Ministry Case Study Assignment Instructions
Overview
In this assignment, the student will examine two differentapproaches toward ministry and offer a biblical perspective onhow to address these differing perspectives.
Case Study
Imagine that you are part of a ministry team made up of team members who have different perspectives on how to approach ministry. Currently, the team members are experiencing notablefrustration and a lack of cohesion as a result of their differing views. Additionally, the leader of this group is a gentle, long-time church member who is content to let the team dictate the direction and structure of this ministry team. So, they are not attempting to speak into matters at this time.
The Worshiping Perspective
Half of the team wants to spend the majority of their time in worship and prayer. They believe that effective ministry will result organically from the overflow of the Spirit’s work in and through their lives. This group adheres closely to the statement that unless the Lord does the work and “builds the house,” all other labor is in vain (Ps 127:1). As such, they prefer to spend far more time behind closed doors in corporate worship and prayer than devoting excessive amounts of time to the busy work of ministry.
They embrace the following belief:
“Worship is man’s full reason for existence. Worship is why we were born and why we are born again. Worship is the reason for our genesis in the first place and our regenesis that we call regeneration. Worship is why there is church, the assembly of the Redeemed, in the first place. Every Christian church in every country across the world in every generation exists to worship God first, not second; not tacking worship at the end of our service as an afterthought, but rather to worship God primarily, with everything else coming in second, at best. Worshiping God is our first call.” [A. W. Tozer. The Purpose of Man. Compiled and edited by J. L. Snyder. 2009]
The Working Perspective
The other half of the team is made up of busy worker bees who delight in getting their hands dirty and doing the actual work of ministry. They believe that God has prepared them for good works (Eph 2:10), and as such, they prefer to spend the majority of their time bringing God’s truth and resources to the lost and hurting. They appreciate the value of worship and prayer, but they adhere to the belief that true spiritual worship is living sacrificially in service to God and others (Rom 12:1).
They embrace the following belief:
Christians must be logical and dutiful in their submission tothe lordship of Christ. As Dietrich Bonhoeffer asserted, “Every Christian must be ‘fully human’ by bringing God into his whole life, not merely into some “spiritual” realm. To be an ethereal figure who merely talked about God, butsomehow refused to get his hands dirty in the real world in which God had placed him, was bad theology. Through Christ, God had shown that he meant us to be in this world and to obey him with our actions in this world. So Bonhoeffer would get his hands dirty, not because he had grown impatient, but because God was speaking to him about further steps of obedience.” [Bonhoeffer: Pastor, Martyr Prophet, Spy. by Eric Metaxas. 2010]
Instructions
1. Identify which of the two perspectives outlined in this case study that you most resonate with, and why. This section should be 1 paragraph in length.
2. Based upon your personal philosophy of ministry, discusswhat you believe is the biblically intended role and posture of believers toward gospel-centered ministry. Feel free to go beyond the two perspectives shared here. But, make sure to at least reference one or both of the perspectives abovein the context of your response. This section must include 2-3 supporting scripture passages and should be at least 1page in length.
3. What could you do as a fellow team member to help foster greater comradery and missional impact among this team?Make sure to provide a biblical rationale for your response.) This section must include 2-3 supporting scripture passages and should be at least 1 page in length.
4. What role would ministry vision play in your efforts to help bring unity to this team? This section must include one text reference and should be at least 1 page in length.
· This assignment must be 3-4 pages, not including the title page and bibliography.
· This assignment must include a title page and bibliography.
· Current Turabian format must be used. Edit for typos, spelling, grammar, and style.
Note: This assignment will be checked for originality via the Turnitin plagiarism tool.
The selected case study was adapted from the Priorities in a Changing World case https://christiancaseconnection.com/cases/
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