Our philosophy of ministry developed out of the various relationships God intends for His church. Every maturing believer in Christ needs to be growing in three simultaneous relationships:

(1) our relationship with God through worship and trust;

(2) our relationship with fellow believers through love, edification, and accountability; and

(3) our relationship with unbelievers, conveying the gospel message in word and deed to the end that they would become disciples of Christ.

These three relationships – with God, the church and the world – involve three distinct actions on our part: worship, nurture, and outreach. These three actions do not necessarily develop in a certain order; rather, they develop simultaneously. We should not wait until we “master” worship to get on with nurture, nor put off outreach until we are “complete” in our nurture to the Body of Christ.

I.The Nature of Ministry

The essence of the Christian life is ministry. Christ calls each Christian to a life of service. Servant hood is the common denominator of all Christian ministry (John 13:14-17).

We affirm the biblical teaching that all Christians are in fact “ministers” (Ephesians 4:11-12). We endeavor to create the awareness that all believers are called to do the work of ministry.

The indwelling Holy Spirit gives gifts to every member of God’s family. These spiritual gifts are to be administered within the context of the local church (I Cor. 12:20-30, Rom. 12:3-8). Each Christian does the work of the ministry as each individual uses the gifts given by God. Reliance upon the leading and power of the Holy Spirit is imperative for true Christian ministry. The goal of Christian ministry is to glorify God.

II. The Nature of the Church’s Ministry

A. The Church’s ministry to itself
When we consider the various metaphors used in the New Testament to describe the church (flock, vine, body, building, etc.), we become cognizant of our interdependence upon one another. Therefore, fellowship with and accountability to one another occupy a high priority in our philosophy of ministry.

As a church we must work together in a way that encourages interpersonal communication, sharing and accountability among its members (James 5:16, Gal. 6:1-2), Heb. 10:24-25), I Thes. 5:11).
Fellowship will manifest itself in a visible love that cares for both the spiritual and physical needs of other Christians (John 13:35, Acts 2:42-26).

The priority of teaching biblical truth is central to our philosophy of ministry. God’s people are to be instructed by His word so they may be equipped to live the Christian life (II Tim. 3:16-17, I Tim. 4:13, Acts 2:42).

We believe that the government of the local church is founded upon a plurality of godly leaders (Act 6:1-7, 13:1-3, Titus 1:5-9, I Tim. 3:1-10). The leadership of the church is not a “one-man operation” but is a shared ministry of the elders. Pastor-Teachers do not occupy a higher position than elders, but rather lead jointly with them.

The ultimate goal of the church’s ministry to itself is to produce true spirituality in the lives of its members. Thus the members of the church are to be striving to be like Christ in every area of life (Eph. 5:1-2, Col. 1:28, Eph. 4:13). A persistent obstacle to this spiritual maturity is the fact that one of major aims of Satan, in this and every generation, is to create a cultural milieu strong enough to press the church of Jesus Christ into its mold. The church then must be careful not to allow itself to be squeezed so far into the world’s mold that all distinguishing spiritual authenticity has been drained out of it.

B. The Church’s Ministry to the World

Not only is the church to care for its own needs; we believe it is to have a profound influence on the world. Upon examining the teaching of the New Testament, it is evidence that the church is to influence the world both spiritually and socially (Matt. 5:13-16). The church is to go into the world with the good news of the Kingdom of God. Christians are called to make disciples of all people, bringing them into a saving relationship with God through faith in Jesus Christ (Matt 28:16-20). We believe that evangelism is not an easy task, as the demands of the gospel require sacrifice. Christ calls us to come to Him not merely as saviour but as Lord (Matt. 10:34-39, Lk 14:25-35).

Along with the church’s concern for the spiritual needs of man there is to be a corresponding concern for man’s physical needs. Throughout scripture we are instructed to tend to the needs of the poor (Jas. 2:14-17, I Jn 3:17-18). Not only are we to care for the poor, but we are to work towards changing oppressive social structures (Jas. 5:1-6, Amos 4:1; 5:11). In the midst of an unjust world, the church has often promoted a gospel, which is culturally irrelevant. We would seek to balance our ministry to the world, incorporating both evangelism and social concern.

Conclusion: We at the True Church of Jesus Christ have attempted to derive our philosophy of ministry from our study of God’s word. As we know Scripture further, and come to know God more intimately, we trust that our philosophy of ministry will develop in a manner that will be pleasing to Him.