A Balanced Ministry

Just as a balanced diet is essential to proper development and health, so in the spiritual realm, a balanced diet is needed.

In denominations and congregations where the Gospel has not been made welcome, there is an urgent need for evangelistic preaching that is tailored to the spiritual needs of the hearers. God's mighty Gospel must be heralded faithfully, without cognisance being taken of those congregations who like a 'cool' Gospel, as opposed to a 'hot' one. A 'cool' Gospel very soon degenerates into a non-Gospel.

But when, under the blessing of Almighty God, the preaching of the Gospel of God knows success, and sinners are converted to the Saviour, these new converts need to be taught the solid meat of the Gospel. This is where the balance is needed. Yes, there can be a ministry which might be called 'teaching evangelism,' in which the Gospel is taught to the newly saved, and the challenge to the unsaved is unclouded. This is a step forward, and is to be encouraged.

At the other end, some ministers accept that all those who have made a profession of faith are Christians, and need only to be taught; so they prepare good solid and nourishing food for their souls, and present this to them on a weekly basis. Some of these refuse to evangelise the communicant members, because, firstly, the church has already accepted them as Christians, and, secondly, if the church accepted them as Christians, how dare any minister to think or say otherwise. If the church says they are Christians, then evangelising them is singularly inappropriate.

Here again, there is an imbalance in approach. Cognisance is not taken of false professors within the fold of the church, the "wolves in sheep's clothing," who have come in to devour the flock. They need to be fended off by the clinical application of the Gospel to their lives, and by the faithful discipline of the eldership.

Neither of these is likely to occur because this would have a negative effect on the financial state of the congregation. Thus the true spirituality of the church suffers by unfaithfulness to the office of eldership as set out in the New Testament and in the church's confessional standards.

Imbalance in the preaching/teaching/pastoral ministry of the church is most likely to create an imbalanced membership.