The Real Model

The model for the ministry of the church is Jesus.  Unfortunately, the modern day church sees such a model as being too simplistic, or maybe not realistic for a complicated time.  What the church has mistakenly chosen as its model is the business model.  With this model the traditional pastor is replaced by a CEO, the bottom line is not souls, but dollars, and success becomes more important than faithfulness.  If the church were to seriously embrace the pattern of Jesus' ministry, it would surely wear a different face and would find a motivation more compatible with the Sermon on the Mount than some ten steps for a successful church.    

One of the things which would surely change is the church 's attitude about the healing ministry.  There is no way to read the New Testament without coming to the conclusion that Jesus was about a healing ministry.  Suffering people were important to Him.  He had time for them.  He laid His hands on them instead of seeking to keep them at a distance.  And, most importantly, He prayed for them.  His healing ministry was not a peripheral issue, but one that consumed a large portion of His time.   

A faithful church cannot regard the healing ministry as optional, or something for other churches to embrace, but a ministry that is essential to its own identity.  While making this a central part of what the church is about may take a host of different forms, it does not seem to be something which can be ignored simply because of the discomfort it might create for some of its leaders, or members.  To engage in a healing ministry is to embrace a ministry which is more about holy mystery than logic and one which constantly reminds the followers of Christ who is really in control.