Ministry to the Family

I'll begin this post by warning you right off the bat: This post is intended mainly for those who are in Christian leadership of some sort. I preface everything by telling you this so that, when you get to the end, you don't write me hateful emails saying that I'm neglecting a segment of my already-dwindling fan base. You've been forewarned. However, I hope that even if you're not a minister or anything like that, I hope that this post is still helpful to you.

For the past week, I've been reading the book of 1 Timothy. This letter was written by Paul to his friend Timothy, and it gives a lot of instruction for Timothy, who was serving as a young leader in the church at Ephesus. I figured it would be a good book to study as I begin my summer internship at my home church, and I have enjoyed it a great deal. The other day, I was struck with something Paul writes in 1 Timothy 5:1-2--"Do not rebuke an older man harshly, but exhort him as if he were your father. Treat younger men as brothers, older women as mothers, and younger women as sisters, with absolute purity."

Reading these verses caused me to stop for a moment and ask myself, "How do I think of the church in which I serve?" This passage in 1 Timothy suggests that we think of our churches as families. The metaphor of the church as a family is a common one in the New Testament, but I had never before considered what this metaphor means specifically for a church leader. Timothy, serving in Ephesus, is told to think of the people of that church as his fathers, brothers, mothers, and sisters.

Christian leaders often think of the church in other terms (and these are typically good ways to think of the church). Perhaps the most common is for a minister to talk about his "flock." This metaphor is scriptural even, as Paul tells the Ephesian elders to keep watch over the flock because they are "shepherds of the church of God" (Acts. 20:28). Understanding the church as a flock helps the minister remember his responsibility to care for the church, just as a shepherd's responsibility is to watch over the sheep.

In the same way, it is necessary for leaders to also think of the church as a family. I think this can radically alter the passion with which a leader approaches his ministry. To be honest, there are some days when I wake up, and I'm not excited about going to work at a church. There are days when it would be nicer to stay in bed. And, I imagine, there are days when a shepherd may not be jazzed about going out to the field and watching sheep all day. However, when I think of the church as my family, my task gains new significance. Going to the church is almost like a family reunion. It means I get to spend time with my brothers and sisters in Christ. And, spending time with family is (or at least should be) a positive experience. It becomes much harder for me to get down about my busyness or duties when I remember that they are for the good of my family in Christ.

The way in which we conceive of the church has a big impact on how we relate to it. The Bible gives us a multi-faceted, diverse picture of the church, and we would do well to keep in mind all of the ways in which the church is described. We would also do well not to make fun of the dork who has white hands but sunburned arms because he was outside wearing work gloves all day. And we would also do well to buy him lunch for good measure. And I would do well to wish my dad a Happy Father's Day tomorrow, and you would do well to do the same for yours. And finally, I would do well to stop using the phrase "would do well." It's pretty obnoxious, really.