PHILOSOPHY OF MINISTRY

Rennae de Freitas

PTH 5323 LEADERSHIP IN MINISTRY

Dr. Robert N. Harden.

Southwestern Assemblies of God University

July 31, 2015

 Table of Contents

1. Theologizing……………………………………………………………………..…….3
 Jesus
 Deborah
 Apostolic Leadership

2. Focus……………………………………………………………………………………9
 SAGU Students – mentoring, teaching, mobilizing
 Women in Ministry Organization – mentoring and leadership formation
 Missionaries and national staff – oversight, advising, and mentoring

3. Attitude………………………………………..…………..………………….……..10

4. Motivation…………………………………………………………..……….………12

5. Values…………………………………………………………..…………………….12

6. Conclusion…………………………………………………………………………..14

7. Bibliography………………………………………………………………………...17

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 The great leader and President of the United States, John F. Kennedy, once said

“Leadership and learning are indispensible to one another.” I have to agree with that

statement. Every leadership opportunity that the Lord has given me has driven me to

study, learn, and prepare myself in order to lead with excellence. A leader is one that

goes before the followers, leading the way, and in order to do that we have to learn about

the trail that is ahead. A leader has to “scout it out” before he can take his followers there.

The past couple of years I have been on a “new trail” in my leadership. I am still learning

and this course has been tremendously valuable as I grow in the leadership opportunities

that God has set before me.

Theologizing

Bookstores and libraries are filled with books on leadership. Universities and

schools have many courses dedicated to the subject of leadership. Some would look to

politics and the world of business as places to examine leadership models. Yet the

greatest resource for leadership teaching can be found in the teachings of the Bible. There

are many ideas and fads in the leadership arena. Trends in management come and go; yet

the principles set forth in God’s Word remain unchanged. They are completely reliable

and carry with them divine authority. There are many scriptures and biblical character

models have had profound impact on my life, however in this section I have chosen to

highlight the leadership of Jesus Christ, Deborah the Old Testament Prophetess, and

significance of Apostolic leadership as demonstrated in the early church.

Jesus Christ. When God sent his Son to the earth to rescue us from our sin, he

did not arrive with a crown on his head, or degrees behind his name. He came without

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credentials. He came as an inexperienced, helpless child. Yet Christ’s life and influence

are unmatched by any other leader in the course of history. Volumes have been written

about His leadership qualities so that it is difficult to narrow down my comments to just a

few, however I would like to spotlight a particular leadership lesson from Christ’s life

that I most admire and try to emulate in my own life.

Jesus Christ was the kind of leader that intentionally includes the outsider.

Modern leadership books talk about the importance of hiring and choosing quality people

with experience and credentials to be on your team. Yet Christ did not model this kind of

leadership. Jesus did not recruit the “brightest and the best” to be his followers. Instead,

the Gospels show us a leader intentionally searching for the outsider, the least likely, and

often the rejected of society to join him in his mission. Perhaps if we were to identify a

mission statement for the earthly ministry of Christ it would be found in Luke 19:10 “For

the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.” (NIV)

Jesus himself spoke these words to Zaccheus, the tax collector, who is identified

in this passage as a sinner. Luke describes him as chief tax collector, which means that he

would have purchased this position from the Roman authorities. The Jewish population

of that time despised hated and shunned those who worked for Rome because they often,

if not always, overtaxed them.1 Yet Jesus was the kind of leader that could see potential

in people. I am also impressed that while at first we may see this as Jesus “helping”

Zaccheus, in the end Jesus also gives Zaccheus the opportunity to “help” Him when he

tells him that he will stay at Zaccheus’ house. I love that belonging to Jesus means that

we are empowered to join Him in service. The outsider becomes an insider.

1
Utley, R. J. (2004). Vol. Volume 3A: The Gospel according to Luke. Study Guide Commentary Series (Lk
19:2). Marshall, TX: Bible Lessons International.

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 Another example of this is in John chapter 4 with the Samaritan woman. Jesus

demonstrates a barrier-breaking kind of leadership when he goes through Samaria and

speaks to a Samaritan woman. This passage even points out in John 4:9b “For Jews do

not associate with Samaritans.” (NIV) Jesus does not enter the situation focused on what

He needs to do for this poor, immoral woman. He actually asks her for a drink. This is

not a “bait and switch” evangelism strategy. Jesus has an authentic need, and she, the

unholy outsider has something to offer Jesus as well. Jesus teaches us a leadership style

that empowers even the disadvantaged.

Perhaps this kind of leadership is significant to me because of my own calling to

the outcast of society. I have seen the face of someone traditionally excluded and

rejected, feel what its like to be included. It reminds me of an occasion in my own life

back in the 3rd grade when the kids would pick teams for kickball in the schoolyard, I was

the kind of kid that was always chosen last. I wore dresses to school and never played any

teams sports. No one wanted me on their team. And then came the day that the captains

changed, and on that day the new girl, Julie Skipper, is the new captain. Julie was the

kind of girl that walked to the beat of a different drum. She loved doing things that were

out of the ordinary, or opposite. And she was so popular. One day Julie got to be the team

captain and pick the teams. There I was expecting to be picked last or even left out, but

Julie actually gave me a chance. She believed in me. She called out my name and

included me! History had me excluded, but Julie Skipper was the kind of girl that never

followed the status quo, she was willing to break down the historical barriers. Though

Julie impacted my own life, I never really considered how it must have made Julie feel to

include the historically “unincluded.” But I remember that this was the deal with Julie,

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she loved to go against the status quo. She got a kick out of it! That is the kind of

leadership that Jesus demonstrates to us, and I think that I can really relate to Julie.

I enjoy finding the potential within the least likely, the ones who have been

excluded, ignored, and perhaps they even feel invisible. Like Jesus, I want to go out of

my way, break down barriers, and watch them realize unknown potential.

Deborah. The leadership of women in ancient times is obscure, yet the prophetess

Deborah of the Old Testament demonstrates that God does not exclude women from

leadership responsibility. Even though few women rose to leadership positions in ancient

Israel, Deborah was respected and carried authority over both men and women.2 In the

scriptures Deborah is identified specifically as a prophetess, a woman, and a mother for

Israel, and though these are all feminine qualities, she is distinguished as a military

leader. Deborah is an exceptional example of how God can use the unique giftings of

women for leadership outside of traditional categories. I have always admired women as

leaders, and I know that God has given me leadership abilities, but I have always been

hesitant to take on leadership roles that would position me as a leader over men. But as I

look at the leadership of Deborah, it is clear that God calls women into every category of

leadership, because He has equipped women with giftings, perspective and unique

influence that are necessary and valuable for a variety of leadership roles.

In my study of Deborah, I am also impressed by the presence and unction of God

on her leadership. As a prophetess she functioned as God’s messenger and as a judge, she

was a woman of justice who settled the disputes of her people. Divine presence and

authority characterize her leadership, and this is especially clear in her interaction with

2
John C. Maxwell, The Maxwell Leadership Bible: New King James Version, 2nd ed. (Nashville, TN:
Thomas Nelson, 2007), 282.

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Barak, Israel’s military commander. When she tells Barak to prepare a militia of ten

thousand men and then reveals that the Lord will defeat Sisera, Barak still insists that

Deborah accompany him into the battle. This has always puzzled me, why would a man

of ancient times insist that a woman accompany him into the battle? My study of

Deborah would suggest that Barack makes this demand because he recognized her

spiritual authority and presence of Yahweh on her leadership.3 She is a divine emissary

and her presence in battle is a guarantee of victory.4

I am inspired by the fact that the presence of Yahweh in her leadership gave

Barack an assurance of victory. I want to be the kind of leader that exudes the presence of

God so that the people that I lead have a confidence that God is at work in and through

me. One commentator interprets the Hebrew description of Deborah as a “fiery woman”5

and I love this because as I read the Biblical account I am in awe of her courage and

passion. And as a Pentecostal, I cannot help but see this empowerment, this fire of the

Holy Spirit at work in her leadership.

Apostolic Leadership. The term “missionary” cannot be found in the Bible.

Neither is it listed as one of the five fold ministry offices in Ephesian 4:11-12. Writing to

the Ephesian church Paul lists the following offices; “So Christ himself gave the

apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers,” Of the five ministry

offices, the term “apostle” is perhaps closest to the modern day understanding of

missionary. In the Greek, the term apostello is referring to a messenger, or “one sent with

3
Wilda Gafney, Daughters of Miriam: Women Prophets in Ancient Israel (Minneapolis, MN: Fortress
Press, 2008), 90.
4
Ibid., 14.
5
Ibid., 90.

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a particular purpose”6 However, it seems that both terms have confusing connotations in

the modern day church.

For instance, the term missionary is unclear because it is not uncommon to hear

the popular saying, “everyone is a missionary” in the modern church. And the modern

idea of “apostle” seems to have become divorced from the picture of New Testament

apostleship. These days it is often a title given to popular pastors who lead and mentor a

large network of pastors.

While we could discuss many ways to define these terms, I believe that

missionary ministry is perhaps most closely matched to the New Testament description of

apostleship. I like author Jeff Hartensveld’s definition in his book Apostolic Spark “An

apostle is God’s groundbreaking pioneer to go to the regions beyond, His gift to

humanity to finish the task of the Great Commission.”7 So when I consider a biblical

basis for my calling and role as a leader, I have to look the New Testament model of

apostleship.

There are many scriptures and examples that could be discussed here regarding

the office of apostle, however, I would like to focus in on one particular scripture. The

apostle Paul wrote in his Romans chapter fifteen verse twenty; “It has always been my

ambition to preach the gospel where Christ was not known, so that I would not be

building on someone else’s foundation.” (NIV) I feel like this scripture best characterizes

the passion of my life and leadership. I find that I am always looking for those people

groups both here and abroad that have the least access to the Gospel.

6
D. R. W. Wood and I. Howard Marshall, eds., New Bible Dictionary, 3rd ed. (Leicester, England ;
Downers Grove, Ill: InterVarsity Press, 1996), 58.
7
Jeff Hartensveld, Apostolic Spark (Springfield, Mo: Assemblies of God World Missions, 2014), 24.

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 It is that pioneering spirit, “not building on someone else’s foundation” that seems

to illustrate most Assemblies of God missionary work. Nelson and I began ministries to

children in the Dominican Republic that did not exist before we came. I went to the

brothels and red light districts to find those that had very little access to the Gospel. And

today in my role at SAGU, I am especially concerned about mobilizing a generation to

reach unreached people groups of this world. In 1920 J. Roswell Flower said, “the vision

of our Pentecostal missionaries is becoming more clarified and it is realized we have a

distinctive mission in the world, differing from that of all other people. An apostolic

ministry in apostolic power and fullness is the aim of our Pentecostal Missionaries.”8

This is the role of an apostolic leader.

Focus

At this present time in our ministry, while we are serving as missionary-in-

residence at SAGU, our focus is on university students. We are mobilizing the next

generation of missionaries. We are mentoring and equipping them for intercultural

service. We believe that this is so much broader than the students that are connected with

the Intercultural Studies department or with Southwestern Missions Association. It is our

vision that every student that attends SAGU would consider how their life and calling is

connected to the Great Commission before they graduate. Everyone has a role to play,

and obedience to Christ’s command is not an option.

In addition, my leadership is focused on mentoring young leaders. This takes

place as we mentor the executive team of students that serve as officers for Southwestern

8
Gary B. McGee, This Gospel--Shall Be Preached: A History and Theology of Assemblies of God Foreign
Missions to 1959 (Springfield, Mo: Gospel Pub. House, 1986), 94.

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Missions Association, as well as the women leaders that lead the Women in Ministry

organization. I am especially passionate about helping women to realize their God-given

potential as leaders. I believe that our churches and our Pentecostal movement are best

served when there is representation of women in leadership roles. We need the voice of

women at the tables of leadership. So at this time the focus of my ministry is leadership

formation of these students in the safe environment of the college campus.

Finally, the missionaries and national ministers that continue to serve as leaders in

Dominican Republic are still a part of our lives and calling. We regularly give advice and

council as well as prayer covering for the ministries. Two of the missionaries are young

single women that I am mentoring. We also have two new missionary couples that look

to us as mentors. Each year we return to Dominican to serve on the board of the

ministries and to provide council and guidance.

Attitude

I am a pretty idealistic person, so I really believe in people in the potential of my

students and the people that I serve. I feel like believing in people is an important key

leadership formation. As a leader my role is to communicate to my people that I believe

in them. This is a powerful component. In the book I Believe in Believing, I read about a

study that was done with children. “Children were handed a glass of water and told to

carry it across the room and set it on a table. The child was given one set of instructions.

“Don't spill the water." Every child in this study spilled the water as they carried the glass

of water. A second group of children were also handed a glass of water and told to carry

it across the room and set it on the table. This time the child was told, "Carefully carry

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this glass of water across the room and set it on a table." Every child successfully carried

a glass of water without spilling it. The study concluded that often the thing that sticks in

our minds is the negative we hear and we actually end up doing what we were told NOT

to do.”9 This demonstrates the power of believing in people. When someone believes in

me, I know that it gives me the motivation to try new things and reach beyond my own

limitations.

Building trust on the team is a continual process. I believe that there is a lot of

trust on our team. The students have really responded well to our leadership. We have

tried to build credibility and a family atmosphere. This past year we were very intentional

about building in the language of family into our team meetings. This seemed to build so

much trust. The students were more unified than ever. Each officer was for the success of

the other officers. Our role with them was clearer. They did not see us as disconnected

leaders but at the same time we were not taking on a role of “buddy,” we were like

parents to them and we wanted to help them succeed in leadership.

I really try to be open and vulnerable. This is probably an area that I could

improve, and my studies in this class have really enlightened me to the role of

vulnerability. This aspect of leadership is somewhat new, though I have never really tried

to put myself on a pedestal. In Latin American culture, many would consider

vulnerability as a weakness in leadership. The leader tends to hide weakness and

insecurities in order to show the followers that he is a strong capable leader. I think that I

tend to lead this way at times. What I am learning is that perfection and confidence to do

not necessarily cultivate trust, it is vulnerability that cultivates trust.

9
Cathy Patterson, I Believe in Believing. ([S.l.]: Crossbooks Publishing, 2013), 85.

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Motivation

There are two components to my motivation in ministry and as leader. First of all,

declaring and displaying the glory of God in my life and ministry motivates me.

Secondly, I consider the Great Commission my reason for breathing. I am motivated to

“Go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the

Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded

you.” (Mt 28:19-20). I would also add that it is impossible to obey the Great Commission

without also honoring the Great Commandment. Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your

God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and

greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself. (Mt.

22:38-39)

Values

The following is a list of the most important values and the guiding principles that

define my leadership and my passion for ministry:

 Biblical Authority

We make all decisions and plans in accordance with the principles set forth in

God’s word.

 Great Commission Priority

We have been called to fulfill the Great Commission and have pledged to give our

lives to the proclamation of the Gospel in both word and deed and to the long-term

process of discipleship of new believers.

 Marriage and Family are Priority

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        Faithfulness and fidelity in marriage and family life are infinitely more

important to us than any competing human loyalty. We believe that the purpose of our

marriage is to display to the world the love of our covenant keeping Savior, and because

TOGETHER we are far more effective for the advancement of the kingdom of God and

making disciples. Our most important discipleship has been the four sons that God has

given us.

 Importance of Prayer & Operation of the Holy Spirit

We believe that prayer is our most valuable tool. We depend upon the operation

of the gifts of the Spirit not only in our ministry, but also in every aspect of our daily

living.

 Stewardship & Generosity

It is our commitment to glorify God as we stand ready to give up all our

possessions and trust Him to provide for our needs; to be known for our generosity and

for being “above reproach in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation”

(Philippians 2:15)

 The Team is a Family

We work together as a family, which means there is no divisive competition. We

always work for the success of each individual as well as the organization.

 Partnership & the local Church.

We love the church in spite of its imperfections, pray daily for its well-being,

contribute our very best to its mission and ministries, and we are willing to submit its

authority, and live so its reputation in the world is positive.

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 As a leader, I try to admit my mistakes and look for ways to solve problems.

Asking for help is essential, but I know that I must grow in this area. Sometimes, it is

easier to just do things myself, but I know that I need to remember that when I do

everything on my own, I miss an opportunity to help someone grow. We are success

oriented, but at the same time, I try not to be success centered, but rather people centered

and Christ centered.

Conclusion

By God’s grace I have served in ministry leadership for many years now. Through

the years, the Lord has helped me to develop and grow in a variety of areas. Just a couple

of years ago, I took a spiritual gifts assessment test that was to determine my ministry

gifts and strengths. I was so surprised to see that I had developed a wide variety of gifts.

There were a couple that stood out on the list but I had high scores in a variety of areas. I

think this is because in my years of ministry, there were many times when there was no

one to lead or help in a certain area and I just had to learn how to “pick up the slack.”

This is where the Holy Spirit’s anointing makes up the difference.

My leadership strengths would be in things like communication skills, delegation,

and creativity. I am people focused, pretty disciplined, and I am a planner. I am also

extremely loyal and committed. These are areas in which I feel comfortable and I know

that I can flourish.

My weaknesses are probably a much longer list. I do not pay attention to details

and this can get me into trouble because it affects my organizational skills. I am

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intimidated by logistics as well, because this involves paying attention to details. I can be

pretty impulsive because of my idealism and I have a hard time saying “no.” Being

impulsive, there are times when I am too quick to speak and do not take the time to listen

and process the details.

In order to grow in these areas, I am learning to seek the help of others that are

better at seeing the details in the middle of my big picture. And as I work with people that

have these skills, I am learning as well. I am trying to do better at writing things down

and keeping a good organizational system.

One thing that has helped me to do better at saying “no” when I am asked to take

on another project is to understand that when I say “yes” to one person it means that I am

saying “no” to another. I know that this especially affects my family time. I am very

conscientious about this, because I understand that my boys are growing up quickly.

They have to be a priority for me. This is where I need to use my values as guiding

principles for helping me to make these kinds of decisions.

Growing in leadership is a lifelong goal and I am so grateful for the people and

opportunities that God has put in my life to help me grow. One of the great leaders from

history that I most admire is Dietrich Bonhoeffer. Bonheoffer is best known for his

writings on discipleship and one of my favorite Bonhoeffer quotes is worthy of repeating

here. Bonhoeffer said, “In the final analysis, the key issue is not whether we are married

or unmarried, a missionary or a mechanic. The more important issue is that we have

made some sense of God’s call in our lives. For that call to be realizable, we need to

understand ourselves sufficiently so that we know our gifts, motivations, strengths, and

weaknesses. When God’s call harmonizes with our giftedness, we become candidates for

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lasting achievement. And true achievement does not arise from a negative reaction to life,

but from embracing God’s perspective on what is good.”10 There is nothing like

discovering God’s call harmonizing with your giftings. It is the place where I feel the

most alive and I call that a “happy spot.”

10
Charles Ringma, Seize the Day with Dietrich Bonhoeffer (Colorado Springs, Colo: Pinon Press, 2000),
22.

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 Bibliography

Gafney, Wilda. Daughters of Miriam: Women Prophets in Ancient Israel. Minneapolis,

MN: Fortress Press, 2008.

Jeff Hartensveld. Apostolic Spark. Springfield, Mo: Assemblies of God World Missions,
2014.

Maxwell, John C. The Maxwell Leadership Bible: New King James Version. 2nd ed.
Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson, 2007.

McGee, Gary B. This Gospel--Shall Be Preached: A History and Theology of Assemblies

of God Foreign Missions to 1959. Springfield, Mo: Gospel Pub. House, 1986.

Patterson, Cathy. I Believe in Believing. [S.l.]: Crossbooks Publishing, 2013.

Ringma, Charles. Seize the Day with Dietrich Bonhoeffer. Colorado Springs, Colo: Pinon
Press, 2000.

Wood, D. R. W., and I. Howard Marshall, eds. New Bible Dictionary. 3rd ed. Leicester,
England ; Downers Grove, Ill: InterVarsity Press, 1996.

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