Today is part five of a series of six blog posts where I am sharing my Theology of Pastoral Ministry. (You can read yesterday's post here.) By sharing this theology of pastoral ministry I hope to encourage you to develop your own theology of pastoral ministry (or philisophy of work).
And finally, any statement of theology needs to lay out a view of the church to explore how the theology plays a part within (or outside) of the church.
Often when we think of the word “church” we think of the buildings which we call churches, a group of Christians in a local community, or Christians as a whole community within a pagan nation. I have felt God’s voice in my life saying that my church will not be geographically based and that He wants me to “go and make leaders of everyday men and women.”
There are so many people who are less fortunate and have much worse living situations than you and I. It is on my heart to do something about those terrible living situations many people around the world live in. I, as an American, have an obligation to do and use everything that I can to serve and help others who live around the world rather than someone right next to me. Thus, my church is the people in the whole world.
The truth is, whether we are talking about people who regularly meet inside a church building or people who do not yet know God, the world and churches are “comprised of broken people, people from all walks of life who experience pain and suffering.”[1] It is anyone who has a desire to learn and grow in leadership.
Right now part of the church I minister to is my work environment, but it also includes the thousands of people from around the world who read my writing on this blog. Within the past month, I have had people visit my blog from the United Kingdom (83 people), Canada (66), Philippines (41), Australia (41), China (33), Kenya (18), India (17), and Malaysia (12).[2] I am sure that my view of the church God has made me responsible to shepherd is only temporary and that it will change over time, but for now shepherding my church is looking after my co-workers and serving those who read my writing and benefit from it.
Question: How do you view the "church" or people you serve through your work?
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