Important
Practices For the Formation of
Christian
Minister
By Joseph
Lalrinawma
Lalhmachhuana Fanai
A minister is explained by the New Bible Dictionary as
mesaret which, with its correlates, refers to temple
service. In the New Testament the term diakonos
is used to refer to the same. But the latter refers to service in general,
temporary or permanent, either by bond or free; but it has the special connotation
of waiting the temple[1].
So this implies that the work of a minister is a lowly work. So our paper will
try to bring out what are the important practices for forming a minister.
1. Who are Christian Ministers?
To form a good Christian minister, we believe that the
first thing we need to know is who is a minister. As stated above the Christian
minister/s is/are the person/s who took up the task of serving others as Jesus
himself had served the others[2].
We see many instances in the Bible where Jesus doesn’t want to be served but
rather to serve others. We also see his statement where he stated, “Just as the
Son of Man came not to be served but to
serve …”(Matthew 20:28; Mark 10:45). So if we say that the minister is to
serve others just as Jesus did than the first important identity of Minister is
to be server for others. Robert C. Anderson also describes a pastor/Minister as
an ordinary person who knows the Lord Jesus Christ as His personal Saviour, has
experienced the call of God in His life for full-time Christian Service, and
knows that he is fit for such service because he meets certain biblical
character qualifications.[3]
2. Important Practices
To form a good Christian Minister bearing the above
stated description we need to have some practices which we follow. So, we
suggested the following points for the formation of a good Christian Minister.
2.1 Knowing God
and knowing oneself.
This is the
reason God has created us, saved us, and called us into the ministry; that we
may know, believe and understand Him. Therefore Christian minister should know
God; personally and intimately-grow to know Him more and more as they walk day
by day. Christian ministers must be to be conformed to Christ’s death; to
subject themselves totally to God and to deny themselves and put their desires
and flesh to death and to do only the will of God. The minister must know whom
s/he served and who s/ he is to God. This will enable him to bear more fruits
in his/ her ministry.[4]
2.2 Practice of
prayer and intercession
Prayer is asking, called petition,
when it is for ourselves and intercession when for others. As children, we come
to our heavenly Father bringing our needs, little and great, temporal and spiritual,
and we lay the burden of our anxieties at his feet. We do not fear to trouble
Him, because we know that He cares about us. But it is not only our own needs
that we bring – we come to plead for others too, for our loved ones, for our
neighbours. For them we pray and we join our prayers with theirs (if they are
Christian) in the fellowship of Christ’s holy Church before the throne of God.[5]
This strengthens the bond we have with our God which is very vital for a
minister. A minister must be in close contact with God whom s/ he served so
that s/ he may be able to know what God wants him to do and what mission s/ he
has to carry out. Moreover it is the way by which the minster could communicate
with God.
2.3 Study of
the Bible and Devotion
The Bible is
the word of God’s word: It is inspired by God (II Tim.3:16). The word inspired
means breathed by God. God has given us the Bible so that we will know how to
live upon the earth. Therefore, Christian should study the Bible for
doctrine/teaching, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in
righteousness. [6]
In Christian
ministry, we not only speak to God but also allow Him graciously to speak to
us; we listen hear what He has to say to us through the reading of his holy
Word and sometimes through the mouth of one of His servants who preaches in His
name. Of course a sermon is not essential to worship we should give time to
reflect on the meaning of the passage read and to find out its message for
ourselves in our own situation.
2.4 Corporate
worship and spiritual practices of the community.
To worship God
is to give him/her our love, reverence, service and devotion. Worship not only
shows our love for God and commitment to him/her, it gives us strength to
his/her commandments. Through worship we grow in knowledge and faithfulness.
Worship is kinds of interaction between Human and God. It is also the feeling
or expression of reverence and adoration for a deity. Without having practices
of worship, the Christian life is incomplete and useless. It is also building
up a close relationship with God. So, therefore Worship is the essential
element to be practiced for a Christian
minister.[7]
2.5 Spiritual
growth through Christian fellowship.
The uniqueness of Christianity is its dynamics of fellowship. The
fellowships of believers encourage and inspire one another. Many people have
gained strength and renewal through the fellowship with other believers, likewise,
a pastor also cannot work all alone, he may receive spiritual growth through
Christian fellowship. Thus, a minister should get involve in different
fellowship programmes of the church by virtue of being a leader as well as for
personal spiritual nourishment.
3. Other
important factors
Besides these important practices the minister should also develop three
important maturities in his/her life to be successful minister.
3.1. Emotional
maturity
Emotions are joy, sorrow, fear,
hate, love and so on which are instinctive or intuitive feeling as
distinguished from reasoning or knowledge. A person may physically appear to be
matured, but emotionally he/she may often act childish. A person preparing to
become a minister for God should be able to grow in emotional maturity.
Emotional maturity can be explained in two aspects.
1.
Being sensitive
to one’s emotions and express them appropriately; Human beings are emotional beings. We are born with
emotions, and they are the gift of God. Most of our behaviours thinking
patterns are shaped by our emotion. Since, emotions play very significant part
in our lives, we need to be sensitive to our own emotions. Similarly, we must
learn how to express them in an appropriate manner. Ability to express our
emotions whether positive or negative in an appropriate manner is a sign of
maturity.
2. Maturity to
recognize, process and overcome negative emotion; Negative emotions such as anger, hate,
disappointments, sorrow, grief, etc… can greatly affect a person’s physical,
mental and spiritual life. A sign of mature person is how he/she manages her
negative emotions. Many people often say that they are easily get angry and
they warn others not to anger them. Hence, learning how to control our anger,
disappointment are vital lessons for a person intending to become a good minister.
3.2. Intellectual
maturity-
One mark of intellectual maturity is
the ability to withhold assent, the ability to withstand contradiction and
recognize the merit of opposing views. The intellectually immature, by
contrast, bristle when their pieties and subjective certainties are called in
to question.[8]
Intellectual Maturity does not do not meant cleverness or brilliants; nor does
it mean the accumulation of vast store of knowledge. It means the ability to
make judgments consistent with the convictions or outlook on life. It also
implies sense of hierarchy of values. God, truth, fidelity, fairness,
compassion, mercy, etc., the intellect has always place among the finest of
human values. The ability to distinguish between the essential and the accidental
is a further sign of Intellectual maturity.[9]
The minister should know that s/he will soon be in need of adjusting according
to the context. In that crucial period the intellectual maturity will help him/
her to understand the people around him/ her without being bias to anyone. This
could in turn helped the minister to respect the opinions of the others and
thereby forming good minister in him/ her which the parish longed for.
3.3. Maturity
in interpersonal relationships- A minister needs to build up very
good inter-personal relationship with people in his/ her parish. The minister
should be able to appreciate other people and build up the relationship with
others. One effective way of winning their hearts is to show that she/ he care
for them. The minister is most of the time esteemed high by the people within
the parish. If that same individual whom they esteemed very high showed his
care and compassion for them, it sure will bring solace and peace within their
hearts. As he/she is to be a minister for everyone he/she must work for all and
act justly to all the people. He/she should be able to settle conflicts and
hatred between the people and bring them to justice. If there is anyone who is
in need of discipline, he/she must act justly without showing any partiality.
To be a good minister for God, it is necessary to maintain cordial relationship
with others as they are the mission fields where the Minister has to engage him/
herself. So for this development of
maturity in inter personal relationship is very necessary for the minister.
Conclusion
As a minister is mostly esteemed
high and holds a position of religious teacher, there must be an exemplary life
reflected through the life of a minister. To have such a life, the minister
must keep in view the mentioned practices so that he/ she may form a good
minister within him/ her and be a blessing for others. If the minister failed
to form a good minister within him/ herself, s/ he could be a disgrace for the
Church or the body which ordained him/ her and could be the one who dirtied the
faces of those good ministers who had worked their utmost for God.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Douglas,
J.D. ed., New Bible Dictionary, Second
Edition, England: Inter-Varsity Press, 1992.
Anderson,
Robert C. The effective Pastor; A Practical
Guide to ministry. Chicago: Moody Press, 1985.
What
the Bible says to the Minister. Secunderabad: Leadership Ministries Worldwide,
2005.
Wooton, Canon R.W.F. Christian Worship Of God. Madras; The Christian Literature
Society, 1966.
Zalawma,
Rev. H. and Rev. H. Vanlalruata, comps.,
An Introduction To Worship And Preaching.
Aizawl; Aizawl Theological College, 2005.
WEBLIOGRAPHY
[1] J.D.Douglas. ed.,
“Minister” in New Bible Dictionary, Second
Edition (England: Inter-Varsity Press, 1992), 779.
[2] Ibid.
[3] Robert C. Anderson, The effective Pastor; A Practical Guide to
ministry (Chicago: Moody Press, 1985), 4.
[4] What the Bible says
to the Minister (Secunderabad: Leadership Ministries Worldwide, 2005), 15-17.
[5] Canon R.W.F. Wooton, Christian Worship Of God (Madras; The
Christian Literature Society, 1966), 15.
[6] What the Bible says
to the Minister (Secunderabad: Leadership Ministries Worldwide, 2005), 248.
[7]Rev. H. Zalawma and
Rev. H. Vanlalruata, comps., An
Introduction To Worship And Preaching (Aizawl; Aizawl Theological College,
2005), 1.
[8] https://Maverickphilosopher.typepad.com/maverick_philosopher/2009/12/intellectual-maturity.html
[9]
https://books.google.co.in/books?id=docUW2d7_DwC&printsec=frontcover&dq=editions:r0OpRr0rn-8C&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKwjEyfHvsqHSAhXIVrwKHXxbAo4Q6wEIGjAA#v=snippet&q=intellectual%20maturity&f=false.
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