Equipping the saints is not an option for pastors and other church leaders — it is a must, said Adam Dooley, pastor of Dauphin Way Baptist Church, Mobile.
Delivering the Tuesday morning theme interpretation from Ephesians 4 during the state convention annual meeting at his church, Dooley said, “There is no such thing as getting away from the basics of equipping people to walk with Christ as mature disciples who will then reach others for Christ and help mature them in the faith also.
“There is no substitute for a genuine walk with God that just reaches one person at a time,” he noted. “Jesus told us to tell. The disciples showed us how to tell. Heaven rejoices when we tell and yet we don’t tell.”
Paul’s words emphasize that the role of pastor is more than preaching the gospel, Dooley explained. The pastor also is charged with equipping others to share the gospel. “An entire church ought to be engaged in ministering to others,” he said.
Why?
- Multiplication is faster than addition.
“We can reach more people if we work together,” Dooley said. “That’s why we partner together as Baptists in the state of Alabama. We believe that by coming together, we can impact more people for the cause of Christ.”
- Members can become critical and resentful if not equipped.
“Those who do not serve will often prevent others from serving. … In church, we argue over things that simply do not matter,” he said. “If [church members] are not equipped, they will resent the work of the others.
“Their main focus is to criticize and critique everything and everyone else,” he said, pointing to 2 Thessalonians 3 in which Paul describes an undisciplined life and those who are “busybodies.”
- The congregation will become self-absorbed rather than reach out if not equipped.
“We are building barriers to keep people out because we are more concerned about keeping the same things than reaching people for Christ,” Dooley said. “If we don’t lead our people to Christ, our churches are going to self-destruct.
“I agree we need revival and … that starts with prayer … but sooner or later, when we get off our knees, we have got to start aggressively sharing the gospel of Jesus Christ and getting our people to join us in this effort,” he said. “When people are challenged to share the gospel, they start to know the gospel better. One reason we can’t articulate our faith is that we have never had to articulate it.”
- Speaking the truth in love happens when believers are equipped.
“You can’t be angry with the people that you are trying to reach,” Dooley said. “Does it ever bother you that sometimes we are guilty of standing in our pulpits and ranting and raving about what is wrong in the world while we turn a blind eye to what is wrong in our churches?”
He also stressed the importance of a deep, relational understanding of who God is. “It is one thing to preach Christ; it is another thing to really know Christ. … Maturity among the people of God will rally us for the sake of the gospel.”
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