“It is your great duty, and tied on you by many obligations, that you be exemplary in your lives, and be patterns and precedents to your flocks; lest it be said unto you, ‘Why takest thou My law into thy mouth seeing thou hatest to be reformed thereby?’ He that lives an idle (ungodly) life, may preach with truth and reason, or as did the Pharisees; but not as Christ, or as one having authority.”- Jeremy Taylor

“There are two things of which a good pastor should be careful to do well: to be diligent in teaching, and to keep himself pure.” – John Calvin

I want to encourage you and I want all of us together to ensure that we are doing ministry in a godly way because there are many pastors and lay people who engage in ministry the wrong way: with pride, ulterior motives, and bad character.

What does doing godly ministry look like?

1. Godly Ministry Begins With A Saving Relationship

Godly ministry begins with a saving relationship with Jesus as our one and only Savior and Lord. That is a necessary starting point which must continue as a necessary reality in the life of every Christian especially for those of us in leadership ministry -lay and ordained. Our Lord Jesus Christ and his glory must be at the center of our lives, ministry, words, actions, thoughts, plans, ambitions, and relationships. Christianity is about knowing Christ as our Savior and Lord and acknowledging Christ in us, Christ before us, Christ behind us, Christ beside us, Christ beneath us, and Christ above us! It is in the context of knowing and being in Christ that he then strengthens us, comforts us, restores us, renews us, revives us and empowers us to do godly ministry.

2. Godly Ministry Is About Serving Others

Godly ministry is not about SHINING and SHOWING OFF, rather it is about SERVING God and others. It’s about letting Jesus SHINE and shining the light on Jesus, rather than on ourselves! The goal of Christian ministry is to preach the gospel of Christ and teach God’s Word faithfully so that people will repent of their sins, believe in Jesus Christ as their Savior, obey him as the Lord of their lives, trust God in all situations, serve God and others with humility and love, worship God in Spirit and truth in the beauty of holiness, and glorify Him in every facet of their lives and living. It’s not about you!

3. Godly Ministry Requires Godly Living

Godly ministry requires godly living. In 2 Timothy 2:19-22, Paul exhorts us with these words: “But God’s firm foundation stands, bearing this seal: “The Lord knows those who are his,” and, “Let everyone who names the name of the Lord depart from iniquity.” Now in a great house there are not only vessels of gold and silver but also of wood and clay, some for honorable use, some for dishonorable. Therefore, if anyone cleanses himself from what is dishonorable, he will be a vessel for honorable use, set apart as holy, useful to the master of the house, ready for every good work. So flee youthful passions and pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace, along with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart.”

We must live a godly life because Jesus has saved us. And as Jonathan Edwards said “True salvation always produces an abiding change of nature in a true convert. Therefore, whenever holiness of life does not accompany a confession of conversion, it must be understood that this individual is not a Christian.”

A person who has been saved is filled with gratitude and that gratitude leads them to godliness. Jonathan Edwards makes this point succinctly “No man can be truly thankful to God for the dying love of Christ, and for the infinite mercy and love of God toward himself, and yet lead a wicked life. His gratitude, if sincere, will lead him to be holy. ” And if we love God we will obey him.

John Calvin underscored this point well: “To love God in sincerity of heart is to keep His commandments.” The ministry and mission of the church cannot be built or sustained with pride, prejudice, false teaching, abusive spiritual leadership, inordinate ambition for power and position, lies, dishonesty, malice, divisiveness, compromise, and bitterness. Sin is a hindrance to the ministry and mission of the Church.

4. Godly Ministry Honors Episcopal Leadership

Godly ministry honors, cares for, and respects the episcopal leadership of the Diocese. Not only is this part of our clergy ordination vows it is also a biblical injunction. In the Anglican Communion all Anglicans are expected to follow the direction of the Bishop in all things lawful and honest. The unwillingness of some clergy and lay people to respect their spiritual leaders when asked to follow the path of godliness and peace and do what they ought to do in their roles is a sign of pride or immaturity. The Bible says:

“Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they are keeping watch over your souls, as those who will have to give an account. Let them do this with joy and not with groaning, for that would be of no advantage to you.”

Hebrews 13:17

“We ask you, brothers, to respect those who labor among you and are over you in the Lord and admonish you, and to esteem them very highly in love because of their work. Be at peace among yourselves.”(1 Thessalonians 5:12-13)

1 Thessalonians 5:12-13

“Let the elders who rule well be considered worthy of double honor, especially those who labor in preaching and teaching.” (1 Timothy 5:17)

1 Timothy 5:17

5. Godly Ministry Preaches Christ

Godly ministry is about preaching the gospel of Christ (not prosperity gospel), teaching the whole counsel of God from the Bible, equipping God’s people for ministry, leading the people of God in worshipping and serving God in the beauty of holiness, gracious generosity, humility, unity, peaceableness, truth, and love to the glory of God alone. Puritan pastor, Cotton Mather, writing in the 17th century, put it well when he said that: “The great design and intention of the office of a Christian preacher [is] to restore the throne and dominion of God in the souls of men.”

6. Godly Ministry and the Great Commission

Godly ministers are committed to the Great Commission: “And Jesus came and said to them, ‘All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.’”(Matthew 28:18–20)

Our mission is to make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of our Triune God and teaching them to obey all that Jesus commanded us (Matthew 28:18–20). This is the command of our Lord Jesus, and it is what we are doing—and will continue to do—in our Diocese. 

Effective and godly Christian mission in the 21st century requires a willingness and ability to transcend one’s tribal and racial boundaries to reach not only our own people but also those who are different from us. This stands in direct contrast to nationalistic, culture-centric, and ethnophyletistic Christianity—a narrow-minded and ethically suspect approach to the life, worship, ministry, and mission of the Church. Such an approach prioritizes the well-being of “my people” over the Great Commission, which calls us to go to all nations with the gospel of Christ.

Biblical Christianity—in its worship, mission, fellowship, and ministry—is not isolationist, separatist, or ethnophyletistic. Rather, it is welcoming and embracing of all peoples and cultures, of all tribes and tongues. It strives to live, share the gospel, fellowship, worship, and minister with those who are different from us, in ways that are faithful to the Word of God, even amidst the stresses and difficulties involved.

We must commit to planting and building churches filled with followers of Christ from every race and tribe—churches that are Christ-centered, biblically faithful, holy, loving, Spirit-filled, community-conscious, and united under God for His glory and praise. True disciples of Christ follow Him, are being transformed into His image, and are committed to His mission.

In our contemporary Christian culture, it’s evident that many desire to be leaders and often seek teachings on effective leadership—which is good. However, we must also heed the caution raised by Karl Vaters, who noted:

“Leadership has become the go-to byword for pastoral ministry over the last generation or so. But the Bible has very little to say about becoming a leader. On the contrary, it has a lot to say about being a follower. The primary call of pastors, deacons, and elders is not to be leaders, but to be followers of Jesus and servants of the church.”

Christian leaders are, first and foremost, followers of Christ and servants of the Church.

As followers of Christ, we are called to obey Him and to engage in His mission—making disciples of all nations. This requires laying aside personal missions that distract from Christ’s mission and fully committing to His work as true followers of Jesus.

Conclusion

In conclusion, let me note that we need more than intelligence, theological degrees, charm, and commitment to moral orthodoxy on issues such as women ordination, abortion, monogamous marriage, and homosexuality to be true ministers of the gospel. The reason this should be pointed out is because a person doesn’t need to be Christian to oppose divorce, women ordination, abortion, and homosexuality. Any nice cultural conservative can do a swimmingly good job of standing for good moral values without being a Christian.

Christian ministers(lay and ordained) need to be committed to godly character, emotional maturity, and Biblical orthodoxy in word and deed, not just moral orthodoxy.

Such is the nature of godly ministry in the Church of God. May the Lord enable us to be godly ministers in his church.