Where Your Philosophy of Ministry Begins
by Brian Rutherford
My parents had a fully wooden piece of furniture that was a record player when I was a kid. If you are a certain age, you know exactly what I am describing. If not, Google it. You will be amazed at what we used to play music on.
One of the albums they had was by Kenny Rogers, The Gambler. In the title track, Kenny sings “the best that you can hope for is to die in your sleep.” That phrase haunted me as a kid to the point that I could not sleep at night. It was perhaps one of my earliest indications that I am an Enneagram 5 who struggles with anxiety.
That anxiety followed me into high school. I spent a week at Milligan University one summer, and a violent storm blew in during the night. I was wide awake, mind racing with fear, unable to shut it off.
It did not stop there. That same current of anxiety has followed me into adulthood.
Here is what I find odd about all of it. I attended church from the time I was one week old. Our church was not a fire and brimstone place. But somewhere along the way, the God I came to know, or maybe the one I created in my own thinking, was a God I was primarily supposed to fear. A God who was basically waiting to catch me doing something wrong so he could punish me.
So the God who was supposed to provide me with the most peace and comfort actually caused me more stress and anxiety.
The Story That Started to Change That
The law of first mention says that to understand a particular word or doctrine, we should find the first place in Scripture where that word or doctrine appears and study that passage. The reasoning is that the Bible’s first mention of a concept is the simplest and clearest presentation, and doctrines then develop more fully on that foundation.
In the story of our origins in Genesis, we have the moment when sin entered the human story (Genesis 3:6-10):
When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it. Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they realized they were naked; so they sewed fig leaves together and made coverings for themselves.
Then the man and his wife heard the sound of the LORD God as he was walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and they hid from the LORD God among the trees of the garden. But the LORD God called to the man, “Where are you?” He answered, “I heard you in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; so I hid.”
Look at what happens. When sin enters the story, we are the ones hiding. And God is walking toward humans, looking for us.
Jesus’ story of the lost sons (usually titled the Prodigal Son) in Luke 15 echoes this narrative. In that story, the father sees his lost son from a long way off and runs toward him (Luke 15:20).
Jesus himself said that he did not come into the world to condemn the world but so that the world through him might be saved (John 3:17).
How This Affects Your Ministry
A.W. Tozer wrote in The Knowledge of the Holy, “What comes into our minds when we think about God is the most important thing about us.”
So what comes to your mind when you think about God?
Do not run past that question too quickly, and do not answer it simply with your head. Answer it with your heart and emotions. What feeling jumps into your being when you think about God looking at you?
That feeling shapes your soul, shapes your ministry, and shapes how you interact with your One, the person you want to introduce to Jesus.
It also does not stay with you alone. It seeps into everything. It shapes how you lead, how you build your team, and how your church talks about people who don't know Jesus. A church’s entire philosophy of ministry is quietly shaped by its leaders’ view of God, even the parts they have never put into words. When that view shifts, everything shifts with it.
I have not arrived. But as my view of God has transformed, I find myself filling with more kindness, compassion, and empathy. I find a longing to see life go well for everyone around me. And I think that is closer to who God wants me to be.
One of the best things about working with Intentional Churches is that we get to gather with leaders in person every year. The IC Conference is May 5 and 6, 2027, in Chicago, IL. If that sounds like your kind of room, we hope to see you there. Learn more at intentionalchurchesconference.com.
