Are All Christians Ministers?
Follows the message On the Hook from the Faith series
Maybe you think of ministry as the pastor's job, and your part is to show up and receive. Scripture says otherwise. Every believer is a minister. God calls and gifts you to serve people right where you are: at work, at school, or in aisle five at the grocery store.
Key takeaways
- Every Christian is called to the work of ministry, and pastors exist to equip believers for it (Ephesians 4:11 to 12).
- Since Pentecost, the Holy Spirit has been poured out on every believer, not only on leaders.
- You don't need a title or a degree to minister; you meet the needs you see on the road of life with the gifts God gave you.
- A pastor holds a different office, but God sees no difference in calling: every believer represents Christ full time.
Are all Christians called to ministry?
Yes. Every follower of Jesus is called to do the work of ministry. Pastors and church staff have a real gift and calling. Their job is to equip the rest of the church, not to do all the work for it.
So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up
Ephesians 4:11 to 12
Read that closely. The "works of service" belong to "his people." Leaders train and prepare; the whole body serves. At Calvary, Growth Track puts it simply: every member is a minister. That is true of the whole body of Christ. Each member ministers to the world in the way God has designed them.
In this sense a minister is anyone who uses the gifts God gave them to serve others and point them to Jesus.
Why did Pentecost change who gets to minister?
Pentecost opened ministry to every believer because the Holy Spirit was poured out on all of them, not only on the leaders. Before that, reading God's Word publicly or praying public prayers was the work of priests.
Pentecost is the day, described in Acts 2, when the Holy Spirit came to rest on every believer gathered in the room.
They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them.
Acts 2:3 to 4
"Each of them." "All of them." Everyone in that room heard the sound and received the power of the Spirit. That means everyone was called to the work. Under the old priestly pattern, the church would have been stifled. After Pentecost, the gospel moved through ordinary people.
What happens when one person does all the ministry?
When one person tries to do everything, the church stalls. Pastor Luke Barnett, a guest on Beyond Sunday after preaching at Calvary, has seen this in his own church's history.
For example, his church was founded in 1923 by a Native American pastor. For roughly 60 to 70 years it ran between about 40 and 100 people. The pastor had become a bottleneck: everything had to be done by him. People were being ministered to, but they were not doing ministry themselves.
That changed when the congregation was told plainly, "You're all ministers." Then the church grew, and today it is planting locations in Apache and Navajo communities across Arizona. A church that began with one pastor doing it all is now reaching Native American communities through many people using their gifts.
The same principle applies to your church and your small group. If everyone waits for the pastor, needs go unmet. When every member serves, you see what the church can really be.
How can you minister if you don't have a title or a degree?
You minister by noticing needs as you go through your day and meeting them with the gifts and the prompting God gives you. Pastor Luke said it this way on the episode: ministry happens on the road of life.
He pointed to the Good Samaritan. The Samaritan was on his way somewhere else when he saw a man who had been beaten, and he stopped.
But a Samaritan, as he traveled, came where the man was; and when he saw him, he took pity on him.
Luke 10:33
You may not have a pastoral license or a seminary degree. What you do have is the whisper of the Holy Spirit and the calling of God. You also have a spiritual gift He wants to use in that moment. You don't have to manufacture anything. You trust God to give you what you need. Then you take the step of faith: pray for the person, help with the need, say the word of encouragement.
Needs never run out. They keep coming like waves on the ocean. Ministry is doing good wherever you see good that needs to be done.
This was always God's design for His people. Long before Pentecost, He told families to carry His words into ordinary life.
These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.
Deuteronomy 6:6 to 7
Does God see a difference between a pastor's calling and yours?
A pastor holds a different office in the church, and Scripture says pastors are to be honored. But God sees no difference in calling between what a pastor does and what you do. Every believer is called to represent Christ full time.
Many people never minister because they don't see themselves as clergy. Pastor Luke didn't either. He was planning on a career in business when God asked him to use his leadership gift to move the kingdom forward. In his words, God took the box of what a minister looks like and blew it up.
Your ministry might be your career, or it might be something you carry into your career in business, education, health care, or anywhere else. Either way, you are on the hook. One day each of us will give an account for how we used the gifts God gave us.
Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God's grace in its various forms.
1 Peter 4:10
If you already know what God has asked you to do, don't wait for the perfect moment. Pastor Sean Sloan passed along a line he once heard from another pastor: at some point delay becomes disobedience.
Your week on the road of life
- Each morning, ask God to show you one need on your way through the day.
- When you sense the Holy Spirit prompting you to pray for someone or help, act on it that day.
- Write down one gift God has given you and one place you could use it this month.
- Name your mission field: your workplace, your school, your street, the coffee shop you visit every week.
- If you haven't found your place to serve at church, take the next step to discover it.
Pray
Lord, open my eyes to the needs around me today. Thank You for the gifts You have given me. Help me hear Your Spirit's prompting and give me courage to act, wherever I am. Amen.
Common questions
Are all Christians called to ministry?
Yes. Since Pentecost every believer has access to the Holy Spirit and a calling from God. Ephesians 4 says pastors and teachers equip God's people for works of service, which means the work of ministry belongs to every believer.
What is the difference between a pastor and a minister?
A pastor holds an office in the church that Scripture says to honor, with a calling to lead and equip. Every believer is a minister, using their gifts to serve God and others wherever they are.
How can I minister at work or school?
Watch for needs as you go through your day, the way the Good Samaritan did. Listen for the Holy Spirit's prompting, pray for people, and use the gifts God has given you to serve.
What does "every member a minister" mean?
It means every person in the church has a part in the work of ministry, not only paid staff. Each believer serves the world in the way God has gifted and designed them, and church leaders exist to equip them for it.
Your next step
Ready to discover your gifts and find a place to serve? Start Growth Track and take your next step at Calvary.