Bible Students

This week covered chapters five through seven of A Work of Heart. Chapter five was centered on the topic of culture. Often in ministry culture is seen as something to be overcome. However, there are many aspects of culture which serve God’s purpose. Culture shapes the world which God rules over, so a leader should ponder how emphasizing certain parts of already existing culture could advance the kingdom of God. Understanding culture is essential to leadership. Self reflection on the culture one was shaped by is also essential. 

Chapter six covered the topic of call. God’s calling is something which can not be overlooked. If I am truly called somewhere, which I feel I am, then I must not neglect the steps to getting there and I must not let people discourage me away from it. Chapter seven covered the topic of community, which is an essential part of leadership. Without community, every leader will fail. The leader is not a one-man show. 

Overall, this group of chapters discussed three circles of interactions by a leader: the confidence inside of a call, the dependence on the community, and the use of culture. Likely the biggest takeaway from this section is the dependence on others. With a call, I have to depend on God for the reassurance that this is where I should be headed. With community, I must depend on other people outside of myself. With culture, I must rely on the already-established ground rules for communicating and contextualizing the gospel. All three of these things require humility. As a leader, I must be humble internally, with Christians, and with non-Christians.

Chapter 5 

How has your culture shaped your view of God’s agenda in the world? 

My American culture has caused me to for a long time see very little of world missions. God’s activity in the majority world was mainly a side-project. However, the culture of the Bible College I attended very much corrected this view to be majority-world centered. 

What forces, positive and negative, have contributed the most to your worldview?

Likely the most negative contribution of my culture to my worldview has been pornography. The modern cultural around pornography has greatly shaped my upbringing and has had many negative effects on the formation of my worldview. A very positive contribution was the Bible College, which has contributed to an other-centered worldview, and especially a great view of working for the Lord. All work is for the Lord, not for human masters. 

How do you see your leadership role vis-a-vis culture?

I live on campus at a Bible College, so my leadership here is to be a Christ-like leader in the kitchen who corrects, encourages, and leads lovingly and in a gospel-centered way. In terms of western American culture, I need to be especially forgiving in a culture that is especially critical. 

How do leaders best influence culture for the kingdom of God? 

By contrasting the hypocrisy of the world, and in my culture the hypocrisy of hyper-criticism in a very competitive world. Leaders must lead like Christ and have great character. 

How have you been uniquely prepared for your ministry role through cultural forces? 

I have been affected by many negative aspects of the culture, including rampant pornography. Many other people have had their upbringing shaped by similar factors. 

How have you transcended your culture? 

As a Christian, I disapprove of the rampant pornography in culture. I stand against arrogance and hyper-criticism. These things in the workplace help to make a gospel-centered culture which transcends the western culture and should be the Christian subculture around the world. 

What cultures are you most effective in as a leader? 

The culture I am most effective in depends on what effective means. I am able to stand against the hypocrisy of western culture, but I am able to thrive most in a Christian culture, especially at the Bible college. 

What are you revealing to your culture about God, his work, and his attitude toward people in your culture? 

At the Bible College, I am able to try to reflect the loving and forgiving nature of God in the workplace. We are not working for our boss or for the school or for money, but rather we are working for God. Serving God for His own sake is the best expression of gospel-culture in the workplace. 

Chapter 6 

How would you describe your life mission?

My life mission as I understand it is to serve God in church ministry, most likely abroad for a long time, developing church infrastructure and discipling individuals who can take over those churches and appeal to their own culture better than I can. 

What vision do you have for the current and the next chapter of your life’s ministry? 

Right now I work at a Bible College and attend school. I am learning to practically apply love and leadership in the kitchen and learning theories of ministry through school. In the next season of life, likely next year, I plan on getting married to my godly girlfriend, finishing a Masters of Divinity, and joining a church as pain or unpaid staff. This all aligns with the main goal of learning to plant churches and train people to take them over. 

What hoped-for results of your leadership efforts are you willing to be accountable for?

I hope to cause real change in the kitchen. There are around 12 employees currently, and many are there for the money. This is a legitimate reason to work, but they do not seem to see their work as serving God so much as paying for school. I want to change their mindset to serve God and the student body by demonstrating loving and forgiving leadership, and especially praying with them before each shift for serving God. 

What strengths do you have to build on? How are you using them right now?

I have ambition and vision. I intend on continuing to stretch myself with school and work, with long hours, in order to grow my daily longevity for ministry. I am currently on pace to take 18 credits this semester (though I intend on adding more), and the last two weeks I worked just under 100 hours. 

What weaknesses must you manage in order to be more effective? What is your plan?

I am often easily frustrated by a lack of care for one’s work. Especially in the kitchen, when someone is there only because they have to be and not because they want to serve the Lord, that frustrates me. Those who do poor work but are trying to do better are not the ones who I am frustrated over. However, this is not in line with creating a gospel-centered environment. I intend on praying with the team before each shift, as well as creating a gameplan for us all to work toward. This always softens my heart towards them. 

What have you learned and what are you learning about the effectiveness of your leadership?

Spending time talking to people about their troubles even on the clock often leads to better performance and quicker speed than simply asking them to pick up the pace or correcting their work. I am in a people business, so I need to invest in and be faithful to the people. 

What are you telling people about God’s mission in the world? 

God’s mission involves them, and especially in the kitchen God’s mission involves our faithfulness in the little things. 

How are you helping people in your leadership constellation partner with God’s mission themselves?

I have a decently sized library in my room of ministry books that I lend to people if they want to learn how they can be more faithful in their day-to-day. Additionally, I aim to show people how their faithfulness at work is really faithfulness to the Lord. 

Chapter 7 

What family-of-origin issues contribute positively and negatively to your leadership? 

My parents often will yell to encourage obedience. This is obviously not a very positive way leadership has been engrained into me. Yelling does not encourage people to see their work as to the Lord. Something positive has definitely been seeing the many leaders on campus at the Bible College navigate many issues, which has given me great examples to follow.

How have ministry communities contributed to your heart development?

I have lived on-campus at a Bible College for two years now. This ministry community has been an amazing encouragement and demonstration of gospel-centeredness. 

How are you practicing community in your own life? In your family? 

I live with many close Christian friends on campus, and I do not have a family. I regularly visit those friends. 

What kind of community are you developing in your ministry assignment?

In the kitchen I am attempting to develop a gospel-centered community, which is a praying community, forgiving community, and a community which works for the Lord. This is done by being forgiving, patient, and praying/developing a plan at the start of each shift. 

What obstacles to developing community in your own life must be addressed?

Frustration is a huge obstacle to developing a gospel-centered community at work. Prayer and love are the antithesis of this attitude in this area of ministry. 

What challenges to community threaten your ministry community, and what are you doing about it?

Division and strife are ever-present. As a team in the kitchen we must forgive eachother and all work for the Lord, in addition to praying together, if we are to overcome. 

What are you revealing to those in your leadership constellation about God’s work through community? 

Praying with eachother is a great way to model God’s work through the community in the kitchen. I hope I am revealing the forgiveness and patience of God in the workplace, though often I feel I am only frustrated.