ERK
Puritan Board Freshman
Let's say you have a member of your church that wants to start a soup kitchen. He would like the church to support this ministry financially and by encouraging members to help. The church agrees on the condition that they provide oversight. The member consents. Later the member complains that no one from the church has been willing to come help and that the church has brought so much "red-tape" with their oversight that the joy of this ministry has been choked out by bureaucracy. The member thinks that the only attention given to him by the church was lip service and micromanagement.
What's the root problem here? Would it have been better for the member not to have asked for official help from the church? Should the church have even entered into that situation in the first place? Was this a result of the institutional church operating outside its jurisdiction and the member misunderstanding the church's mission?
I am sure there are countless similar scenarios involving church run schools or ballet programs. But I also realize that many of these ministries happen without perceived problems.
Nevertheless, when they do have problems, is it just "the messiness of ministry" or is it evidence that the church has overstepped its bounds and possibly even neglected its calling (maybe members are burnt out by other such initiatives or simply unmotivated for mercy ministry because they are themselves spiritually not well fed)? (I realize it could just be that people are busy with other callings.)
I am trying to understand the fundamental principle here. Should presbyterian churches even get involved officially with "ministries" that are not part of the church's narrowly defined ministry?
What's the root problem here? Would it have been better for the member not to have asked for official help from the church? Should the church have even entered into that situation in the first place? Was this a result of the institutional church operating outside its jurisdiction and the member misunderstanding the church's mission?
I am sure there are countless similar scenarios involving church run schools or ballet programs. But I also realize that many of these ministries happen without perceived problems.
Nevertheless, when they do have problems, is it just "the messiness of ministry" or is it evidence that the church has overstepped its bounds and possibly even neglected its calling (maybe members are burnt out by other such initiatives or simply unmotivated for mercy ministry because they are themselves spiritually not well fed)? (I realize it could just be that people are busy with other callings.)
I am trying to understand the fundamental principle here. Should presbyterian churches even get involved officially with "ministries" that are not part of the church's narrowly defined ministry?