Mark Driscoll » Mission Church Church Leadership Wisdom Conferences

The following are my rough notes for my session today at Catalyst West 2010 in Los Angeles. I appreciate the leaders coming out so we can build some relationship, I'm thankful for an opportunity to teach Scripture, and I'm praying God uses my session to be of service to Jesus and his people. To be honest, though, I really struggle with conference messages. At Mars Hill, the people are our people, most of them return for ongoing teaching, and the content is fairly set since we tend to go straight through books of the Bible. I have no problems with conferences and their topical messages, but I do struggle with them. So, I'm hoping for the best and thankful for the opportunity.

Catalyst West 2010

 

11 Things God Does for Church Leaders

In the fourteen years I have been working on Mars Hill Church, I have seen a long list of fellow ministry leaders:

1. Burn up – physically
2. Blow up – sinfully
3. Give up – practically

In recent months I have been trying to prayerfully and carefully consider how I/we might be able to finish well by God's grace. As I pondered, it became increasingly clear to me that, because ministry can be so costly to the leader(s), we must assume that God is sovereign over and at work in the church and trust him to do those things that he promises to do. We do great damage to ourselves, our family, and our church when we ignore the fact that ministry is not what we do for God. Rather, ministry is what God promises to do first FOR us, and then IN us before doing anything through us. This got me thinking about what God promises to do for the church, which culminated in dozens of pages of Scripture verses. For the purposes of this message I have chosen to focus on some of the things God promises to do for, in, and through ministry leaders. I offer them as an encouragement to trust God to be faithful to his promises to the church and its leaders, thereby helping us to not burn up, blow up, or give up.

1. Jesus is the Senior Pastor of the church.

1 Peter 5:4 – "And when the chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the unfading crown of glory."

2. The Holy Spirit chooses leaders for the church.

Acts 20:28 – "Pay careful attention to yourselves and to all the flock, in which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to care for the church of God, which he obtained with his own blood."

3. God gifts leaders of the church.

Ephesians 4:11–12 – "And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ."

4. God empowers leaders for the church.

1 Corinthians 15:10 – "But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace toward me was not in vain. On the contrary, worked harder than any of them, though it was not I, but the grace of God that is with me."

5. God encourages leaders in the church.

2 Corinthians 4:1 – "Therefore, having this ministry by the mercy of God, we do not lose heart."

6. The Holy Spirit speaks to leaders about the church.

Acts 13:2–3 – "While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, 'Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.' Then after fasting and praying they laid their hands on them and sent them off."

7. God gives wisdom to leaders over the church.

2 Timothy 2:7 – "Think over what I say, for the Lord will give you understanding in everything."

8. Jesus joins leaders as they discipline in the church.

Matthew 18:20 – "For where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I among them."

9. God answers leaders' prayers for the church.

James 5:14–15 – "Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer of faith will save the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up."

10. The Holy Spirit falls on Bible preaching in the church.

Acts 10:44 – "While Peter was still saying these things, the Holy Spirit fell on all who heard the word."

11. The Holy Spirit says no to leaders of the church.

Acts 16:6 – "And they went through the region of Phrygia and Galatia, having been forbidden by the Holy Spirit to speak the word in Asia."

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