Why I am passionate about equipping the body of Christ! The paradigm of a local church hiring a really good pastor is a broken and worn out model. Of course, what church would not want to find a really good pastor who is an excellent fit? But it is a broken approach when we think that a really good pastor can do the work of ministry and build the church. That thinking reminds us of a definition of a football game: “22 men on the field who desperately need rest and 50,000 fans in the stands who desperately need exercise.” Ministry never belongs to a few but to the whole Body of Christ. For the church to be effective in this generation we have to cease being an audience and start being an army. Where every person in the Body of Christ discovers their spiritual gifts and the role of the pastor is to equip and activate the people of God for ministry (see Ephesians 4:11-13). I am passionate about equipping the people of God because it has been so absolutely rewarding to see people walk in their gifting in the Body of Christ and to see an anointing for ministry fall on common ordinary people for the sake of ministry. In many cases I saw as my people were equipped and released that they did the ministry better than I could have. I love to help pastors give ministry away and as a result have less ministry burn out and the thrill of seeing people step into being the people of God they never thought possible. My favorite complements are never the glib, “good message, pastor.” The best complements are “pastor you took me out of my comfort zone and I am sure glad you did.” An equipped and activated Body of Christ is the way forward!