The Church and Parachurch Ministries

Essay

We must begin with the idea of being a 'person who establishes order.' Those who serve and lead a community should not merely be good at creating a positive atmosphere; they need to know how to maintain order. Likewise, those in follower roles must respect and submit to the community’s established order. The church is not just a gathering of like-minded people but a community built together within the order God has established.

Because of this, respecting pastors and leaders in the church is crucial. When serving closely with leaders, their weaknesses and shortcomings become visible, and sometimes their actions are hard to understand. But when we openly criticize or belittle leaders, it destroys the community’s order. Respect doesn’t come from leaders being perfect but from the fact that the church is a community built on order.

I believe that serious challenges to authority make shepherding nearly impossible. This doesn’t mean we should dismiss people lightly but that the order within the church matters deeply. Love is always necessary, but attitudes that repeatedly break the community’s order ultimately undermine the pastoral relationship. Future leaders must know how to build order as a protective fence for the community, not use it as a form of oppression.

This naturally leads to the topic of mission organizations and parachurch groups. Those who have long served in these functional ministries may find the church’s order and shepherding structure unfamiliar. Such organizations often reveal gifts, abilities, and results more quickly. It’s common to ask, ‘If I have a gift, why must I be limited?’ or ‘If I have leadership, why can’t I use it freely?’

In parachurch settings, when a person’s gifts and ability become visible, it is often comparatively quick to entrust a role to that person. If the person cannot carry the role well, that responsibility can also be adjusted or removed comparatively quickly. This does not mean top leadership changes casually. But below that level, practical ministry roles and team leadership are often appointed and adjusted more quickly than in a local church. In the church, visible gifts and ability do not immediately mean someone is placed forward. There may be theological preparation to consider, time needed for character and trust to be tested within the community, and requirements tied to office, shepherding, and church order. Someone from a parachurch background may feel this slowness is inefficient, but inside the church that slowness can itself be part of order and protection.

However, the church is not a community run only by ability. As 1 Corinthians 14 teaches, everything must be done with dignity and order. It’s not just having gifts but how those gifts are used to build up the church within the framework of order. Gifts are tools to strengthen the body, not to tear it apart.

Parachurch ministries are functional organizations. Because they can operate quickly and clearly toward specific goals, they might seem more attractive or effective. But we must never confuse this functional clarity with the belief that parachurch groups can replace the church. Mission organizations support the church from beneath and never stand in its place.

I caution those from certain groups who believe their teachings or methods are superior and who show disrespect toward the church or pastors. This attitude isn’t fruit born of healthy faith but rather misunderstanding the church. God does not work only through parachurch ministries; He glorifies even the seemingly weak local churches and reveals His glory through them.

Sometimes the church might appear weak because its central function is shepherding. Shepherding cannot be judged solely by quick results or strong functionality. It involves patiently caring for people, nurturing the weak, and building the whole community physically and relationally—a slow, complex process. Yet, when God glorifies the church, even a seemingly weak one shines brilliantly. There is no reason to belittle the church.

An important warning comes from an example in Country A. A foreign missionary attending a local church service repeatedly left the worship to attend to personal work and showed little respect for the communal worship. The local pastor eventually said, 'We appreciate your ministry, but the church has its authority. If you cannot respect that, you must leave.' No matter how valuable a ministry is, the church’s order must be honored within its walls.

Another issue is bringing materials and ministry methods from parachurch groups directly into the church. While these resources can be beneficial, they must be adapted to the church’s unique character and aligned with the pastor’s direction and the community’s flow. Without this, even good resources can disrupt church order.

In practice, factions can form inside a church between parachurch-origin groups and existing members. Sometimes those from parachurch groups follow their former methods rather than the pastor’s shepherding. This results in two leadership systems and cultures within the church, which causes division rather than unity. Within the church, pastoral care and direction must be followed.

Therefore, newcomers from parachurch or mission backgrounds need an orientation. They should learn that the church is not a place to continue parachurch ministry unchanged; it is a community to serve. They need to accept the pastor’s authority and leadership, understanding that parachurch groups support but do not replace the church. This kind of training acts like immunization, protecting the community.

It’s essential to clearly distinguish between the church and parachurch ministries. The church is about shepherding and the body of Christ. Parachurch ministries are functional tools. Gifts are to be used within order in the church to build up the body, whereas parachurch organizations may emphasize gifts to expand ministry and fulfill functions. Both are valuable but have different purposes and places.

Having many gifts in the church does not mean stepping forward to lead more. It means growing in humility and self-control. The greater the spiritual gift, the greater the potential impact—both to build or to disrupt the community. Like the Corinthians, whose gifts caused rivalry and division, gifts without order can tear the body apart instead of building it up.

The church is not structured by the order of gifts. Thoughts like 'My gift is greater—why am I not used?' or 'I’m better than that leader—why are they in front?' can arise. But what matters is not who’s better but who remains under order. It’s important to use gifts within roles and order for the good of the community.

Finally, consider Romans 11. It shows the flow of the gospel moving from Israel’s stumble to the riches and fullness found among the Gentiles. This abundance is not merely material blessing but gospel revival and spiritual richness. The expectation that God will glorify the church in the last days fits within this great gospel movement.

At the heart of all this is a love for the church. Gifts, leadership, and even parachurch ministries are precious. But the church is Christ’s body, a shepherding community, growing within God’s established order. Those who know how to establish and live within order, who practice humility and self-restraint despite their many gifts, build the church healthfully.

Content Notes

1. Future leaders must be able to establish order.

Serving a community requires more than diligence or ability; it requires setting and maintaining order that protects and nurtures the community toward peace. Followers must accept and respect this order.

2. The church is a community of order.

The church is not a private gathering of like minds but a community moving within God’s established order. When respect for pastors and leaders disappears, criticism and division arise. Respect is needed because the church is a body of order, not because leaders are flawless.

3. Even when seeing leaders’ weaknesses, avoid exposing or criticizing them openly.

Serving closely reveals leaders’ weaknesses, but openly sharing or demeaning these harms the community’s order and shakes the hearts of the people. Discernment is necessary, but a culture of criticism does not build community.

4. Serious challenges to authority hinder shepherding.

Shepherding requires love, trust, and order. Repeated challenges to authority and breaking communal order make pastoral relationships difficult. Therefore, order is an important fence protecting the community.

5. Those with parachurch experience may need to relearn church order.

Parachurch groups often reveal gifts, results, and leadership quickly, making the church’s slower shepherding and order feel unfamiliar. People with such backgrounds need to be taught anew what the church community is.

6. 1 Corinthians 14 emphasizes order over gifts.

Having gifts isn’t the core issue; it’s whether gifts build up the church in order. Paul frames the Corinthian spiritual gifts problem as one of dignity and order.

7. Leadership and gifts sometimes need limits.

Strong leadership and many gifts can produce results, but in the church, showing them without restraint is not always beneficial. Building the body requires leadership and gifts restrained under order.

8. Parachurch ministries are functional organizations.

They move quickly and clearly toward specific goals, making their ministry appear distinct and rapid. But this functional advantage does not equate to replacing the church.

9. Parachurch groups support the church beneath it.

They do not replace the church. Forgetting this leads to arrogance, judging the church and disrespecting pastors.

10. God glorifies local churches.

Though they may seem weak or slow, the church is God’s central community. He glorifies it, not only strong-looking parachurch groups.

11. Respect the church’s ministry and authority inside the church.

Even if you belong to another group or serve a valued ministry, you must honor the church’s worship and authority. One should never lightly disregard church order because of their ministry’s worth.

12. Bringing parachurch materials into the church requires caution.

Good resources need to be molded to the church’s character, aligned with the pastor’s guidance and community flow. Without this, good materials can disrupt order.

13. Two leadership streams in the church cause division.

Parachurch-origin groups following their methods apart from pastoral shepherding split the church. Within the church, the pastor’s care and direction must be followed for unity.

14. Training protects the community like immunization.

Youth and newcomers from parachurch backgrounds need education on the differences between church and parachurch. Proper training reduces misunderstandings, grievances, and division, protecting community health.

15. The church is the body; parachurch is a tool.

The church is a shepherding community; parachurch ministries are functional tools. Both are valuable but must not be confused in purpose or position. Tools do not replace the body.

16. More spiritual gifts mean greater humility.

Having many gifts in the church is not a license to step forward but a call to be even more humble and restrained. Greater influence holds the potential both to strengthen and to shake the community.

17. The church is not organized by gifts alone.

Positions and order are not determined just by who appears more gifted. The focus is building the body within roles and order.

18. A heart under order is more important than complaints.

Questions like 'Why am I not used?' or 'Why is that person a leader?' can lead to competitive spirit and division. Serving humbly within order outweighs demonstrating personal superiority.

19. Romans 11 reveals gospel richness flowing to the Gentiles.

The gospel’s flow from Israel’s stumble to Gentile fullness represents spiritual revival, not mere material blessing. The final days’ church glory is understood within this gospel movement.

20. Those who use gifts within order build the church.

Gifts, abilities, leadership, and parachurch experience are all precious. But without order, they can destabilize rather than build. Healthy church builders wield gifts humbly within God's established order.