Rethinking success in ministry

Author and theologian David Wells wrote in his book God in the Desert (1994):

«"Seminary students are dissatisfied with the current state of the church. They believe it has lost its vision and expect more from it than it gives."»

But dissatisfaction alone is not enough, as Wells himself noted. We need something more. We need to restore what the church should be. What is its nature and essence? What should distinguish and mark the church?

The history of the definition of a "healthy church"«

Christians have long debated the «marks of a healthy church.» This topic was not a subject of much theological debate until the Reformation. Until the 16th century, the church was more assumed than discussed. It was seen as a means of grace, a reality that existed as a prerequisite for the rest of theology. However, with the rise of radical critics like Martin Luther and other reformers in the 16th century, discussion of the nature of the church itself became inevitable. One scholar explains:

«The Reformation made the Gospel, not church organization, the criterion of the true church» (Edmund Clowney, The Church, 1995, p. 101).

In 1530, Melanchthon composed the Augsburg Confession, which in Article VII stated:

«"This Church is a gathering of saints in which the Gospel is correctly taught and the sacraments are properly performed. And for the true unity of the Church, it is enough to have unity in the teaching of the Gospel and in the performance of the sacraments.".

In 1553, Thomas Cranmer created the Forty-Two Articles of the Church of England, where he wrote:

«"The visible Church of Christ is the assembly of the faithful in which the pure Word of God is preached and the sacraments are properly performed.".

John Calvin in his “Institutions” wrote:

«"Wherever we see the Word of God being purely preached and obeyed, and the sacraments being performed according to the institution of Christ, there without a doubt exists the Church of God.".

The Belgian Confession of Faith (1561), article 29, says:

«"The signs by which the true Church is recognized are these: if the pure doctrine of the Gospel is preached in it; if it preserves the proper administration of the sacraments as instituted by Christ; if church discipline is exercised for the punishment of sin; in short, if all affairs are governed according to the pure Word of God, all things contrary to it are rejected, and Jesus Christ is acknowledged as the only Head of the Church.".

CREATION AND PRESERVATION OF THE CHURCH

We see in these two signs—the preaching of the Gospel and the administration of the sacraments—how the church is created and preserved: as the source of God’s truth and the beautiful vessel that contains and displays it. The church comes into being through the right proclamation of the Word; it is preserved and celebrated through the right celebration of baptism and the Lord’s Supper (it is assumed that church discipline is also practiced in this process).

Of course, no church is perfect. But, thank God, many imperfect churches remain healthy. But I am troubled by the fact that a significant portion of churches are not, even though they acknowledge the full deity of Christ and the full authority of Scripture. The Nine Marks of a Healthy Church is a blueprint for restoring biblical preaching and church leadership at a time when too many congregations are in a state of nominal Christianity that leads to pragmatism and superficiality. The goal of many churches has become not to glorify God but merely to grow in numbers, assuming that this goal—regardless of the means by which it is achieved—automatically glorifies God.

In a society where Christianity is rapidly and widely rejected, and evangelism is often perceived as intolerance or even officially classified as a hate crime, we are faced with a shift in worldview. The culture we seek to adapt to in order to remain relevant is so closely intertwined with hostility to the Gospel that any attempt to adapt to it results in the loss of the essence of the Gospel itself. In such times, we must turn again to the Bible and rethink the concept of success in ministry not as immediate results, but as an expression of faithfulness to God’s Word.

WE NEED A NEW MODEL

We need a new model of church. In fact, it should be the old model. We need churches where the key measure of success is not visible results but consistent faithfulness to the Bible. This new (old) model of church focuses on two main needs: preaching the Gospel and making disciples.

• The top five "signs of a healthy church"« — expository preaching, biblical theology, biblical understanding of the Gospel, biblical understanding of conversion, and biblical understanding of evangelism — reflect the importance of the correct proclamation of God's Word.
• The last four signs — church membership, church discipline, caring for discipleship and growth, church leadership — are concerned with how to properly manage the boundaries and markers of Christian identity, that is, how to properly educate disciples.

The ultimate goal of all this is the glory of God through the proclamation of His name. Throughout history, God has sought to make Himself known (e.g., Exod. 7:5; Deut. 4:34-35; Ps. 22:21-22; Isa. 49:22-23; Ezek. 20:34-38; John 17:26). He created the world and did everything He did for His own glory. And this is right and good.

Mark Ross explains it this way:

«We are one of the chief proofs of God… Paul’s great concern (Eph. 4:1-16) for the church is that the church should reflect and manifest the glory of God, thereby vindicating His character against all the slanders of the demonic kingdoms, which claim that God is not worth living for. God has entrusted His church with the glory of His name.»

All who read these words—church leaders and those who do not hold leadership positions—are made in the image of God. We are to be living reflections of God’s moral nature and righteous character, reflecting Him to the world for all to see—especially through our union with God in Christ. This is what God is calling us to do and why He is calling us. He is calling us to unite with Him and together in our communities, not for our own glory but for His.