Paul, GM to the Gentiles

One thing that strikes me in the conclusions of Paul’s letters, including 1 Corinthians, is the shuffling of fellow laborers and ministers. It’s almost like the apostle is functioning as the general manager of a professional sports franchise. He calls up ministry partners, sends others off to another team, warns of those who have been “let go.” There is this strategic deployment of personnel throughout the Mediterranean for the cause of Christ. Could we benefit from such an approach while maintaining the autonomy of the local church?

For starters, consider the ministry moves that are being made:

• Timothy was sent to Corinth before returning to Ephesus (1 Corinthians 16:10-11; 1 Timothy 1:3). Paul planned to send him to Philippi (Philippians 2:19). He was known in Thessalonica (1 Thessalonians 1:1, 2 Thessalonians 1:1). He was deployed to Macedonia (Acts 19:22).
• Titus served in Corinth (2 Corinthians 7:13), having accompanied Paul to Jerusalem (Galatians 2:1), and was commissioned to Dalmatia (2 Timothy 4:10) and Crete (Titus 1:5). Paul planned on him serving in Nicopolis as well (Titus 3:12).
• Phoebe is commended to be received and sent through Rome (Romans 16:1).
• Aquila & Priscilla served in Rome (Romans 16:3), Corinth (Acts 18:1-3), and Ephesus (1 Corinthians 16:8,19).
• Epaenetus was saved in Asia but sent to Rome (Romans 16:5).
• Apollos hailed from Alexandria but ministered in Ephesus and Corinth (Acts 18:24, 19:1).
• Epaphroditus was sent to and from Philippi (Philippians 2:25-30).
• Tychicus ministered in Colossae (Colossians 4:7), Ephesus (2 Timothy 4:12), and Crete (Titus 3:12).
• Epaphras labored in Colossae, Laodicea, and Hierapolis (Colossians 4:12-13).
• Luke practiced in Colossae (Colossians 4:14), not to mention all the travels he accompanied in researching and recording his Gospel and Acts.
• Demas partnered in Colossae (Colossians 4:14) before deserting Paul in Thessalonica, in love with this present world (2 Timothy 4:10).
• Erastus remained in Corinth (2 Timothy 4:20), having been sent to Macedonia (Acts 19:22).
• Trophimus was left on Injured Reserve, recovering in Miletus (2 Timothy 4:20).
• Then there is Barnabas, Artemas, Mark, Aristarchus, Justus, and many other men and women both named and unnamed in Paul’s canonical letters.

This list is not a comprehensive accounting of the comings and goings of the ministry team under the leadership of the Apostle Paul. And yet it is still dizzying to consider all the moving pieces taking place among the fraternity of churches throughout the Mediterranean.

What could churches today glean from this? Some no doubt would argue it is a case for the papacy and bishops of Roman Catholicism and other Christian traditions that hold to an episcopal ecclesiology. Having a singular org chart where ministers can readily be shuffled about provides one approach to accountability and efficiency.

However, the New Testament points instead to a less efficient model of providing accountability and gospel advance through the autonomy of local churches:

• Elders were to be appointed in each town for the good of that local church (Titus 1:5)
• The New Testament letters were written to specific churches, even though they could be beneficial more broadly (1 Corinthians 1:2, Philippians 1:1, Colossians 4:16)
• The discipline of a Christian was carried out by the local assembly, not an international organization (Matthew 18:17, 1 Corinthians 5:4-5)
• Jesus addresses seven separate churches in the letters of Revelation 2-3, not campuses or parishes of a singular entity.

Bringing together then Paul’s strategic deployment of gospel partners with the New Testament vision of autonomous, local churches, there could be an approach to shared, biblically-qualified pastors and elders to further advance healthy churches in these Twin Cities. Traditionally, local congregations don’t balk at the idea of pursuing a staff pastor who presently is serving in another church, even in another state or country. Search committees are formed to pursue and vet such candidates. However, when it comes to non-staff pastors (often called lay or non-vocational elders), the expectation is that such men are identified and developed from within the congregation.

But what if we took a cue from Paul’s playbook? How many elder-qualified men are under-deployed throughout the Twin Cities? Perhaps they are not even serving as pastor-elders due to the size dynamics of their church or its pastoral team. What if there was a greater mindset of the success of other churches and not only the focus on the success of “my church”? It doesn’t require a bishop or apostle. Pastors of different churches could collaborate in raising up, equipping, and then strategically deploying such faithful men where they are most needed.

Local congregations could interview and evaluate such non-staff pastor candidates just as they would in hiring a new staff pastor. Get to know him and his family through a few intentional gatherings. Hear him teach or preach. Listen to the recommendation of the church he has been at most recently. Then vote to call him as a non-staff pastor.

If there was such an open-handedness in sharing such gifted men, would that not promote the health and vitality of the Church more broadly throughout these Cities? Simply because local churches have not traditionally gone about sharing godly leaders in this way does not mean it can’t be done. Such a deployment of faithful men throughout these Cities very well could be a strategic means of advancing healthy churches in the west metro and beyond.