Philosophy of Ministry
At First Baptist Church, we are committed to the Biblical principle that the ultimate work of the church in the world is to be done by ordinary Christians and not the professional clergy or a few select laymen. We must never lose the impact of the Apostle Paul's statement that apostles, prophets, evangelists and pastor-teachers exist for the "equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the building up of the body of Christ." ( Ephesians 4:12 ) The work of the pastor is to equip the congregation for the active involvement God has called each of them to.
Every single person in the church has been called by God and has been given gifts that they are responsible to use in ministry. We do not hire ministers to do the work of the ministry. We hire staff to train and encourage everyone to contribute to the ministry of the church in which they are involved.
We recognize that we cannot meet every need. We determine the ministries in which we are involved based on our convictions about the absolute necessity of leadership. We believe that God will send us the godly, gifted people we need to effectively minister in the programs He wants us to have. We believe that having godly, gifted highly motivated leadership is the starting point to all ministry. There are three results of this philosophy.
First, we don't end up beating our heads against a wall trying to recruit people to fill a certain need. If leadership emerges to take on a particular ministry, then we are willing to consider its viability and help make sure it gets going properly. If a certain ministry begins to die because we no longer have the leadership for it, we may need to let it die until God brings along the right people to administer and lead that ministry. And if the Lord brings someone with a new vision and gifts to First Baptist Church,we want to be open to that special ministry.
Second, we are able to work cooperatively with para-church ministries represented within our body. Our ministry at First Baptist Church is not limited to what happens within our walls. Some of our people will be called to serve the Lord through Young Life, Inter-Varsity, Navigators, Campus Crusade For Christ, Bible Study Fellowship, Yolo Wayfarers, Crisis Pregnancy Center and other effective ministries. We encourage these ministries as we build up the Body of Christ at large and our church body, as well.
Third, it allows us to encourage members to use their gifts creatively in the church. First Baptist Church is not limited to its existing programs. Our potential for ministry is unlimited. We are always open to new ministries if the leadership to run them is available and if they fit our general philosophy of ministry.