Specialized Ministries

The Bible does not discourage specialized ministries. On the contrary, it is the instituter of them. But there is a danger each specialty carries with it: thinking it is special in and of itself. I mean in the sense of being more important or necessary over others. All of them are to work together for the glory of God. It's important to remind oneself, he or she is not special because they may have a different type ministry from another dear brother or sister. We're all on the same team.

To mention just a few within this danger area are: evangelists, prophetic teachers, printing ministries, children's homes, deeper life, church builders, drug and drink rehabs, finance consultants, music seminars, defenders of the faith, family institutes, youth ministries, the elderly, skid-row missions, etc. etc. 

There is mainly a twofold risk which singular ministries carry with them: first, as mentioned, believing you're the main cheese. Paul put it this way: "And the eye cannot say unto the hand, I have no need of thee: nor again the head to the feet, I have no need of you." The second being, you lose your balance. You're the only one on the teeter-totter. Over-emphasis leads to a "unbalanced" Christian life. You hone in on one subject in the Bible rather than the whole council. All you can see or look for in the scriptures is something that will under-gird and promote your particular kind of ministry.

I have often stated, a pastor is possibly the most balanced of all the gifts. I liken him to the old-fashioned country doctor, a general practitioner. The original saying was, "A jack-of-all-trades, master of one." Being a master of one, let none of us be guilty of neglecting the others. Or thinking of them as obsolete!