Principles of Ministry

Anchor Text: Col 4:17

REFERENCES
1. Exploits in Ministry Dr. David
Oyedepo
2. Six Steps to Excellence in Ministry Kenneth
Copeland
3. Practical suggestions for successful Ministry. Dr. Fred K.C
Price.
4. Understanding Divine Direction Dr. David
Oyedepo
5. How to be Led by the Spirit of the Lord Kenneth E.
Hagin
6. Understanding Vision Dr. David
Oyedepo

COURSE OBJECTIVES
 To familiarise the students with the fundamentals of
Ministry.
 To help students acquire the details on how to start a
ministry and run the ministry.
 To equip the students to deal with oppositions in the
process of running the ministry, and
 To possess the adequate steps to be taken to enjoy
growth in ministry

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 TABLE OF CONTENTS
REFERENCES
COURSE OBJECTIVES
LECTURE ONE
Lesson One Introduction
Lesson Two Call to Ministry

LECTURE TWO
Lesson ThreeThe Foundation For Ministry
Lesson Four Rungs of Ministry success I

LECTURE THREE
Lesson Five Rungs of Ministry success II
Lesson Six Organisational / Administration

LECTURE FOUR
Lesson Seven Problem / Crisis Handling

Lesson Eight Organisational / Administration

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 LECTURE ONE
LESSON ONE
INTRODUCTION
DEFINITIONS:
a) PRINCIPLES:
 The guiding factors around an issue or the ways to get a
thing done.
 Guiding rule or fundamental truth that makes something
effective.
 Different rules to arrive at different results.
Nothing functions without a principle. Col. 4:17.
It is one thing to receive a Ministry from the Lord and
another thing to fulfil it. One has to follow the principles or
understanding the fundamental controls to its fulfilment.
b) What is a MINISTRY?
This is the placement of a man by God to fulfil the plan of
God for him on earth. In essence, it is a stewardship or tool
for Divine accomplishment. It is a human. gift by God with a
commission both to the body of Christ and the world at large.
Ministry is working divine plans.
c) THE NATURE OF MINISTRY
Every form of Ministry you can think of is an extension of
Jesus' Ministry. Jesus laid the foundation of Ministry and we
are called to build upon the foundation. We cannot
understand the nature of ministry except we understand the
Ministry and activities of Jesus. Invariably, the study of
Ministry is the study of Jesus' life and activities.

What did Jesus stand for? Acts 10: 38

Ministry is a business of going about with the sole purpose of
doing good.
From Lk. 4:18 &19 the purpose of Ministry is four - fold
 PREACH
 HEAL
 DELIVER
 RECOVER
In Matt. 10 :7 & 8 Jesus charged his Disciples to do likewise.
To know a true or genuine Ministry find out whether:
a) They preach the Gospel or merely tell stories;
b) They Heal the sick or explain miracles away;

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c) They deliver or they themselves need deliverance;
d) They recover and restore or impoverish people.

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 LESSON TWO
CALL TO MINISTRY
In this lesson, we shall examine:
1.How do you know your calling?
2.Why are you in Ministry?

HOW TO KNOW YOUR CALLING?

1.Direct voice of God – Ex. 3:1-4, Acts 9:1-6
2.Calling on God – Jer. 33:3; 1 Chron. 4: 10 (very often
it is preceded by a strong desire).
3.By vision – Acts 22:17-21
4.Holy Spirit guidance – John 16:13
5.Through the Word – Ps. 119:105

WHY ARE YOU IN MINISTRY?

oThis is a fundamental question that must be answered by
every individual who claims to have the call of God upon
his life.
oEssentially, Ministry is service and success in Ministry
begins with service.
oMinistry should not be seen as a means of livelihood – 1
Cor. 9:
 Therefore, your pursuit of Ministry should be because you
want others to live, not because you want to make a
living
 You don't live on others, but live for others.
o Going into Ministry is signing into a life - time of service.

LECTURE TWO
LESSON THREE
THE FOUNDATION FOR MINISTRY
The foundation for the ladder of Excellence in Ministry is
righteousness. (Isa. 52:11; 2 Tim. 2:19; Ps. 11:3; 2 cor.4:1)
The foundation of righteousness is irreplaceable * Nothing
can substitute for it.
Ministry can be likened to a ladder with twelve rungs, which
serves as the access or pass way to Excellence. Before you
start climbing your ladder, you must first organise for a solid

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and an appropriate base; else you and your ladder will find
yourselves on the floor soonest.

The Lord is coming for a church that is without spot, wrinkle,

blemish, etc. (Eph. 5:26-27).

THE SCOPE OF MINISTRY:

God gives the vision, the Minister sets the scope. From
God's end there is no limit to any ones Ministry, it is up to
the individual to set the limits to his speed and the vastness
of the work. As far as your eyes can see, that have I given
you. Gen. 13:14-18. When God gives one a Ministry, He
comes for periodic checks, what He sees determines whether
He continues with you or not, He is constantly expecting
fruits (Isa 5:1) therefore keep your vision aglow and don't
have a sense of accomplishment till you enter into glory.

N/b:
God's time is the safest and is always in the favour of his
child (Eccl. 3:11). Your Ministry has to grow at God's pace
otherwise it may hit the rocks, Every divine vision has
humble beginnings and it never gets fulfilled until the
fullness of time. Fullness of time is a function of fullness of
yieldedness, so the individual contributes to its arrival. Is.
5:1-7.

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 LESSON FOUR
THE RUNGS OF MINISTRY I
Ministry has life. It is never static consequently it grows.
Every calling has a small be just like every great tomorrow
has an ordinary beginning. (Zac. 4:10).

I. VISION
The first rung in the ladder of Excellence in Ministry lies in
locating the correct vision for your life. There is a
remarkable difference between interest and calling. You
have a place, and it is your duty to locate it. You don't
create vision or purpose; you just discover it.

FOUR OUESTIONS ON WHICH VISION FOR MINISTRY

REVOLVES

1) The WHAT? * What am I called to do or preach? Ish.

40:6.
2) The WHERE? * The geographical location for Ministry -
Jonah 1:1-6; Acts 21:27-31; 22:17- 21 . Location plays a
major role in determining success in Ministry.
3) The WHEN? When am I to start * Eccl.3:1; - Every vision
has a time tag attached to it * The vision is always for an
appointed time (Hab. 2:3).
4) The How? * The approach to Ministry - God is a strategist
- He not only give assignments, but also give the
strategies for executing the assignments - Every problem
must be resolved before progress is ensured (Hab. 2:1-2;
Exo. 25:9,40; Heb.8:5)

II. FAITH: This is the 2nd rung of the ladder of Excellence in

Ministry. Faith is very essential to growth and success in
Ministry. " Faithful is he that called you, who also will do it
" (1 Thess,5:24)
Faith simply means I BELIEVE GOD CAN AND I BELIEVE GOD
WILL!
 ABILITY & WILLINGNESSGOD'S SIDE.
 BELIEVE  MAN'S SIDE.
Faith cometh by hearing the Word of God on regular basis
(Rom.10:17)

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Your right standing in God (Holiness) is revealed by your
faith (Rom.1:17;

Hab. 2:4; Gal. 3:11; Hab. 10:38)

III. WISDOM (3rd Rung of the ladder)

Ministry can be compared to a house (Prov. 24 3; 9 1).
Without Wisdom, one can ruin or destroy the work he is
doing. Ps. 104: 24; Prov. 4 7; 24: 3-6; Eccl. 8: 1-2; Prov.16:
20.
 Wisdom is understanding the "hows" of events - It is the
handling of the "hows" of a Ministry.
If one misses the "hows", he enters into struggles i.e begins
to operate by trials and errors. Eccl. 10:10 Wisdom is
profitable to direct.
How do I receive Wisdom for growth and success in
Ministry?
 Ask (James 1:5)
Through Interaction with re- known people operating in
Wisdom or by proxy - through reading or hearing the
materials (teachings) from such persons (Jude 2:5;
 Reading and studying the Word of God gives Wisdom.
(2 Tim 3:15)
Using Wisdom - Wisdom multiplies through usage.

IV. DILIGENCE (4th Rung of the Ladder)

This is not optional in Ministry, It is compulsory if success
and growth in Ministry is desired.
* Diligence means to be a man of constructive/ creative
activity - a hard working man with a definite goal.

* Ministry is a gift and keeping it is a task that requires the

Minister's personal responsibility.
* just as the Garden of Eden was God's gift to Adam and yet
he was entrusted with the responsibility of keeping and
tending it; so it is in Ministry.
* Jesus said " My father works, hitherto, even so worketh
the son also Matt.5:17)
* Work was top priority in the life of Jesus (Jn. 9:4 / Mt 5:17)

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* Learn to work with your head before engaging the use of
your hand in any assignment, to save you from the labour
of a fool (Eccl.10:15)

In Ministry, your principal labour should be invested

in the Word of
God (2 Tim. 2:15, 5:17)

V. DISCIPLINE
This is the Fifth Rung of the Ladder of excellence. It takes
discipline to maintain any growth and success attained in
Ministry. Diligence helps to create success but it takes
discipline to maintain it.

Discipline means self control i.e. to be in - charge of your

system
To be able to say NO to the indulging demands of the flesh.
Where there is no control there is bound to be disaster.
There are two forms of Discipline:
 External
 Internal
i. EXTERNAL
This is imposed by an outside force that is usually superior to
us. This kind of discipline usually carries sanctions in case of
deviant behaviour.
ii. INTERNAL
This is the superior discipline.  Discipline exhibited when no
external force is exerting any necessary pressure on you to
do what should be done. Eccl. 10:16,17

Aspects of Discipline
a.Sleep
 This is a mark of indolence in Ministry when not
controlled. Prov. 20:13 “Love not sleep, lest thou
come to poverty, open thine eyes, and thou shalt be
satisfied with bread.”
Prov.6:4“Give not sleep to thine eyes, nor slumber to
thine eyelids"

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  When you fail to control sleep, then you aim for
shame (Prov.10:5)
 Love of sleep amounts to laziness or slothfulness
which leads to total breakdown (Prov. 24:30-34)

b.Pleasure
 You must learn to separate pleasure fromMinistry.
 Don't go seeking after pleasure in Ministry, it leads to
poverty (Prov. 21:17).
 Pleasure seeking leads to spiritual barrenness (Lk. 8:14)
 Pleasure seeking also leads to spiritual death (1Tim 5:6)

c. Mouth
 Learn to control your mouth - Don't open your mouth
to say just anything. James 3:2 “For in many things we
offend all. If any man offend not in word, the same is a
perfect man, and able also bridle the whole body.”
 When you keep your mouth, you keep yourself from
trouble (Prov. 21:23)
 Your mouth determines your life (Prov. 18:20-21)

d.Strife
This is related to envy and connotes the vice of selfish
ambition that promotes own interests. 2 Tim. 2:24 "And
the servant of the Lord must not strive; but be gentle
unto all men, apt to teach, patient."
You are not to strive as a servant of God.
You are not permitted to do anything including Ministry
in strive (Phil. 2:3)
It is the path of honour to avoid strive.(Prov. 20:3;
25:8;26:17)

e. Time
This is a principal raw material for the production of
success in Ministry - Time wasted is success forbidding.
Time is life; wasted time is therefore wasted life (1 Tim.
5:13)
Stop spending time, INVEST IT (Eph. 5:15-17)
Redeem the time (Eph. 5:16; Col. 4:5).

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 Apply your heart to wisdom by investing your time
wisely (Ps. 90:12)
 Do your own business; Don't be a busybody in other
men’s matter (1 Thess. 4:11; SOS. 1:6)

CHARACTERISTICS OF TIME
 It cannot be stopped.
 It cannot be stored.
 It cannot be stretched.
 It can be managed.
 TIME MANAGEMENT IS LIFE MANAGEMENT

If you sleep 8hrs. a day, at 70yrs., you would have slept for
204,400hrs. that is, one third (1/3) of your years.

Don't spend your life; invest it  What you spend is spent but
what you invest yields dividend.

Don't spend all the night hours sleeping; expect to be

instructed and taught accordingly ( Ps. 16:7; 19:2).

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 LECTURE THREE
LESSON FIVE
THE RUNGS OF MINISTRY II

FOCUS AND ZEAL

VI. FOCUS
Until you have a focus, you can never become a focus. To
be effective in Ministry it is important for you to understand
the nature of your assignment and keep to it at all cost.
You are called into Ministry, so Ministry should be your focus
- not politics, not merchandising, etc. (Matt. 6:22). DEFINE
YOUR FOCUS AND KEEP REFINNING IT FROM TIME TO TIME!
If you are in Ministry, you are called for a specific purpose
and sent to specific individuals, so keep doing it. (1 Cor.
7:20,24) - Abide in your calling.
When ever you loose focus, you become vulnerable to
shame, attacks etc. (1 Kgs.20:39-42)

VII. ZEAL
 This is a divine drive that gives motion to one's vision. It is
an emotional force that propels a man towards his set goals.
* It is a momentum - a propelling inner force that radiate on
the outside.

* Zeal talks of enthusiasm - a zealous man is an active

volcanoe -He is always on the move and has no time to be
cast down.

* Without zeal in Ministry, it is impossible to attain the

uttermost. In spiritual matters, it is the zeal of the Lord
that is the performer (Isa. 9:7; 2Kgs. 19:31)

Concerning Jesus Christ, the Bible says “The zeal of thine

house hath eaten me up” (Ps. 69:9; Jhn. 2:17)
He demonstrated this zeal throughout His earthly Ministry
(Jhn.4:34; Heb.12:2).
Paul was a very zealous apostle (Phil. 1:21; l Cor. 9:16;
15:31).He had a mission, a cause and embarked on the
accomplishment of his task with all vigour - His zeal knew no
bounds.

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 Jesus admonishes us to be zealous (Rev. 3:19)

HOW DO WE MAINTAIN OUR ZEAL?

To keep the momentum, you need to keep tapping it (e.g a

football keeps moving through kicks and taps). When the
zeal is high, you can do all things. How do you keep the
tempo of the zeal?

i. Go for renewal - you need to go for renewal to obtain

new fire. Have fellowship with God (lKgs.19:9-18).

ii. Attend meetings, conferences, seminars, etc. G o and

hear
others; what they are doing, how they are doing, the
testimonies of what God is doing in their Ministries etc
(Heb.10:25)

iii. Consider the gains, the victories ahead of you

(Heb.12:1-2)

VIII. RELATIONSHIP
(LAW OF COMPANY  ECC. 4:1 0; PROV.27:17)
In ministry, covenant connections are evitable - It is a must
to maintain a form of relationship or another.
It is not possible to make success in Ministry alone, when we
identify our area of calling, we should find someone with
identical/similar Ministry and link up for the purpose of lifting
up each other. The Bible tells clearly on the power of
partnership.
It is not safe to be alone neither is it safe to join anybody
(Prov. 13:20.

There must be profitable association with people of like

vision. Have a habit of discussing your Ministries. Have
Elders in the faith from whom you draw wisdom they
received over the years, at the same time have companions
you can run with.

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Relationships are so vital that no matter your goal in life,
wrong company can make you a failure. 'the gifts of the
Holy Ghost could not exempt the Corinthians from the
disastrous effects of bad company. When God wanted to
unfold the covenant to Abraham, He said to him - "Get thee
out". That old environment would have demolished his
embryonic faith. 2 Sam. 13.
Jonadab's counsel finished the life and future of Amon -
David's first son. (2 Sam.13)

From Eccl.4:9-12, there are three benefits brought out from

the passage:
i) Restoration (vs.10)
ii) Motivation (vs.11)
iii) Strength (vs.12)
Jesus believes in relationships or partnership - He sent His
disciples out in pairs and encourages same in Ministry. (Matt
18:16; Mk. 6:7; 14:13; Lk. 10:1; Jhn. 8:17). This provides for
each one double Faith and wisdom; and helps bolster
courage.

LEVELS OF PRODUCTIVE RELATIONSHIP (Amos 3:3)

Three levels of relationship are strongly recommended for

speedy, healthy and proven Ministry:
i) Relationship with superior  For counseling
ii) Relationship with a coffegue  For sharing
iii) Relationship with a younger person  For sowing.
i) Relationship with a superior or senior.
*The essence of relating with someone who is senior to you
in Ministry is to receive guidance, counselling, instructions
and corrections - It is learning to follow the steps of an elder
(someone who has obtained what you have not obtained)
(Heb. 6:12).
* When you relate with someone above you, you must
guide against seeking faults - rather you seek for fruits
(Matt. 11:6).
* This kind of relationship positions you at a receiving end.
(Heb. 7:7)

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ii) Relationship with a colleague, an equal or friend.
 The essence of this relationship is for mutual sharing -
mutually provoking each other to greater heights (Prov.
27:17)
 You challenge each other for progress and come to the aid
of each other in hours of need.
 EVERY IRON SHOULD LOOK FOR ANOTHER IRON TO
SHARPEN WITH.
 When you relate with colleagues or equals, you must learn
to keep your confidence and don't be domineering.
iii) Relationship with a younger person (junior in
Ministry)
 The essence of this relationship is give you the opportunity
to mentor others.
Basically that of giving and being a blessing.
The basic guiding rule is - DO NOT BE INTIMIDATING! Allow
liberty to grow and realise your purpose raising them.
Various levels of Productive Relationship:
Mutual submission (He has what you are looking for)
Ministerial Aspirant  (Mutual understanding &
sharing)
Mutual Aspirant for instruction (Is. 9:16)

Your vision is integrated into the Mission with a purpose. In

the upper hand relationship, you must meet with one
superior to you for the purpose of counsel. It will help you
get to where they are.

In the horizontal direction you have a running mate. Below

you are people who look up to you for inspiration. You
cannot be the Alpha and Omega of your Ministry.

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 LESSON SIX

IX. CONFIDENCE
Ministry is not a coward's job. It requires a Lion's heart. No
confidence, no exploits; no rewards.
You require a bold heart for a bold step ie. You cannot' do
without courage (Josh. 1:6,7,9,18).
Courage is an expression of Faith; it is also an expression of
certainty.
The more confidence you display, the more exploit you
experience. (Acts 14:3)
A lot of things naturally comes to intimidate you in Ministry
work but you need to be strong in the Lord and in the Power
of His Might. (Eph. 6: 10)

X. Integrity
There are two key words used to define integrity:
i. Honesty
ii. Morality

A man of integrity therefore is a man that is honest in his

dealings and morally upright.
When you loose the confidence of the people. And once you
lose the confidence of the people, your Ministry stops.
When you walk in integrity, you are free from fear. You
won't be afraid that maybe you would be found (lSam.12:3-
5; Acts2O:33; 1 Thess.2:5-7; 2 Cor. 7:2;11:9).

How do you obtain Integrity?

i) Desire it
ii) Decide to pursue it, once you take a quality decision for
it, you have energy to pursue it.
iii) Be accountable

What has Integrity to offer you and your Ministry?

i) It will establish your throne ie your Ministry.
ii) Preserves you and your Ministry.
iii) Offer access to divine guidance.

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 LECTURE FOUR
LESSON SEVEN

XI. PROBLEM/CRISIS HANDLING

Three things you must know about problems:

1. You can't stop problems (Deut.4:30).

2. You can't run away from problems.

3. You can solve problems (Deut. 4:32).

The early church was able to:-
a) Predict where problems will arise (Acts.6:1-5).

b) How to solve them (Acts. 6:3)

c) Identify what benefits will arise when solved correctly

(Acts.6:7).
Jesus said - in this world you will have tribulations -
problems (Matt. 24:21).

POTENTIAL PROBLEM PRODUCER: CHANGE

Change: Growth means change and motion will cause

friction. There is a covenant victory to every problem.
Never let a problem distract you from your objective. Move
it but don't let it move you.

Paul said - none of these things move me. Develop a

superiority complex over any problem and draw inspiration
from Joshua and Caleb.

Size your problem with your captain - Jesus. “I am well able”

is the language of every victor.

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 LESSON EIGHT

XII. ORGANIZATIONAL ADMINISTRATION

It takes more than anointing or preaching to succeed in

Ministry. No Ministry succeed without good administration.
Through wisdom a house is built, and by understanding it is
established.
By administration we mean putting things in their respective
order to achieve the ultimate goal. Where good
administration is lacking, good result will be lacking.
Through administration, you know the things going on and to
effect productive changes. Men are assets to success; when
God has provided you with them, you have to deploy these
where they are but suited.

DEVELOPING EFFICIENT ADMINISTRATION

1. You need a well defined goal.

2. From your goal you identify objectives needed to achieve
that
goal.
3. Break the objectives into functional units.
4. From these functional units, you develop your structure.

The strength of the system is determined by the people who

make it up. The man at the top is a primary motivator.
Below him are executors. If the motivator is struck, the
executors drift. He must have inner strength with oil.
He must have inner strength that can push the system
forward.
He has the responsibility of placing the executors. Your
executor must believe in your spiritual authority and social
integrity. The best way to raise executors is to let your spirit
loose upon them. Speak to them, lay hands on them, anoint
them with oil.

REVISION: QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS

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