Category : Blogs

Sub Category : World

Have you ever thought about the four kinds of ministry in God's service? Probably not. 

Inside refers to the church. Outside refers to the world or the needs outside the church.

Inside/Outside.

The Bible says one of the functions of churches is to equip people to minister to others outside of its walls. 

"To prepare God's people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of Christ."
Ephesians 4:12-13

A worldly example could be an armory providing necessary equipment to soldiers so they can complete an objective or mission, like keeping looters from stealing from homes and businesses during and after a tornado or riot.

Outside could be any kind of help to the community such as preparing meals for low-income people. Another instance could be a youth group adopting a stretch of highway or neighborhood by picking up trash.

Outside/Inside

I came to believe in Jesus as my Savior, and started my spiritual journey with God at this type of ministry.

If you remember the Billy Graham Crusades during the last half if the 20th century, this is an example of this type of ministry. The organizers of the crusades invite churches where it is going to be held to pray for the crusade and the people coming to hear about God, gather people from churches who want to sing in the crusade choir, etc. But where this type of ministry is really helpful is sending people who come forward at the crusade to accept Jesus as their Savior, to area churches. The information of each respondent is given to a local church to help them continue their spiritual journey.

Outside/Outside

This type of ministry is very prevalent in our world. You see examples of this when disasters happen: Samaritan's Purse, Wycliffe Bible Translators, and a host of others.

They are not connected to any particular church, but are comprised of Christians serving together for a common goal, whatever the mission of that ministry is.

Inside/Inside

This kind of ministry only helps people within the walls of the church. It will probably cease to exist eventually, because there is no outreach to needs around the church, only to those who choose to come there. 

There is another advantage for this blog, to help you choose the type of church you want to attend or to evaluate the one you are going to now. 

Think about what you have read here today, and ask God to lead you to the type of ministry he has for you to do.