Too many churches are like a football game. There are 22 people on the field desperately in need of rest and 80,000 people in the stands desperately in need of exercise.

But God didn't organize the church as a sporting event, and it surely doesn't work within the limitations of the small church.

Do you have a world view that reflects the way God intends to accomplish ministry? Do you believe the minister is hired to do the work? Is that why there is staff?

Many churches, if they can find the money, add more staff. But this causes them to operate far below their capacity to impact their communities. It's like a general pumping up his troops for battle -- only to have him fight the war with a couple of assistants while the troops go home for chicken dinner. It doesn't make any sense! It's an unbiblical window through which many people evaluate the pastor -- and it leads to pastoral burnout, ineffective ministry, and a spectator point of view.

Special gifts

Ephesians 4 says that God has given the church special gifts. Some of those gifts are called pastors and teachers. Others are called apostles, prophets, and evangelists. These gifts to the church are "to prepare God's people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up."

These special gifts are given to the church to equip God's people -- not just do ministry. It's God's strategy for multiplication. It's what moves the church from growth to explosion. It's the biblical key to the church's potential. It's what makes Christianity a movement, and it's why the Christian church has expanded globally. Unfortunately, it's not the way many Christians see the pastor's role. Somewhere, the idea has developed that the pastor is there to serve them. After all, that's what they're paid for…right?

The world view by which you see your pastor's role is extremely important, because the way you see your pastor determines your church's exponential potential. If you expect your pastor to do it all in your church, then your church is probably functioning well beneath its potential for Kingdom impact. The potential is limited because the pastor is constantly performing maintenance tasks instead of leading the church.

Exodus 18 gives an example of what happened to Moses when he tried to do it all himself. All day long he would make himself available to the people, and they would bring their cases before him. It gave him practically no time to do anything else. When his father-in-law, Jethro, visited him, he recognized right away that Moses' method of leading the people was ineffective. The Bible even notes that everyone else just stood around (verse 13).

Jethro advised Moses to train those around him to hear cases, but if a case arose that was beyond their ability to handle, Moses would hear it. Moses took Jethro's advice, and trained others to judge. Freed from that consuming duty, Moses was free to be the leader he was designed to be. He had the necessary time to seek God and His will for His people. Out of that time with God, Moses was able to set the direction for the Israelites.

Samuel Johnson said, "A man may be so much of everything that he is nothing of anything." What would Jethro say if he were to visit your church? Would he find you standing around while your pastor does all the ministry?

Up for the challenge

The body of Christ is designed to handle challenges in the same way as your body. The Christians in the church are the immune system. Challenges occur in churches all the time -- whether it's a broken copier, a broken marriage, or broken trust. The different parts of the body, according to the gifts God has given, can be part of the cure. The pastor's role is to equip, empower, and exhort believers for ministry. When the pastor can equip other believers, there is higher potential for outreach. Instead of growing one person at a time, the church is able to send an army out into the mission field. As equipped believers grow, they train others in outreach. This is why the use of the term "exponential growth" is appropriate; it describes a church with an enormous sending capacity.

God didn't call pastors alone to reach people for Christ; He called all Christians. But He gives gifts as He sees fit to get everyone involved. It's God's blueprint for organizing the church. Churches that are moving forward and have a clear direction are those that have a church-wide ministry -- not just the pastor's ministry.

The story is told of a man who went into a store and asked for a compass. The proprietor responded, "What kind of compass do you want? One that draws a circle or one that points the way?"

There are really two kinds of churches and two kinds of pastors. Some are going around in circles, while others point the way. In what direction is your church headed?

Kent Hunter is the CEO of Church Doctor Ministries in Corunna, Ind. He has consulted congregations in 41 denominations to help them become more effective in carrying out the Great Commission. You can contact Church Doctor Ministries at www.churchdoctor.com.