Philosophy of Ministry

I am an Old School presbyterian in the tradition of Westminster Seminary and Old Princeton before it. The best way I can sum up my philosophy of ministry would be Westminster Larger Catechism 154 and 155.

What are the outward means whereby Christ communicates to us the benefits of his mediation?

The outward and ordinary means whereby Christ communicates to his church the benefits of his mediation, are all his ordinances; especially the word, sacraments, and prayer; all which are made effectual to the elect for their salvation.

How is the word made effectual to salvation?

The Spirit of God maketh the reading, but especially the preaching of the word, an effectual means of enlightening, convincing, and humbling sinners; of driving them out of themselves, and drawing them unto Christ; of conforming them to his image, and subduing them to his will; of strengthening them against temptations and corruptions; of building them up in grace, and establishing their hearts in holiness and comfort through faith unto salvation.

I firmly believe that God blesses the ordinary means and a church most prospers when they give due weight and attention to the Word, Sacraments, and Prayer in public worship. Those are the primary and most effective tools that God has given us to bless, shepherd, comfort, challenge, grow, pacify, purify, unify, and edify His people. This is not dead orthodoxy but obeying the command of Christ to Peter to "Feed my sheep." This means using Christ's means and methods to care for His sheep. But it also means having the heart of Christ for His sheep. The inseparable fruit of the ordinary means carried out well and blessed by God is vibrant Christian fellowship and shepherds who know and love their sheep. We must long for a congregation that knows the Word of God and does it out of love for Him and for their brothers and sisters in Christ and there is no way to accomplish this without knowing the hearts of the flock and being with them in the triumphs and hardships of life through concentrated prayer and fellowship. Fellowship is an inseparable part of shepherding because how can you feed, tend, and provide for a sheep you do not know?

A healthy church must maintain the central importance of the Word preached, read, and taught, guard and administer the sacraments faithfully, pray in humility and diligence, and strive for a fellowship and hospitality that anticipates Heaven to come. The church, by necessity, does a great many other things and those are good or bad, wise or foolish on the basis of how well they serve those central points.

An elder must be a dedicated churchman. The health of the local church is often inseparably tied to the health of the regional and national church and so an elder does well for his people by faithfully carrying out the duties of a churchman at presbytery and GA. We cannot put our heads in the sand but must strive for the peace, purity, unity, and edification of Christ's whole flock. It has to matter to us what happens in the congregation down the road and across the country because Christ has vitally connected us to them. So our duties to the presbytery and denomination are not a distraction from our 'true ministry' but a vital and important aspect of that ministry to feed Christ's sheep.