,
dragged down by moral and ethical compromise, we often heard them appeal to
their followers with renewed urgency for the saving of their ministry. "My
ministry" became a common way to speak of whatever enterprise a religious
entrepreneurial celebrity created and built. Some of that spiritual chutzpah faded
with the demise of the more notorious televangelists, yet in various subtle ways it