Rethinking the Church | Equipping, Not Performing

11 He himself granted that some are apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers 12 to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, 13 until all of us come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to maturity,[a] to the measure of the full stature of Christ.

Ephesians 4:11-13 (NRSVUE)

There's a fundamental difference between a symphony conductor and a coach. A symphony conductor performs—they stand in front of the orchestra and direct the music while the audience watches. The conductor is the focal point; everyone's attention is on them as they lead the performance.

A coach, on the other hand, equips. They spend their time teaching skills, developing strategies, encouraging players, and preparing the team to perform when it matters. On game day, the coach steps back and watches the players do the work they've been trained to do.

Too often, we've turned our pastors and church leaders into symphony conductors when God intended them to be coaches. We expect them to be the performers while we sit in the audience and watch. We expect them to do the visiting, the serving, the evangelizing, the counseling, the ministering—while we evaluate how well they're performing.

But Paul makes it clear that church leaders aren't called to do all the ministry. They're called to equip all of us to do ministry. Their job is to teach us, encourage us, develop our gifts, and prepare us to do the work God has called us to do.

This doesn't diminish the importance of pastors, teachers, and other church leaders. God has specifically gifted these individuals with the abilities and insights needed to equip the rest of us. Their calling isn't less important—it's just different. They're not supposed to be the only ones doing all the ministry; they're supposed to help all of us discover and develop our own ministries.

Think about what this means for your church experience. Instead of coming to church to watch the professionals perform, you come to be equipped for your own ministry. Instead of evaluating how well your pastor visits the sick, you ask how you can be trained to provide care for those who are hurting. Instead of critiquing how effectively your church reaches out to the community, you explore how God might want to use you to build relationships with your neighbors.

The goal isn't to have a few highly trained professionals doing excellent ministry while everyone else watches. The goal is to have an entire community of believers who are equipped, encouraged, and empowered to do ministry wherever God has placed them.

Your pastor's success isn't measured by how much ministry they do. It's measured by how well they've equipped you to do the ministry God has for you. And your success as a church member isn't measured by how faithfully you attend services. It's measured by how faithfully you serve in the ministry God has given you.

When this happens, ministry multiplies exponentially. Instead of one person doing the work, you have dozens or hundreds of people doing the work—each using their unique gifts, experiences, and opportunities to serve God's kingdom.

Prayer: Lord, help us understand the difference between being spectators and being participants in your kingdom work. Thank you for the leaders you've given us to equip and encourage us. Help them be faithful coaches, and help us be faithful players. Show us how to use the training, encouragement, and gifts you've given us to serve others and advance your kingdom wherever you've placed us. Amen.