My Philosophy Of Ministry Series

My Philosophy of Ministry, Pastor Michael Mccartney

“Now the Lord is the Spirit; and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.”

2 Cor. 3:17 NIV

Motto of my Ministry: Leading People from Here to Eternity

Motto defined as specific cyclical sequence: (See explanation in the summary)

1. Evangelize

2. Realize

3. Baptize

4. Revitalize

5. Spiritualize

6. Materialize

7. Evangelize

Mission Statement:

My goal is to glorify the Lord Jesus Christ in all dimensions of my ministry. I will contend to liberate the lost with the gospel of Jesus Christ. I will wholeheartedly strive to enable as many people as possible to experience, know, love, and serve God with all their hearts, minds, souls, and strength.

Vision Statement:

I will seek to liberate the lost through lifestyle evangelism. I will not only preach the Word but live it through my life and my actions. I will reach into our community, sharing that there is hope beyond life’s circumstances. I (And the church) will reach out through small groups and provide a seeker-sensitive service on Sundays. The word “seeker” is defined as one who is in search of spiritual life. This person is not a Christian. This service will endeavor to make the seeker feel comfortable, accepted through unconditional love, and impressed that God is relevant to them today. I will present the gospel message without compromise but will use creative means that will appeal to the hearts, minds, and souls of all those who are seeking.

I will liberate all people by standing against all forms of discrimination. I will strive to develop a church that is cross-cultural, racially mixed, and financially diverse. All these differences will be the strength of the church.

I will always seek to serve God, others, and the community unconditionally (1 Peter 4:7-11). My resolve for this vision is reflected in the prayer below:

More than anything else in heaven or on earth,

I pray for the power to love my fellow person,

to break through the condemning bigotry,

the crippling prejudice,

the stifling self-centeredness

that smothers God’s Spirit within me,

and to channel and communicate divine love

to lonely, loveless people about me.

And I pray as well for the ability to translate

the message of God’s eternal love into words and action

that will pierce the hearts of busy men and women

and move their hearts to faith and obedience to Christ.

Adapted from “Resolve”

by Leslie Brandt

I will also liberate hurting Christians from the bondage of religious legalism and traditional ritual. I will accomplish this by not allowing manmade rules to be a part of our church doctrine and practices (Matt. 23).

I and we will also make disciples. I will provide biblical instruction to help all new converts grow and mature in Christ. I will also seek to implant into older Christians the mandate to “show thyself approved” through study and that we are to continue our spiritual growth. I know that groups and classes must be instituted to help with the renewing of the mind. Our members will aid in discipleship as well as our leaders. I and We will seek to disciple so that our church will be active in body ministry (Matt. 28:16-20).

My leadership will model servant leadership as demonstrated by our Lord Jesus Christ (John 13). My leadership will promote and live the three mottos:

“I choose to lose to God!”

“I will have no pride!”

“I will not quit serving the Lord!”

My leadership will contend at all times to be open, honest, genuine and authentic. I will stand against the “pecking order” and seek not to appear perfect or flawless but be one who models humility (Luke 9:46-50).

I will encourage and empower mature Christians to step out in faith and take risks for God. When we look back at history we discover that Christians who were led by

God and took risks for Him made an eternal impact for the Kingdom of God. Risk taking for the Kingdom of God will be a hallmark to show that God is with us and that we trust Him:

To laugh is to risk appearing the fool

To weep is to risk appearing sentimental

To reach out for another is to risk involvement

To expose feelings is to risk exposing, your true self

To place your ideas, your dreams before a crowd is to risk their loss

To love is to risk not being loved in return

To live is to risk dying

To hope is to risk despair

To try is to risk failure

But risks must be taken, because the greatest hazard in life is to risk nothing

The person who risks nothing, does nothing, has nothing and is nothing

They may avoid suffering and sorrow but they cannot learn, feel, change, grow, love or live