EmmDev 2022-10-18 [Month of Mission 2022] What is the Task of Church Leaders?

What is the Task of Church Leaders?

We are in Week 3 of the Month of Mission where we are looking at Growing Healthy Churches.

It was he who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers, to prepare God's people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ. (Ephesians4:11-13)

Hudson Taylor rescued a beggar who in later days became China's first national preacher of the gospel and the beggar's family members became evangelists and pastors: "A lonely beggar lay drunk and shivering in the muddy slime of a drainage ditch in Peking, China. Throughout the night hours, as he grew closer to death, the beggar's plight went either unnoticed or ignored by the few passers-by... a stranger (Hudson Taylor) saw him and reached out in compassion. After gently lifting the cold and broken frame of the man out of the ditch, the stranger took him into his own home. The beggar was nursed back to health... and was told about the Saviour and turned his life over to Jesus Christ"

Paul points out the task of the church leaders as:

To help people come to the saving knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. At times as leaders we forget the greatest task we have to connect and lead people to Christ. We get busy with what interests us and neglect sharing the gospel of salvation (Eph.4:12b).

To help infants in Christ to grow in their spiritual life. Sharing the true gospel and making programs that promote spiritual growth besides the known routine services, involving the believers in the life of the church, delegating and training them to works of ministry to facilitates spiritual growth. This is attainable only when there is ample time to prepare adequately the spiritual food that will make spiritual children grow to maturity (2 Tim. 2:1-2) (Eph.4:12c) .

To help believers know and use their spiritual gifts. The body of Christ is rich in spiritual gifts as she has many parts for works of ministry. However, the body of Christ seems to be lacking gifts and impoverished due to leaders who either overlook the spiritual gifts or suppress those with spiritual gifts by not according them a platform to use them in specific ministries. There is need to appreciate the work and place of these spiritual gifts because it is a rare experience for one leader to have all of them (apostle, prophet, evangelist, pastor and teacher) (Eph. 4:11).

Finally to promote unity in the body of Christ (Eph. 4:4-7). Regardless of the part that a believer is in the body of Christ, every role of the spiritual gift is of great importance for works of ministry. Hence, the church leaders must endeavour to recognize and include every spiritual gift in ministry to complement the body of Christ. (Eph. 4:13a).
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Rev. Masauso Nyirenda, married to Margaret Banda and serving in Copperbelt Presbytery at Chimwemwe Congregation. We have three children Chimwemwe, Walusungu and Wezi.

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