A Biblical Model of
Lay Ministry
For ye see your calling, brethren, how
that not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not
many noble, are called: But God hath chosen the foolish things
of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak
things of the world to confound the things which are mighty; And
base things of the world, and things which are despised, hath
God chosen, yea, and things which are not, to bring to nought
things that are: That no flesh should glory in his presence. - 1
Corinthians 1:26-29
And whosoever of you will be the chiefest,
shall be servant of all. - Mark 10:44
Nehemiah is often regarded as an ideal role model for spiritual
leadership—and he certainly is that.He had all the strengths of
good leadership: he was decisive, well-organized, a wise
overseer of other people, a good administrator, and a skilled
project manager who knew how to get things done.
He likewise had all the biblical qualifications for spiritual
leadership: godly character, a consistent testimony, a burning
zeal for the Lord, a desire to serve, and a commitment to honor
God in all that he did. Above all, his prayer life was
exemplary. (Perhaps more than any other single character in the
OT, Nehemiah teaches us what a vibrant prayer life ought to be
like.)
Nehemiah also had all the masculine traits Scripture associates
with men who are called to be shepherds and overseers among the
people of God. He was passionate but not driven by his emotions;
he was a hard-working man himself, but he also understood the
importance of delegating tasks; and he loved people, but never
compromised on matters of principle.What’s often missed about
Nehemiah is that he is primarily a model for lay leadership.
Some of the key lessons of his life and work are as immediately
applicable to laymen as they are to pastors and teachers in the
church.
Nehemiah himself was not a priest, a scribe, an expert in the
law, a theologian, or a teacher. As far as we can tell from
Scripture, when Nehemiah began his ministry in Jerusalem, he had
never been a leader of any kind. He apparently had no special
training to do what he ultimately did. He was simply a model of
hard work, practical ministry, and principled living.
He is the epitome of what every lay person in the church should
aspire to be. And his leadership shows us what all spiritual
leadership should be like.
When we meet Nehemiah on the pages of Scripture, he was a
servant in the king’s palace in Shushan, in Persia—far from his
homeland, which he had never even seen.
As servants go, he was an important one. But this special status
among servants certainly gave him no particular renown in
Jerusalem. He was still a servant, not anyone’s boss.
In fact, as far as the people of God in Jerusalem were
concerned, Nehemiah was an outsider and a latecomer with direct
ties to the ruling echelon of their former captors. That
probably even made him somewhat suspect at first.
So he labored among them as a layman and a fellow-worker. And he
earned their respect as a leader solely by serving them, and by
being a flesh-and-blood example of what all the people of Israel
ought to be.
So, as it turned out, his work as a servant was his training for
his life’s work. After all, servitude is the best kind of
training for spiritual leadership, because a servant is exactly
what Jesus said every true leader ought to be (Mark 10:44).
Nehemiah is thus a reminder to us of how God uses the weak
things of the world to accomplish His work (1 Corinthians
1:26-29).
Next time you read Nehemiah, bear that in mind: this book is
full of rich lessons for lay people who want their lives to
count for the Lord.
As someone who has technically been a layman for most of my
ministry, I love this aspect of Nehemiah’s life-message. He
teaches us that whoever we are, whatever our background or
training, and whatever our position in life—God has gifted us
and called us to use our gifts as servants. If we’re willing to
serve, He can use us in a mighty way.
© 2008 by Phil Johnson
Executive Director
Grace to You
