Over the years I have had more pastors than I can count ask me:   “What do you really think is the importance of apostolic ministry?  We seem to be able to get along without it.” 

          Yes, we can get along in our churches without ministry from an apostolic team, which has led some to conclude that it is not for today and that those ministries were only for the first century church.  However, is our goal to just “get along” or is it to powerfully succeed?  More importantly we should ask ourselves what pleases the Lord who is the head of the church and author and finisher of our faith.

          Apostolic team ministry is God’s idea.  When we embrace one of God’s ways we succeed more powerfully because we are more powerfully equipped.  Not long ago the Lord gave me three thoughts about his ways, as I was studying the life of Moses.

  1. God’s ways are very powerful.

  2. God’s ways serve God’s people.

  3. God’s ways bring God’s presence.

          God’s ways aren’t always the same as our good ideas.  We have all heard and preached messages about good ideas thwarting God’s best.  Good ideas can in fact produce quicker results in the short run.  God ideas produce long lasting, powerfully successful results (as God himself defines success). 

          God’s ways serve his people well.  We serve God, and his ways serve us.  Jesus summarized this thought with his comment on the Sabbath.  He said: “The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath.”   Finally, consider the idea that God’s ultimate goal of his ways is to bring his presence.  Moses said: “If your presence doesn’t go with us, send us not up at all.”  I pray that all of us would have this conviction as we lead our churches.  We would do well not to move quickly, only for the sake of results.  Rather, we should seek to move in his ways, so that we may have his powerful presence experientially.

          As pastors, the application is clear regarding apostolic team ministry.  We can “get along” without it, or we can move more in his way with it.  For the local church and its leaders, apostolic team ministry is a powerful God idea, a servant, and it brings his presence in a greater way.


APOSTOLIC WAYS 

One of the hardships of the ministry for pastors is trying to be everything to the people of their congregations.  The modern American view of the pastor puts tremendous pressure on him and his position.  It is unbiblical, unrealistic, and unworkable.  In many modern churches the elders are not ministering elders as the Lord defines this calling.  Also, because we truly believe that the saints are called to do the work of the ministry, we need to believe with as much conviction that all of the five-fold ministers train the people, and not just the pastor.

Keeping these things in mind, the wise pastor doesn’t strive to do more and more, in order to meet the expectations of people.  Rather, the wise pastor embraces God’s ways in ministry so that he is not buried by an unrealistic definition of his calling.  These are the goals of TrueBridge.