The poor deserve the best...

By Nigel Ring Brighton, UK

In the last Magazine I introduced the concept of Key Indicators of Good Practice when ministering with the Poor. These are based on observed ministries and an attempt to identify what makes them ‘good’ in order to provide a template for developing other ministries, or a plumbline for evaluating existing ones.

The twenty Indicators we are exploring fall into two sections. In the first section, Church and Leadership issues, there are eight Indicators.

1. Apostolic endorsement
2. Local church eldership oversight
3. Hearing God
4. Vision to be clear
5. Gospel impact
6. Kingdom extension to be intentional
7. Individuals changed from poverty to active mission
8. Biblical principles to be clearly applied

In the first part of this short series we shall consider the first six.

1. Apostolically endorsed

When writing to the gentile church in Galatia, Paul told them of his commission from the apostles in Jerusalem to take the gospel to the gentiles. Their only injunction was that he should ‘remember the poor’ (Gal. 2:10) which was ‘the very thing I was eager to do’.
Although this refers to the poor among the believers it illustrates the apostolic mandate that the poor should be major beneficiaries of the fruit of the gospel, as prophesied in the ‘kingdom manifesto’ of Isaiah 61:1-3 that Jesus and his body, the church, should ‘bring good news to the poor’.
Apostolic ministry is part of God’s plan A (there is no plan B!) to assist local leadership to bring their people to maturity (Eph. 4:12-16). It is as important today as in New Testament times. Accordingly, it is vital that ministry embracing the poor through the local church should have clear apostolic endorsement and confirmation that the vision is appropriate to the overall vision of the church.

2. Local church eldership oversight

Elders are the anointed leaders of the local church. They are responsible for the spiritual welfare of the believers in their care and will, one day, stand before God’s judgment seat to give account for each one. They do not have a priestly function between God and the believers but they do have a fathering and caring responsibility to bring each of the believers to maturity, as referenced above.
Frequently those with a passion to help the poor are quite ‘tunnel-visioned’, with an intense focus on the ministry they believe God has called them to. Often they are very self-sacrificial of their time and material possessions, and can feel a frustration that others are not as passionate as they are. This can lead to independence – often with disastrous results.

3. Hearing God

Jesus did nothing ‘on his own authority … but always … the things that are pleasing to Him’ (John 8:28, 29).
It is vital that we are clear that we are in the centre of God’s will for at least two reasons. First, any ministry we undertake should be the result of seeking God and walking in obedience to Him. So, there needs to be a very clear sense of leading. This needs to be specific, which leads us to the second reason.
When the going gets tough (and it will!) we need to be able to have the confidence that we are on-track with Him and are not just following a good idea. We must have the certainty that God has spoken and commissioned the ministry. By doing so we can withstand the fiery darts of the enemy. It was in this way that Jesus was able to resist the temptations from the enemy when he was in the wilderness. He was able to say with confidence, ‘It is written …’ (Matt. 4:4, 7, 10). In other words, he knew that God had spoken. So must we!

4. Vision to be clear

‘Where there is no prophetic vision the people cast off restraint’ (Prov. 29:18).
If we lack vision we have no clearly defined track to travel on; there are no restraining guidelines; our destination is uncertain. For any ministry to be successful there must be a sense of purpose and direction for what is being implemented, with agreed goals, objectives and expectations. (We shall consider these in more depth in a future Magazine.)
However, the vision must not be so rigid as to inhibit us. As time passes there are inevitable adjustments that need to be made and our ministries must be able to accommodate change that may be identified during the monitoring process. One translation uses the expression ‘progressive vision’. This carries a feeling of fluidity with it, ie a vision is not ‘cast in stone’.

5. Gospel impact

The kingdom mandate of Isaiah 61:1-3 shows how, in the space of three verses, the poor can be lifted from abject poverty to active mission. The following verses (4-9) then give examples of how this is outworked through increased influence and reputation, even across the nations: ‘Their offspring shall be known among the nations, and their descendants in the midst of the people …’ (v9).
The gospel should be at the heart of all that we do, and successful ministry embracing the Poor should have the clear and conscious expectation that lives will not just be ‘patched up’ with people being lifted out of poverty to a better lifestyle, important as that is. There should be an eternal dimension which they are exposed to, for only the gospel can bring about the heart transformation that will truly lift people into a place of hope and fruitfulness. So, we can expect to see gospel fruit evident in people’s lives.

6. Kingdom extension to be intentional

Ministry with the poor provides a fertile context for God’s rule and government to be made manifest. People who already recognise their weakness and need of help are often more receptive to the gospel than those who are surrounded with apparent material security.
Ministry embracing the Poor can make a significant contribution to extending the kingdom of God, not only by demonstrating kingdom rule as we plant churches in disadvantaged communities but also by challenging injustice, changing culture through education, demonstrating God’s provision by careful stewarding of His resources (eg through Farming) and so on. It is helpful to consider how and in what ways a particular ministry does extend the kingdom.

In the next Magazine we shall continue with the last two ‘church-related’ Indicators and then consider some of the skill-related ones.