The Four Pillars: Where Our Ministry Is (hopefully) Going
For the last eight weeks, I have been asking myself and the leadership team and anyone else who would listen, “Where is our ministry going?” There are many different opinions and theories. The short answer is simple: wherever God wants to take us. So I searched the Bible (always a good place to look for answers) and I found a starting point on which we can build.
The very first church set the precedent for all other churches and ministries to follow. In Acts 2:42, Luke describes four principles of the church from the very beginning.
“They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.”
Some like to call these the Four Pillars of the Church because they helped build the church so it could grow in numbers and in spiritual maturity. They added new members every day and saw miracles and healings so spectacular that sick people were laid out along the street in the hopes that Peter’s shadow would fall on them so they could be cured (Acts 5:15). If we really want a successful ministry, shouldn’t we pattern it after one of the most successful ministries of all time?
Luke reports that the first church “devoted themselves” to four principles. As with all words in the Bible, it is important to understand what the words meant when they were written before determining how we can apply them to our lives and our ministry. So I will define each principle and then explain how we will try to implement it into our singles ministry.
1. Apostles’ teaching – The Apostles indicated in this verse are the 12 Apostles of Jesus (Judas was replaced at the end of Acts 1). These were all eyewitnesses of Jesus from the beginning of His ministry to His Resurrection and Ascension (Acts 1:21-22). Paul would later be added as an apostle. So the Apostles’ teaching was everything they had learned from Jesus, which was written down later in the New Testament.
Implementing the Apostles’ teaching: On Wednesdays, we meet and sit together at the Troy Campus of Kensington Community Church for the service at 7pm. And on Saturdays, we meet at the 5:30 service at the Troy campus for the series Marriage: Why Bother? We sit in the same area in both services: facing the stage, we are on the right side about halfway down the front section. We will soon have shirts that will make us easier to spot, but we tend to be the last ones to leave the auditorium so it should be easy to find us after the service if you miss us at the beginning. Saturday services are also an opportunity for all of us to bring friends who have not yet committed to following Jesus to a service where they can hear the gospel in a seeker-friendly environment.
2. Fellowship – The Greek word for fellowship does not mean to hang out and talk as those fluent in Christianese might think. “Fellowship” is about community and partnering with others as we go through life together. The root word means “common” so it literally means “common things.” It “includes a considerable readiness to share material possessions” (TDNT p. 798 vol. III). This is not the only expression of “fellowship,” but it is the most commonly mentioned in the Bible. In Acts 2:44-45, only two verses later, the new community of Jesus followers is described having “everything in common” and specifically “selling their possessions and goods, they gave to anyone as he had need.”
“Fellowship” is not just sharing wealth, but sharing ALL things – even our feelings. So when one is sad, we are all sad. When one is happy, we are all happy. It is empathy within community so we can truly “carry each other’s burdens” (Galatians 6:2) and be able to confess our sins to one another (James 5:16). We will soon find that “shared feeling moves over into the sharing of active assistance” (TDNT, p. 807, vol. III). We will no longer be able to stand idly by and watch our community falter. We will not be able to tolerate orphans left unloved, the poor left homeless and broken, or the elderly left alone to die.
Sharing, community, and partnership are good words to describe the Greek word for fellowship, but one of the reasons translators pick “fellowship” is this: it is about a “fellow” and a “ship.” “Fellow” is not like “That guy seems like a nice fellow,” but more like “Steve is a fellow coworker or a fellow traveler.” He/she is someone who works along with you and walks with you on the journey of life. They are fellows in the same boat (or “ship”) as you, so what happens to you affects your fellows as well. That is what fellowship is really all about.
Implementing Fellowship: This is possibly the hardest to implement because it is based on trust and mature relationships that only happen over time spent together. To begin with, our social activities will help introduce others to our community, but ultimately small groups will be formed so true fellowship can really grow. And every month we will have at least one community service opportunity to help feed the hungry or take care of the widows and orphans that society has neglected in our nursing homes and orphanages.
3. Breaking of bread – Some scholars believe that this refers to communion, but there is nothing in the literature of that day that equates “breaking of bread” to communion. It simply means eating together. If you have ever been to church, you know that eating is possibly the one thing the church does the best. I mean, we do it really well. From potluck to holiday celebrations to eating after a service, breaking bread together is always filled with good times and great conversation.
And that is why the early church made it so important. Eating together tells you something about a person that you will never find out anywhere else. You really get to know someone when you break bread with them. Do they eat healthy or not? Do they treat the waitress with respect or like a slave? Do they talk with their mouth full? Do they use a napkin at all? Do they use silverware or shovel everything into their mouth with their hands? Do they tip well? You can learn so much about others and yourself from your behavior at the dinner table. You can tell if someone is courteous, generous, and a good listener or disrespectful, cheap, and egotistical just from one meal with them.
Conversations often get deep as well. You learn about each other’s passions – whether they be sports, politics, their occupation, or God. And I don’t know why, but when you eat with someone, an instantaneous trust is formed and barriers are brought down. Breaking bread really is a unique experience of bonding and trust.
Implementing Breaking of Bread: Every Wednesday night after the 7pm service, we go to a restaurant to break bread with one another. We rotate between local and affordable restaurants like Chilis, Buffalo Wild Wings, Azteca, and The Hills so everyone can come and so we can create relationships with the restaurant staffs in our community.
4. Prayer – Literally this is “the prayers,” which refers to traditional Jewish prayers and possibly the Lord’s Prayer. The first Christians “continued to live as observant Jews, attending the set services of worship in the Jerusalem temple. The two principal daily services accompanied the offering of the morning and evening sacrifices.” (F.F. Bruce, NICNT, p.77) So the first church prayed together twice a day.
Praying together was a point of emphasis to the first church. It is a unique bonding experience and promotes unity like nothing else on earth. Even your heart rate and breathing synchronizes with those with whom you pray. Your desires and vision for the future tends to also synchronize with your fellow prayer partners as your desires become God’s desires.
Implementing Prayer: Not to sound facetious, but we are still praying about how to implement praying together. Despite its obvious benefits and importance, it is hard to get people together to do nothing but pray. Part of this is because it feels awkward. Some feel embarrassed to pray out loud because they know it won’t be very eloquent or their prayer might be judged.
When I was in youth group, the leader decided to have prayer meetings. Attendance was very low. So he decided to combine activities like Prayer and Putt Putt or Prayer and Polaroid Panic (a road rally /scavenger hunt with Polaroid cameras because they hadn’t invented camera phones yet). Us kids figured out that if you came 30 minutes late, then the only thing you missed was the prayer. For those who hadn’t figured it out yet, you could almost hear them silently praying that prayer would be over soon so we could hang out and eat.
So combining something with prayer is probably not a good compromise. Perhaps a prayer team is the answer. Perhaps the leadership should meet just for prayer. But if the first church thought prayer was that important, God will show us the best way to implement it.
The Apostles’ teaching, fellowship, breaking bread, and prayer are not the only core values that a ministry should have, but they are a great starting point. Creating a safe place where women can come and not feel as if they are a commodity or prize to be won or a piece of meat is also a top priority of our ministry. Creating a culture where the leaders are followers of Jesus and servants to all is another one. There are and will be more, but I think Acts 2:42 is great place to start. I hope you think so too.
And just like the Four Pillars helped build the church, they will help build you up to a more mature and well-rounded follower of Jesus. If you feel as if you are stuck in a rut or you always feel lonely or you just can’t seem to break free of the things that hold you back from being all that you know you can be, start making the Four Pillars a priority in your life. Go to church more often, eat with other Christians, go to a community service project and serve, and/or find a way to pray with others. You were never meant to be alone. You can’t carry your burden alone. Let your fellow Christians help you on your life’s journey.
Thanks for breaking this down so it is easier to understand. I have been going to Church for most of my life, and I am a born again Christian. Over the past 5-6 years I have really become disillusioned with religion. Do not get me wrong, I have a strong belief in God, and my faith is something I take very seriously. I became upset/disillusioned by the men, and women in positions of trust who use their posts for personal gain, benifit, and/or to pull others down into the pit (sin) with them.
I like this four pillars definition of the church you have explained here. I will endeavour to find a church that is built on the foundation of Christ Jesus, and has these four very important pillars.
Thank you so much for taking the time to share these wonderful blog entries with us.
God Bless You,
mark
Thank you for your encouragement. This was really four blogs in one so it took a lot longer to write and research than I had anticipated. I want to encourage you to find a church because there is no substitute for fellowship between fellow Christians and Jesus didn’t give us any other alternative. I have heard from many others that have experienced similar things (the phrase “I love God but hate His fan club” comes to mind) and I know it hurts and makes things so much harder, but trust God and He will lead you to the right church for you. It won’t be perfect, but it will be perfect for you. My search took over two years and I visited over 40 churches. Some you know right away that it won’t work; others you have to keep going back to get a feel for the people. Don’t give up. It is worth the effort.
As always Jon, your post is a blessing. I especially enjoyed how simply you constructed the section on fellowship. well done!
Your article has produced a desire in me to become more active in the community God has planted me in after my separation. My new church which I joined in the beginning of the breakup, is on the other side of the county and our outreach services do not include my zip code. Last year I visited the local Baptist church and I am aware of their weekly fellowship opportunities. I hope to begin fellowship there next week. My struggle was the “appearance” associated with church membership. I have a church family already but I am not able to be there as often as I desire because of the issue of transportation.
Involvement with the local church seems to be an amenable solution. There is no struggle today. I need to serve more, more fellowship with the Body and community prayer. Thank you.
Stay in the race!
Darrin