A Biblical model of church is so much more than “what’s in it for me?”

The church is not an event run by professionals who do all the ministry while everyone else receives it. No, the Biblical model of church has everyone involved in service. We see this clearly in Ephesians 4.

Ephesians 4:11-16 set up a pattern of how the church is supposed to operate. And it is so important that we grasp this. It is not what we tend to think in our individualistic and competitive way that we have been taught to think.

V11 describes some of the gifts that Christ has given to the church. And, in a bit of a surprise, these gifts are people. Apostles, prophets, evangelists, and pastor-teachers. What do these people have in common? They are what we would call “word gifts”, people whose task it is to explain God’s word to people. They are leaders that are given to the church. Apostles were appointed directly by Jesus, and apostles and prophets were foundational to the writing of God’s word. Evangelists tell the word to those who are not Christian, and pastor-teachers teach the word to those in the church. These leaders are an important part of the church.

Yet we need to see that Paul is not finished the sentence. Why does God give these particular gifts, these particular types of people? To equip the saints for the work of ministry. ‘Saints’ does not mean especially holy Christians; Paul uses this word to describe all Christians. Those with word gifts are given to equip all the Christians in the church.

That word ‘equip’ is so critical. It means to prepare someone for something. So, to be equipped to go for a hike, you need good shoes, a map, and water. To be equipped for overseas travel, you need a passport, a ticket, and a bag. In this context, to be equipped for life, to walk in a manner in line with being a Christian, you need to know the Bible and apply it. And to that end, God has given people with word gifts to help.

Paul says that all of us are being equipped for the work of ministry. This is interesting. The word “ministry” here could be translated “service”. It is the same Greek root as the word “deacon”. Deacons are literally servants, those who serve. Yet, in a very real sense, all Christians are involved in the work of service, the work of ministry. This work is to build up the body of Christ. Building up like building a wall or a building; we are to do what we can to serve others and build them up in the local church. This includes helping people be united, to help people in their understanding, to help people in their service, all of that. We are all involved in this; we are to be involved in building up one another.

It is so critical to understand this because it is so different from the rest of life. We are not to see elders and pastors and other leaders as the ones who do the ministry in the church. Like most people are cheering on or just listening, while the “real ministry” is done by the leaders. No, it is more like all of us being on the same sporting team, with the leaders being like the captains who are also players.  All of us are active, all of us serve, but our roles are all a little different from one another.

Paul gives us a bigger aim in v13: he says it positively and negatively. Positively, we are to aim for mature manhood (or, I think it would be fair to say, mature womanhood). We are to grow up to be more like Jesus. All of us should aim that the whole church, not just ourselves, should be growing in knowledge and love and service. This will mean we are no longer children. Children get easily distracted. Immature believers get led astray because they don’t know better. We are to encourage and teach new believers and young people to be strong and solid in their faith and their service. This heading to maturity involves speaking the truth in love to one another. This is about sharing the word of God together. And this is a command for everyone, not just those with word gifts. In many ways, we should be encouraging one another, knowing each other well enough to have real, solid conversations. And the aim is that we might grow up in every way into Christ.

The final illustration here is in v16. Paul described the local church like a body with joints, or as some translations put it, ligaments. We are to be very closely connected, like your arm is connected to your body and your head is connected to your shoulders. There are a few different ideas of what this means. In the context, I think the joints or ligaments are those with word gifts, whose work is critical for equipping. And “every part” is speaking about all of us. A church is not made up only of pastors and elders and deacons, just like a body is not made up only of joints. Every part needs to do its job. And the goal is that it grows, it builds itself up in love.

This picture of church is quite different from how many people think about church. It is easy to think like a boss and employees. Yet the emphasis here is that we are all equal with different roles. All of us have a part to play not only in our own growth, but the growth and maturity of others. Isn’t that incredible? Think about the other people in your church. You, with your gifts and love for others, are a critical reason why the children here will know about Jesus. Your welcome and service of others will build people up. The faith of the others in your church is partly built by your service.

So, when we come to church, don’t ask, “what is in it for me?” There are better questions to ask. For example, you could ask, “What can I do today to build others up?” Or: “How can I help those around me to love Jesus more?” Or: “Who can I encourage today?” Ask the right questions. The local church is not just you and God, and neither is the work of ministry only for leaders to do. It is something you are part of.