Introduction
For many Christians,
the church is a place where they come to listen to a gifted individual wax
eloquent for about half an hour. They expect
their spirits to be lifted by the invigorating sermon, or perhaps, the lively
singing. Their monetary contribution to the church coffers guarantees that the
church’s functions will be performed. Their more
than generous donation to the pastor’s purse ensures that the ministry will go on;
the sick will be visited, the lost evangelized, teens admonished and the
destitute helped. The pastor, in their view, has not only the training but also
the time to do the work. Unfortunately, many pastors harbor this mindset,
albeit with different reasons. They are uncomfortable with allowing or
encouraging their members to be involved in a full-orbed ministry. This mindset
is demonstrated in the 1906 Papal Encyclical Vehmenter Nos, “As for the masses,
they have no other right than of letting themselves be led, and of following their
pastors as a docile flock.”[2] Some pastors will invite pastors from other
churches to occupy the pulpit each time they are away rather than using the
resources within their church for the misplaced fear of being declared
redundant or that of coming across as incompetent. Ed Welch labels this as the
“fear of exposure” and asserts that “it will cause a pastor to…be hesitant to
encourage and raise up other leaders, especially those who look like they could
challenge his position or credibility.”[3]
Besides the passivity of members in many churches and the insecurity which lends itself to an authoritarian, self-centered ministry in their leaders, the pervasive outsourcing model in the corporate world has also found its expression in the church. Churches are increasingly looking to para-church ministries or even secular counseling centers to perform what should rightly be in the local church’s domain. While para-church ministries and other like-ordered institutions have a definite role to play, an accurate understanding of the Scriptures reveal that the local church has the core responsibility of “soul care” and “soul cure.”[4] Furthermore, this responsibility does not lie with the privileged few in the church but with all believers.
The Usurpation the Church’s Counseling Role.
There is a
sustained effort to wrestle from the church its right to counsel. In fact, many
churches do not see themselves as competent to counsel, especially in difficult cases. Part of the problem that has led to
this situation is the re-definition of human inner struggles in non-biblical
terms. Powlison laments that “even the ‘Christian’ counseling field has largely
taken its cues from the secular psychologies, as if Scripture did not really
have much to say beyond religiosity and morality.”[5]
This re-definition has resulted in re-casting of these same struggles in
complex terms that are intimidating to lay people. Unfortunately, some
seminaries have also imbibed this erroneous philosophy.
Some seminaries communicate to the
students, “Here are the things that are yours, and here are the things you have
to refer to other people.” The things that belong to other people include all
things medical and all things psychiatric. And the psychiatric includes the
angst of life, the challenges of life, the troubles of life, and the relational
difficulties of life. What is left for pastors? Guilt, adultery, and murder are
what is left.[6]
Contrary to this
notion, counseling, even of issues deemed to be psychiatric in nature, is very
much in the domain of the local church. This is not to deny that professional
medical help can (and should) be referred to in the case of clearly physical
problems. Neither is it to deny that some benefit can be derived from the field
of secular psychology. It must be contended however that any “disease” label or
proposed interventions that do not conform to scriptural standards are to be
rejected.
As Deepak Reju
explains, there are definite advantages to counseling in the context of the
local church. First, the local church is bound to have better accountability
partners and structures. Second, there is long term commitment to the welfare
of the person being counseled. Third, there is an ongoing personal interaction
between counselor and counselee that enables the counselee see the truths he or
she is being confronted with fleshed out in daily life. Fourth, counseling in
the church is, or should be gospel based, thus contributing to the goal of
spiritual growth and maturity.[7] In
the final analysis, Powlison is right on point with his remark that, “The
people of God functioning as the people of God, provide the ideal and desirable
institution to fix what ails us.”[8]
The Grounds for Mutual Edification- All Believers Gifted.
That all believers are to be engaged in
mutual edification is not an overstatement. This is so because as Eph 4:7-11 stresses,
every believer has been “graced”[9] and gifted for ministry. This fact is
attested to by the phrases “each one” (4:7), “by what every joint supplies”
(4:16) and “by which every part does its share” (4:16). Furthermore, every believer
is not only gifted but uniquely gifted. Continuing the analogy of the body in
4:16, not every joint makes the exact contribution to the welfare of the whole
but all are nonetheless important. MacArthur explains this uniqueness thus,
“And each believer’s gift is unique…. A hundred believers with the gift of
teaching will not all have the same degrees or areas of teaching ability or
emphasis…. Add individual personality, background, education, influences in
life, and needs in the area of service and it becomes obvious that each
believer is unique.”[10] MacArthur further clarifies that various
gifts or areas of giftedness may be present in an individual believer.[11]
These gifts are given for the
benefit of the whole body and thus it behooves believers to exercise them for
that purpose. There is a tendency to elevate the more ostentatious gifts
therefore promoting their use (or misuse) while diminishing the value of the
more obscure ones. Every believer has a unique gift that is vitally important
and is to be used for mutual edification in the church.[12]
The Equipping For Mutual Edification
Paul in Ephesians 4:11 expounds that Christ
gave apostles, prophets, evangelists pastors and teachers to the church.[13] These were given for the purpose of
equipping the saints for the work of ministry (4:12). It is instructive to note
that there is no comma between “equipping the saints” and “for the work of the
ministry” making it clear that the main role of these “gifts” to the church is
to do the equipping thus enabling the saints to effectively do the work of
ministry.[14] Hoehner surmises that a comma between those
phrases would “make a distinction between clergy and laity,”[15] which in his estimation “goes against the
thrust of this passage.”[16] As such the dichotomy often perceived
between the basic functions of the pastor and that of every other member is an
unfortunate one since all believers are to reckon themselves as ministers of
the gospel (1 Pet 2:5, 9; Rev 1:6; 5:10).[17] The gist of the passage therefore, is that
pastors are to be disciple-makers. Their
role transcends sermon preparation and delivery, crucial as those activities
may be. They are to encourage all members to use their gifts, not just through
public exhortation during formal meeting times but also through private,
personal conversation. On the significance of the latter, Powlison writes, “We
rightly see that public ministry from the pulpit is crucial, but we often fail
to see that interpersonal ministry in conversations is equally so.…The quality
of conversations in church is proof of whether public ministry is succeeding or
failing to achieve Christ’s goals.”[18]
The Practice of Mutual Edification- Truthing[19] in Love
Ongoing, spontaneous, spiritual
conversations in which believers encourage and stir each other to good works in
humility while at the same time carefully confronting sin, should be the norm
rather than the exception in local churches. This
intentional involvement in the lives of others goes against the grain of the
present culture, especially in urban areas which advocates for an arm’s length
relationship and whose catchphrase is “mind your business.” The Scriptures make
it clear that it is our business to engage others in order bring them to a
right relationship with God and a place of usefulness in his service.
Practically, if believers are to
“speak the truth in love (Eph 4:15),” and do it daily as Heb 3:13 exhorts them
to, they must rid themselves of the misconception of the clean dissection
between secular employment and ministry. There is a sense in which all
believers are in full time ministry. Piper suggests that in order to satisfy
the command of “exhorting one another daily,” believers should employ other
media like phones and e-mail for that purpose when personal interaction is
impossible.[20]
A local church that is truthing in
love will practice church discipline. Confrontation for the purpose of bringing
erring believers to the right track, rather than being an unloving thing to do
“is actually one of the fullest ways we can express our love for others.”[21]
Bruce, F. Frederick. The Epistle
to the Ephesians. Ludgate Hill London: Fleming H. Revell, 1961.
Hoehner, Harold. Ephesians: An Exegetical
Commentary. Grand Rapids: Baker Books, 2002.
Hughes, R.Kent. Preaching the Word: Ephesians. Wheaton:
Crossway, 1990.
Leeman, Jonathan. “What Should Pastors Do With Fear
Medication and Addiction: An Interview With Ed Welch.” 9Marks eJournal 5
(November-December 2008): 35-38.
Leeman, Jonathan. “Why Every Pastor-in-Training
Should Read Ed’s Book: An Interview with Michael Lawrence.” 9Marks eJournal 5
(November-December 2008): 13-14.
MacArthur, John. The MacArthur New Testament
Commentary: Ephesians. Chicago: Moody Press, 1986.
Mack, A. Wayne and Swavely, Dave. Life in the
Father’s House: A Member’s guide to the Local Church. New Jersey: P
and R, 1996.
Marshall Colin and Payne Tony. The Trellis and
the Vine. Kingsford NSW: Matthias Media, 2009.
Piper, John. “God’s Glory of is the goal of Biblical
Counseling.” Journal of Biblical Counseling (Winter, 2002): 8-21.
Powlison, David. Speaking Truth in Love: Counsel
in Community. Greensboro NC: Newgrowth, 2005.
Reju, Deepak. “Five Advantages of Church Based
Counseling.” 9Marks eJournal 5 (November-December 2008): 6-9.
Stott, John. One People. Downers Grove:
Intervarsity Press, 1980.
[1]Mutual
edification is here used broadly and encompasses formal and informal
discipleship and counseling (which are essentially synonymous).
[2]John Stott,
One People (Downers Grove: Intervarsity Press, 1980), 9.
[3]Jonathan
Leeman, “Why Every Pastor-in-Training Should Read Ed’s Book: An Interview with
Michael Lawrence,” 9MEJ 5 (November-December 2008): 14.
[4]Ibid,
110.
Powlison briefly denotes what roles para-church and
specialized ministries have, but is quick to assert, “Para-church ministry
becomes illegitimate when it competes with or uses local churches to its own
ends.” David Powlison, Speaking Truth in Love: Counsel in Community (Greensboro
NC:Newgrowth, 2005), 111.
[5]Ibid 169.
[6]Jonathan
Leeman, “What Should Pastors Do With Fear Medication and Addiction: An
Interview With Ed Welch,” 9MEJ 5 (November-December 2008): 37.
[7]Deepak
Reju, “Five Advantages of Church Based Counseling,” 9MEJ 5
(November-December 2008): 6.
[8]Powlison,
Speaking Truth in Love, 110.
[9]Kent R
Hughes, Preaching the Word: Ephesians (Wheaton: Crossway, 1990), 131.
MacArthur further clarifies that “This grace is the
enabling power that makes the special gifts function to the glory of God.” John
MacArthur, The MacArthur New Testament Commentary: Ephesians (Chicago:
Moody Press, 1986), 135.
[10]Ibid
136.
[11]Ibid. This
raises significant doubts on the relevance of the spiritual gifts assessment
tests that are popular in many church circles.
[12]Ibid.
137.
[13]The
offices of the Apostles and Prophets are no longer functional. “In the churches
of the first generation the apostles and prophets discharged a unique role,
which in some essential features has been taken over by the canonical writings
of the New Testament” Frederick F. Bruce, The Epistle to The
Ephesians (Ludgate Hill London: Fleming H. Revell, 1961), 85.
[14]Colin
Marshall and Tony Payne seem to favor readings from older translations which
have a comma between the two phrases. Colin Marshall and Tony Payne, The
Trellis and the Vine (Kingsford NSW: Matthias Media, 2009) 44.
[15]Harold
Hoehner, Ephesians: An Exegetical Commentary (Grand Rapids: Baker
Books, 2002), 547.
[16]Ibid,
548.
Simpson is unequivocal, “In the theocracy of grace
there is in fact no laity.” F.F. Bruce, The Epistle to The
Ephesians, 86.
[17]Wayne A.
Mack and Dave Swavely, Life in the Father’s House: A Member’s Guide
to the Local Church (New Jersey: P and R, 1996), 155.
[18]Powlison,
Speaking Truth in Love, 100.
[19]The
phrase “speaking the truth in love” has been translated from the participle
“truthing” which literally carries the idea of not only speaking but doing
truth. Kent R Hughes, Preaching the Word,136
[20]John
Piper, “God’s Glory of is the goal of Biblical Counseling,” JBC (Winter,
2002), 17.
[21]Wayne A.
Mack and Dave Swavely, Life in the Father’s House: A Member’s Guide
to the Local Church (New Jersey: P and R, 1996), 155.
