Francis Shaeffer's Ministry Model
Nancy and J Richard Pearcey have created a new website. The Pearcey Report. There are many useful articles there to check out, but one article by J Richard is worth discussing.

Francis Schaeffer: A students appreciation of a distinct approach recounts how Schaeffer built his ministry. In essence, he didn't. He let God do all the work and you have only to look at the influence of his work to see that God knows what he is doing (In case there was any doubt).

Several of the methods Schaeffer used seem counter to our own wisdom, but have ultimately succeeded in doing more than anyone could have imagined.

Schaeffer took God seriously, and he wanted to show others that God was indeed there and because of this he had the following principles
1) Make our financial and material needs known to God alone, in prayer, rather than sending out pleas for money.
2) Pray that God will bring the people of His choice to us, and keep all others away.
3) Pray that God will plan the work, and unfold His plan to us (guide us, lead us) day by day, rather than planning the future in some clever or efficient way in committee meetings.

So Schaeffer didn't fund raise. He didn't advertise for staff or people to minister to and he didn't make big long term plans. Talk about a recipe for disaster. Yet, his reliance on God and his expression of the love of God from within him has produced much fruit.

How many of us or our churches have the courage and conviction to do the same?
- posted by Alan Grey @ Thursday, October 27, 2005