What Healthy Ministry Actually Looks Like

Dangers of Ministry: Episode 8

Throughout this series we’ve explored warning signs, unhealthy patterns, and the subtle ways ministry can drift away from Christ. But it would be tragic to spend so much time identifying what is broken without remembering what God intended from the beginning. Healthy ministry exists. Healthy leadership exists. Safe churches exist. They may not be perfect – but they reflect the heart of Christ.

God has always cared deeply about how His people relate with one another. When Moses received the commandments and was teaching it to the Israelites, most of it spoke directly to human relations and interactions. These are a few things that show how intentional God is about how we relate with one another – in that, His glory and nature is revealed.

A God who could so intricately create man, numbered the hairs on our heads, and knows us by name – will definitely map out healthy ways for us to serve one another. There is a healthy way to do ministry. It is a humbling yet powerful position, being called to serve others and lead them in the way of God. Yet, in the famous words of the british historian, Lord Acton, “Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely…” With any form of authority, there is the risk of corruption. However, God gives grace and His spirit leads us to do what is good and pleasing to Him.

When we’re coming from years of experience in bad behaviour, we tend to be skeptical and vigilant in relating with others. There’s no harm in being cautious, but living completely guarded may prevent us from getting healing and living a meaningful and fulfilling life in Christ Jesus both in private and in public.

I’ll share four main pillars on what I’ve learnt that healthy service in God’s house should look like, and hopefully, like the Bereans, you will probe more and find out other markers that the Holy Spirit can guide you with.

1.        Healthy Leadership makes Christ bigger, not themselves.

Simply, when people leave a conversation with this leader, are they more impressed with the leader – or with Christ? As disciples of Jesus, we are all first and foremost, signpost to Christ. If our speech AND character do not reflect this, we’re wading in dangerous waters. Paul demonstrates similar posture when the people of Corinth began divinding themselves into either Apollos’ camp or Paul’s camp, Paul immediately dismantled the personality-driven ministry. 1st Corinthians 2:5: “What then is Apollos? What is Paul? Servants through whom you have believed…”

The constant redirection to the Master is needed. God genuinely raises influential leaders whose ministries bless millions. Influence is not the problem. It is a tool. The question is whether that influence continually redirects people back to Christ. Some practical signs are: Healthy leaders…

-       Celebrate when people hear God for themselves

-       Point people toward scripture

-       Don’t need to be the smartest voice in every room

-       Don’t build dependence on themselves

-       Are comfortable saying “I don’t know”

2.        Healthy Authority Invites Accountability.

Leaders cannot operate in isolation. In the time of Moses, His father-in-law, Jethro, confronted him about the load he was carrying in serving his people, and gave advise (solid advise, might I add,) on the wise way to move forward. Moses listened. Remaining teachable, in spite of the experience we’ve attained or the influence we yield, is necessary to keep discerning the voice of God.

In healthy ministry, no one is beyond question simply because of title, gifting, or spiritual influence. Every leader remains under the autorhity of Christ, Scripture, and the wisdom of other believers.

That said, I understand how human ego can come into play, and in some cultures the undying need for respect and superiority. By God’s grace and mercy, He teaches wisdom on a way to engage authority figures in correction. Though not every criticism is valid, some are necessary to keep us towing the line of righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.

3.        Healthy Community creates safety:

The body of Christ should be home; people should be safe in vulnerability. One of the earliest descriptions of the Church is found in Acts 2, and it was not complicated AT ALL. It says: The people devoted themselves to: the apostle’s teaching, fellowship, breaking bread, and prayer…”

There was little to nothing mentioned about authority, performance, fear, etc. People confessed, shared, served, and built up one another. The church should be the safest places for people (and leaders) to admit weakness and wrong doing. In the book of James 5:16, we read: “Confess your sins to one another and pray for one another…”

We are human and prone to imperfections and mistakes. A healthy community is not void of conflict. When Paul and Barnabas had such a sharp disagreement that they separated, neither of them became an enemy of God’s kingdom, or ceased to be a faithful servant of Christ. God continued to use both of them powerfully, and there are several places where we hear of Paul speaking highly of Barnabase. A healthy community can disagree without destroying one another.

4.        Healthy ministry produces spiritual maturity.

“Now these are the gifts Christ gave to the church: the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, and the pastors and teachers. Their responsibility is to equip God’s people to do his work and build up the church, the body of Christ.” Ephesians 4:11-12 NLT

The goal of the five fold gifts of ministy, was always to equip the saints for the work of the ministry; producing people who love God deeply, know God, hear His voice, study scripture, serve joyfully, and become less dependent on human personalities. It is not about loyalty to a movement or person, it is not about attendance, or achieving large numbers under one name.

Mature disciples eventually rely less on a constant direction from leaders because they have learned to recognize the Shepherd’s voice for themselves. Healthy leadership celebrates this growth rather than fearing it.

Ironically, the best leader eventually become less necessary, because they’ve successfully equipped others. Jesus is the best example of that. He empowered his disciples to do greater works in His name. and the best kind of leaders rejoice when they see this happening.

Jesus is the blueprint and ultimate goal. He lived a life worth emulating. In spite of the fact that he possesed all authority, he washed feet, corrected in love even when he got upset, he restored people, he led crowds and yet often withdrew to be alone with His Father, he had disciples, yet he continually directed them towards His father. He always had compassion, and humility.

A healthy church will still call people to repentance, confront sin, and practice loving correction. So how do we recognise healthy ministry? Keep it simple. Ask the obvious questions:

-       Does this ministry make Christ more beautiful?

-       Does it produce mature disciples? Are people becoming more dependent on Christ or more dependent on leaders?

-       Is Scripture the final authority?

-       Can questions be asked safely?

-       Is correction possible? Are leaders approachable?

-       Can leaders admit mistakes?

-       Is scripture honoured above personality?

-       Do people leave knowing God better – simply knowing the leader better?

-       Are people growing in love, freedom, humility, and holiness?

No church will answer “yes” to these perfectly, because: we are still being transformed into Christ’s image. The goal isn’t perfection, since humans in themselves are inately imperfect – but which direction are we going? Towards Christ? Or around man?

After everything we've explored throughout this series, I don't want you to leave looking over your shoulder. I want you to leave looking at Jesus and looking for Jesus in man, in spite of man’s imperfections. Because ultimately, our confidence has never been and should never be in the perfection of leaders.

Healthy ministry is not the absence of human weakness. It has always been in the faithfulness of Christ. It is about imperfect people learning to follow a perfect Saviour together.

It is the continual willingness to bring that weakness into the light of Christ, where leaders remain servants, authority remains accountable, community remains safe, and Jesus remains at the centre.

If we keep Him there, ministry will always find its way home.