Philosophy of Ministry

Philosophy of Ministry
Marc Patton
Missionary to Hungary

The following are core beliefs that have guided our ministry over the past 20 years, and will continue to guide us in the future:

1. Total commitment to the authority of Scripture
I am committed to the absolute authority and sufficiency of the Word of God in all areas of faith and practice. I believe that the Bible should provide the foundation for all we believe, all decisions we make, and for the direction and philosophy of our ministry. Therefore we must study the Word of God and evaluate all that we do in its light. We must guard against allowing tradition, human reasoning, or the approval of men to usurp the role of the Bible in guiding our lives and decisions.

2. Total commitment to the local church:
I am absolutely committed to the planting and strengthening of local churches. Christ gave His life for the church. It is my desire to give my life for the church as well. The church is the body of Christ here on earth. It is through the church, that Christ reveals Himself and accomplishes His work. The church provides a home for every Christian. It is the place where he receives nourishment, encouragement, direction and guidance in his life. He also becomes a part of a community of believers where he can serve and be served by other Christians of like faith. The church also serves as a visible representation of God’s kingdom here on earth. As the church grows, God’s kingdom grows. The church is also a beacon of light to those in darkness. Some will flee from the light, others will run to it. It is our job to keep the light burning brightly, so that many will find hope and life.

I am a Baptist because I believe that Baptist belief and polity reflects best the teaching of the New Testament. Thus I believe in the authority of the Word of God, the autonomy of the local church, the priesthood of the believer, baptism by immersion upon the public profession of faith, a saved church membership, individual soul liberty, and the separation of church and state. I believe local congregations can join together voluntarily to advance the work of Christ and encourage one another. At the same time, I do not believe that any one church, pastor or organization should exercise authority over the affairs of another local church.

3. Total commitment to the preaching of the Gospel
I believe that the preaching of the Gospel must be the foundation of our ministry. The Gospel is the good news that God sent His Son Jesus Christ to save us from our sins and restore us to fellowship with Him. What man lost in the fall, is restored through the death, burial and resurrection of Christ. But the Gospel is more than just a declaration of what Christ did, it is a call to faith and repentance. I am convinced that in our day and age, repentance is often the missing link in our Gospel message. We have divorced faith from repentance. We have reduced repentance to a change of mind resulting in mental assent to the facts of the Gospel. This is why so many of our converts fall by the wayside. This is why so many lives remain unchanged.

Biblical repentance involves more than a change of mind. It involves a change of attitude and a change of direction.

1) Repentance involves a change of attitude toward sin.
A repentant man feels the weight of his sin. He feels sorrow for his sin. He begins to understand the destructive consequences of his sin. He desires to change and be free from his sin. We are not talking about sinless perfection, but rather a change of heart and a change of direction. A repentant man will never be fully free of the presence of sin in this life, but he no longer pursues it. In fact, he comes to hate sin and its effect on his life and others.  (2Cor. 7.8-10; Mt. 3.8; Mt.12:41 in comparison to Jonah 3:5-10; Rom. 7.14-25)

2) Repentance also involves a change of attitude toward God.
The sinner is in enmity toward God. Sometimes that enmity is shown by open hostility. Other times it is demonstrated by fear. Others attempt to appease God through religion or good works. True repentance involves recognition that God’s grace is the only solution to our sin. The repentant sinner abandons his hostility, abandons his fear, and abandons his fruitless attempts to appease God’s wrath through his own effort. He then seeks and finds refuge and forgiveness in the grace of God. (Acts 19.4, 20.21, 26.20 – also a good illustration is the return of the prodigal in Luke 15)

The preaching of the Gospel is also not complete without an understanding of the new birth. Man must repent, but it is God who grants us a new heart and a new life. The new life is as a seed planted in the heart of those who believe. That life will grow and bring forth fruit. Those who are born again become new creatures in Christ. Old things pass away, and all things become new. Thus a changed life is not a condition for salvation, but rather the fruit of true salvation.  (2Cor. 5.17; 1Pet. 1.22-2.3)

This is the Gospel message that Christ preached. This is the Gospel message that the apostles preached. This is the message that we must preach.

4. A commitment to doing ministry in a culturally appropriate manner
I believe that the unchanging message of the Gospel should be presented in a context and language that is most appropriate to the culture in which we work. A worship service in China should look different from a worship service in Africa or South America. A service in Europe will be different from a service in the US. In fact, a service for Hispanic peoples in the US will no doubt look different than a service for Japanese in the US. The message preached should be the same. The foundational elements of their faith should also be the same. In fact, the goal and direction of the church should also be the same. But the style of worship, the style of preaching, and perhaps even the order (or length) of the service will be different. In fact, different programs will also be provided in differing venues and times based on the specific needs and situation of each congregation. I strongly disagree with the thinking, that the style of worship, style of preaching and order of service should be identical in all cultures and locations. God created a world full of diversity, and that diversity should be visible in the church, as well.

Thus in the areas of dress, music, style of worship and methodology we have sought to take scriptural principles and apply them to the Hungarian culture. We have also tried to learn from other Gospel-preaching churches and ministries here in Hungary, to see what is most appropriate and effective in the Hungarian culture. We have tried not to simply “import” the American church model, but rather to develop a model that is culturally appropriate and effective here in Hungary. I think this has been one of the keys to the success God has given us.

5. Commitment to a ministry that is both reproducible and sustainable
I believe that one of the key tasks of a missionary is the training of national leadership. Paul clearly gives us this pattern in 2Tim. 2.2. The stability and future of the churches will rest in large part on our ability to find and train national leaders who are able to step into key leadership positions in the church. I have also learned the importance of lay leadership. Not all of our future leaders will be men called to fulltime service. Laymen and women can fill important leadership roles in the church. In smaller churches perhaps we will have to look to laymen to pastor the churches until they reach a size capable of sustaining a fulltime pastor. Training national leaders involves not only structured teaching, but also the delegating of responsibility and opportunities to develop their leadership skills. They may not always do things exactly as we would, but it is absolutely necessary to give them opportunities for growth and development.

I also believe that all financial support going to national churches and pastors must be given with a goal of sustainability. We have invested money in several building projects, but our churches have then been able to independently take care of the utility bills, upkeep and maintenance. We have also invested in salaries of national workers, but only if the national church is also willing to invest their own money in the pastor and provide accountability for the national worker. The goal is always for the support of nationals to be temporary until the national church is capable of providing a full level of support. We do not want to create a culture of dependence on American money. We also want national pastors accountable primarily to their own congregation, not primarily to an outside organization.

6. Commitment to a life of Personal Holiness:
God is a holy God, and He demands that His people be holy, as well. Holiness is rooted in the concept of something being set apart for God’s use. That is why we are to be holy. We have been “bought with a price.” Our lives, our bodies are not our own.

True holiness begins in the heart. It is a mistake to equate external conformity to a set of rules with holiness. If we do that, we fall into the same trap as the Pharisees. Holiness does not work from the outside in, but rather from the inside out. Jesus clearly said to the Pharisees: “Thou blind Pharisee, cleanse first that which is within the cup and platter, that the outside of them may be clean also.” Mat. 23.26 In other words, we must begin with the heart. We must allow the Spirit of God to root out the sins of pride, willfulness, selfishness, jealousy, bitterness, anger, hatred, lusts and the like. As the Spirit takes control, these sins of the spirit will be replaced by the fruit of the Spirit in our hearts and lives.

Striving for holiness essentially means that we are striving to please God in all that we do and say. True holiness is a life of surrender and obedience that flows out of our love for God, and our love for His kingdom. As we seek to please Him, God will lead us each individually to answer those questions as to what kind of actions and activities are pleasing to Him, and which ones are not. We may not all reach the same conclusions, but we recognize the truth of Paul’s words: “But why dost thou judge thy brother? or why dost thou set at nought thy brother? for we shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ.  So then every one of us shall give account of himself to God.”  Rom. 14.10,12.