Week #17 — Ministry Management
Founded in 1866, the town (just a borough, actually) of Centralia, Pennsylvania, was a coal mining town. With a population peaking at about 4,000 residents in the late 1950s, it was a close-knit community in which to live and raise a family. That was until May 27, 1962, when a neglectful action began the town’s unraveling. On that date, amidst a controlled burn at the town dump, workers accidentally lit a much larger, uncontrollable blaze. The dump sat atop an old strip mine, and the surface fire ignited the anthracite underneath. They decided to bury the fire to smother it, but this caused it to burn 200 feet down and spread rapidly.
Thinking the problem was minor and way out on the outer edge of town, everyone ignored it for decades. But by 1983, they could ignore the problem no longer, as sinkholes of hot ash opened up in yards, roads ruptured with steam, and home and building foundations started to falter. As a result, all residents had vacated the town as of 2021, and all the promises of Centralia, PA have, shall we say, gone up in smoke.
The true story of Centralia, PA, serves as a metaphor. Any community is at risk of destruction from within by the fires of conflict, neglect, and division. For the church community, this is especially true. Instead of ignoring such problems, the church must bring them to leadership and directly address them in a wise, God-honoring way.
In Acts 6:1-7, the early church faces its first fire of internal division, which could have burned it in its infancy. By God’s grace, that did not happen, and instead, we have much to learn from their actions. Read the passage together and then go through the discussion questions below.
In Christ,
Pastor Ken
Week #17 — Questions
- Read Matthew 28:19-20. What does that passage, together with this one, reveal about the expectation that the whole church, not just the apostles, is active disciples and participants in ministry?
- Describe the problem of neglect within the early church and the two groups involved. Why is this a serious problem that we must not ignore, especially as it involves widows? What could have happened if it were?
- In v2, why do the apostles insist they must not “give up the preaching of the word of God to serve tables”? What does this teach us about ministry prioritization rather than ministry superiority?
- How can churches today discern what leaders should prioritize, especially when many good and urgent needs compete for attention? How well does NAPC do at this?
- What qualifications and process do the apostles use to select and appoint individuals to this duty (v3, 6)? Are you surprised by anything included or absent? How does the process and those chosen promote unity and shared responsibility?
- Are the qualities of these seven men (from among you, good reputation, full of the Spirit, and of wisdom) necessary for all duties and roles in the church? Why or why not?
- Because the church gets the process and structure right, we see “the word of God continued to increase” in v7. What does this suggest about the relationship between healthy structure and spiritual growth? Share a time when you’ve seen this done well and/or poorly in the church.
- What practical steps could your church or group take to address potential blind spots or neglected ministries so that the Word might continue to spread? Share this with church leadership.