Ministry Philosophy
A Core Values Perspective: Flagpoles to rally around
Introduction:
First, the flagpole of simple ministry: Our study of Ephesians 4 during the summer of 2011 defined the nature of this. The ministry is a ministry of the Word to people helping them take the next step in their spiritual life. Ephesians 4 declares that the Lord has gifted the body with the resources to help individual believers move toward maturity in Christ.
So what does this mean? What does simple ministry look like? We see it as a ministry with simple administrative structures that allow us to reach as many people as possible. It means that we evaluate every ministry; that we evaluate every thing we are doing with a measure of emotional detachment to determine the Word and people focus of each ministry. It means that we ask the hard questions. Are we prayerfully opening the Word in each ministry? Are we reaching people? Or, are we swimming in administrative structures?
Second, the flagpole of Christ: Our study of Ephesians 4 reminds us that Brookdale is Christ’s church. He left heaven to robe Himself with flesh and blood to pay the debt of our sin; He created the church: He gifted the church; and He set the agenda for the church.
Third, the flagpole of the Word of God: Although Ephesians 4 does not directly address the Word of God it is implied throughout the chapter. The gifted leaders of Ephesians 4:11 are Word administrators. The Word correctly taught brings doctrinal stability (4:14). The truth lovingly spoken brings growth (4:15). We only know the Christ and the Jesus by means of the Word (4:20-21).
The Word of God must be our passion at Brookdale. We must work hard to equip all who attend Brookdale with the Word skills that they need to rightly divide it (2 Tim 2:2; 2:15; 3:16:17). We must work hard to help people understand the weight and the authority of God’s Word. We must work hard to help people see and to understand the Word as the Word of God, not just a perfectly, maybe even expensively bound book.
Finally, the flagpole of God’s Grace: The grace of God is a rich theological theme of the entire Bible. God’s unmerited favor expressed to us in manifold ways (1 Pt 4:10) saves us (Eph 1:7), it teaches us (Titus 2:10-11), it keeps us (Jms 4:6), and it defines us (Eph 4:29).
We want to exalt grace in the life and ministries of Brookdale. Grace must motivate our love for one another, our love for our world, and our ministry work.
So what’s the point? We believe that each one of these flagpoles have stood the test of time, are currently standing the test, and will stand in the future. We believe our God and Savior will judge the flagpoles of our life and ministry.
We believe that these flagpoles are all we need for life and ministry. Christ, His Word, and His Grace are enough. We do not need to add anything to any of these.
We believe that if we rally around these flagpoles we will have the wisdom to discern and prioritize the particulars of life and ministry.
At Brookdale, we place high value on…
God’s Word
We are committed to more than a token reference to the Word. It is the primary focus of our ministry. We believe that if you are sincerely searching for answers for life’s tough issues, there’s no short-cut around diligent and disciplined study of the Bible.
Family Fellowship
The Bible’s perspective of church is more than just a place to go on Sunday morning. We believe that the relationships that are developed within the church family are critical to our spiritual growth and maturity.
Ministry Involvement
It’s our burden to see believers who are more than “Sunday morning spectators.” We desire to challenge God’s people to “get in the game,” and serve God with all their heart.
Spiritual Accountability
We believe that spiritual growth goes in hand with personal accountability. At Brookdale, we are committed to challenging each believer to learn and apply the principles God provides for victorious Christian living. (Heb. 10:24)
